Open a self-service coffee shop in Munich

Coffee to go in Munich: who buys on the move

Every morning lots of people travel into Munich from the surrounding area by S-Bahn, and almost all S-Bahn lines share the trunk line (Stammstrecke) between Pasing and Ostbahnhof. Those who get off at Hackerbrücke, at the Hauptbahnhof or at Karlsplatz (Stachus) often still have a change to the U-Bahn or the tram ahead of them. Along the way, people buy a coffee that is ready in a minute and take the cup with them to the platform. A self-service coffee shop is built for exactly this moment.

Most of these customers are found at the hubs where lines converge. München Hauptbahnhof, München Ost and München-Pasing connect regional trains, the S-Bahn, the U-Bahn and buses. In the city centre many people change between U-Bahn lines at Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz and Sendlinger Tor, and in the north at Münchner Freiheit and Scheidplatz. At the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (central bus station) at Hackerbrücke, travellers wait for their long-distance coach.

The second group works in offices. In Arnulfpark between the Hauptbahnhof and Donnersbergerbrücke, at Arabellapark in Bogenhausen, at the Highlight Towers and at Uptown München in the north there are large office buildings. In Milbertshofen lots of people work around BMW. Office workers grab a coffee in the morning on the way from the platform and often a second one after lunch.

The third group studies. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and Technische Universität München have their main buildings in Maxvorstadt, Hochschule München is on Lothstraße, and in the Studentenstadt in Freimann many students live right by the U-Bahn. Between two lectures, coffee is bought in passing. During the semester break fewer students are around, and that belongs in the sales plan for a location at a university.

Which coffee shop formats we install in Munich

For most Munich addresses the indoor coffee shop is the right fit, turnkey from €6 425. It stands in a shopping mall, in the entrance hall of an office building, at a university, in a hospital or after the checkouts of a supermarket. Its customers are already inside, so it sells even in January, when there is snow outside.

The outdoor coffee shop (from €10 709) needs no premises, has a vandal-resistant body and works round the clock in any weather. In Munich it works well at an Aral, Esso, Shell or Allguth petrol station, at a stop or in front of a shop in a residential area. You agree the spot with the owner of the space, for example the petrol station operator or the shop the kiosk will stand in front of.

Then there is cold-drink with iced coffee, shakes and cold drinks. It pays off where lots of people are outdoors in summer: near the Isar, by the Englischer Garten, at the Olympiapark or at Feldmochinger See. We quote the price on request.

We decide which format suits your address only after looking at the site: where do people walk, where do they stop, where is the entrance? If you would rather sell something other than coffee, we will also build a different vending machine turnkey: for ice cream, candyfloss, pizza or ready meals.

Where to put a coffee shop in Munich

The map above marks the places in Munich that lots of people pass every day: stops, S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations, supermarkets, office buildings, hospitals and universities. Tap your district, and you will see what is nearby. Below are the places where we start the search in Munich.

Do you already have your eye on a free space in a shopping mall or a spot at an S-Bahn station? Send us the address, and we will calculate the income for that exact site free of charge. If you do not have an address yet, we will do the search: we check the footfall, negotiate with the landlord and show you several options. You pay for the search only after you sign the lease with the landlord, and only if you like the site.

How much a self-service coffee shop in Munich costs

A turnkey indoor coffee shop costs from €6 425 incl. VAT. Outdoor coffee shop: from €10 709. Cold-drink: price on request. Installation anywhere in Germany is charged separately from the price of the coffee shop.

The basic set includes a Kavil-branded kiosk with LED lighting, a Saeco or Jetinno coffee machine, a terminal for card and smartphone payments, Kavil brand design and telemetry. The final price depends mainly on the coffee machine model, and also on the options and the installation. Banknote and coin acceptors and a custom design can be added separately.

You pay in two parts, and only after signing the contract, which sets out the coffee machine model, the equipment, the amount and the deadlines. You make the prepayment after signing and pay the rest at installation. After that, each month you pay rent, taxes and the bank fee for card payments, and you buy ingredients and cups. You do not hand us any percentage of your sales.

What matters in Munich

Space in central Munich is expensive: at Marienplatz or the Hauptbahnhof you usually pay more than in front of a supermarket in Hasenbergl or Neuperlach. So the place with the most passers-by is not automatically the best one. We calculate each address separately, taking into account the footfall, the drink price, the equipment and the rent of that exact site, and only then do you see which option pays off for you.

In newer neighbourhoods such as Freiham, Messestadt Riem or Domagkpark, residents take the same routes every day: to the S-Bahn or U-Bahn station, to the stop, to the supermarket. A location on such a route lives on regular customers. The Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese or trade fair days in Riem are different: they bring lots of extra people into the city for a few days. But a location has to pay its way in ordinary everyday life, and that is how we calculate it.

What you need to launch

You need no business experience. We open turnkey coffee shops even for people who have never run a business: we train you from scratch, and from the day the contract is signed you have a personal manager. We help you with the bank account and the payment terminal step by step.

It all starts with a conversation. You leave your number, we call back, calculate the income for the site you have chosen in Munich, put together the equipment package and show you the inside of the coffee shop on Zoom. This stage moves at your pace. You read the contract before you pay, and the countdown starts with the prepayment: it takes up to 30 days from then to the first cup. In that time we build the coffee shop in our own workshop, look for a site if you ask us to, and then deliver, install and set up the coffee shop.

Looking after the location itself takes about 15 minutes once every two or three days: topping up ingredients and collecting the takings. You can easily combine this with your main job. You see sales and stock levels on your smartphone, so you know when it is time to go to the location.

How much Kavil partners earn

Taras has a network of 3 locations in retail areas and busy walkways. After 5 months of operation it brought him more than €1 770 of net profit a month. Bohdan has 1 indoor location by an entrance: 80 drinks a day and more than €880 a month after 6 months. Vladyslav has 2 indoor locations with steady footfall: more than €1 480 of net profit a month after 5 months.

Kavil partners’ figures (December 2024), converted to euros. Results vary from location to location: these are examples, not a guarantee. Coffee prices, rents and costs depend on the site, so we do not carry these figures over directly. We calculate the income for your address in Munich separately and free of charge.

Kavil franchise in Munich: what you get

You buy the equipment, and the business is entirely yours: 0 royalties, so no monthly share of your sales goes to us. We roast our own coffee, and you buy our beans 25% cheaper than from competitors. We build the coffee shops in our own workshop, buy Saeco and Jetinno coffee machines directly, with no dealer markup, and you get beans, ingredients and cups from us with no middlemen. Thanks to telemetry, you see sales and stock levels on your smartphone every day.

The equipment comes with a warranty, and we write its term into the contract. If sales drop, we go through the figures together, and if the site turns out to be weak, we plan a move. If you change your mind or the location does not work out, we will buy back the equipment at 60% of its value; the buyback terms are in the contract. Would you like several coffee shops in Munich at once? Ask about our wholesale offer: from 2 to 10 locations.

FAQ: a self-service coffee shop in Munich