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A simple guide to coffee equipment SLAs for café owners. Understand response times, resolution targets, must-have clauses, and how to avoid downtime.
Cafés look so peaceful from the outside, don’t they? Cozy lights, soft music, that comforting blend of coffee and croissant in the air, and latte art that could win small awards. But behind the counter? It’s a delicate ecosystem of machines that absolutely must behave. And when they don’t, everything else starts wobbling like a badly poured cappuccino.
So when your espresso machine decides to give up at 8 am, the absolute last thing you need is a vague, “We’ll see when we can send someone” from your service provider.
Here’s the thing: most café teams don’t think about service contracts until something breaks – and honestly, that’s completely understandable. But the real backbone of smooth café operations isn’t just your equipment. It’s the agreement that keeps that equipment running. A good SLA quietly protects your workflow, your team, and, yes, your sanity. The tricky part is knowing what a good one actually looks like.
And that’s where many café owners get stuck. People sign SLAs without really understanding what they cover – or what they should cover. So before we dive into response times, repair speeds, and all the must-have clauses, let’s take a moment to break down what an SLA actually is.
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An SLA – short for Service Level Agreement – is basically a written promise between you and your coffee equipment service provider.
It spells out things like:
You can think of an SLA as the adulting version of “cross my heart and hope to fix your espresso machine”.
Because one broken machine can bring your entire morning service to a halt.
No espresso = no lattes = no customers = no revenue = a very stressful Tuesday.
An SLA turns uncertainty into clear expectations. Instead of “We’ll come soon,” you get something like “We’ll respond within one hour and repair within four.”
(Ahhh, much better.)
SLAs aren’t for everyone – but they’re crucial for most.
Predictability.
You know:
No more crossed fingers. No more “we’ll see.”
Most café owners get tripped up here – and providers love when you mix these up.
This is how fast they acknowledge your issue.
A response might be a call, text, email or message in their system.
It doesn’t mean things are fixed.
It just means they saw your SOS flare.
This is how long it takes to actually fix the problem or provide a workable solution.
This time ends when:
A fast response without a fast resolution still leaves you without coffee.
And we all know that’s not an option.
Here’s a practical benchmark to help you evaluate your SLA.
This isn’t scientific – it’s based on real-world, sensible expectations for busy cafés.
Examples: espresso machine dead, grinder broken, no hot water
Examples: one group head is down, steam wand weak, grinding inconsistencies
Examples: cosmetic issues, non-critical parts, small leaks
If your SLA doesn’t have priorities, that’s already a red flag.
A good SLA goes far beyond speed.
Do they offer:
Think about your busiest hours.
Sometimes your issue is a 5-minute fix over the phone.
Other times it needs a technician with tools.
Your SLA should specify:
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This is a promise that your machine will be functional a certain percentage of time.
Example: 95% uptime.
It gives you real leverage if equipment reliability slips.
This is crucial but often missing.
You should get:
If a provider refuses reporting, they know you can’t hold them accountable.
Preventive maintenance (PM) is the secret hero of café equipment care. Think of it as the dental cleaning that prevents root canals.
A solid SLA should include:
Most cafés need 2–4 visits depending on volume.
A good PM checklist includes:
Without PM, breakdowns become more frequent and expensive – and always at the worst time.
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Here’s where café owners often get overwhelmed, so let’s break it down simply.
List:
No ambiguity.
Good contracts clearly state:
Bad contracts bury exclusions in the fine print.
This should be CLEAR.
If you see vague phrases like “as soon as possible,” back away slowly.
Do they:
This can be the difference between a bad day and a disaster.
You need clarity on:
Avoid contracts that lock you in for years with no escape.
Examples include:
Without remedies, an SLA is a wish list.
Phrases like “promptly,” “reasonable time,” or “we aim to” are loopholes.
Critical breakdowns treated the same as cosmetic issues? Nope.
If everything counts as “operator error,” you’ll be paying out of pocket constantly.
If you can’t leave even if the service is terrible, run.
If you can’t measure performance, you can’t enforce it.
If you run several cafés, things can get complicated fast.
SLAs should simplify, not add chaos.
This is where most cafés struggle – not because they don’t care, but because they’re busy.
Running a café is already a full-body workout.
To track SLA performance, you should log:
This helps you:
Moqa lets you:
It basically acts like your café’s personal equipment detective – minus the trench coat.
Want to see Moqa in action? Book a free demo today, or contact us to know more!
Feel free to screenshot this:
A well-written SLA isn’t “extra paperwork”. It’s protection. It’s clarity.
It’s peace of mind when your morning rush hits and your espresso machine decides to test your patience.
With the right SLA – and the right tools to track it – you can keep your equipment healthy, your team calm, and your customers caffeinated.
If you want an easier way to track issues, monitor service performance, and stay on top of your equipment, Moqa has your back. Like a friendly little guardian angel with a clipboard.
A written agreement outlining how quickly your service provider will respond, repair, maintain, and support your coffee equipment.
For machine-down emergencies, within 1 hour is ideal. For lower-priority issues, same-day response is usually fine.
If your café depends on espresso or high-volume service, yes – an SLA reduces downtime and protects your revenue.
Absolutely. PM helps prevent major breakdowns and keeps machines consistent and safe.
Your contract should include remedies like credits, added service visits, or the right to exit.
