Open a self-service coffee shop in Stuttgart

Coffee to go in Stuttgart: who buys on the move

The centre of Stuttgart lies in a basin (Kessel), and many residential areas climb the slopes up to the heights. People going to work in the morning usually take the Stadtbahn, the S-Bahn or the bus, and on top of that there are lots of commuters from the region. On the way there is time for a coffee, but not for a seat in a café. People pick up the cup on the way to the stop, in a minute.

Most of these customers are where people change. At Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof long-distance trains, regional trains, the S-Bahn and the Stadtbahn meet. The S-Bahn runs from the Hauptbahnhof through a tunnel under the city centre to Schwabstraße, and at Charlottenplatz the Stadtbahn lines cross on two levels. Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and Feuerbach Bahnhof are further hubs where trains and buses meet.

The second group works in offices or factories. In the Synergiepark in Vaihingen and Möhringen many companies sit side by side, Mercedes-Benz has a large plant in Untertürkheim, Porsche builds its sports cars in Zuffenhausen, and Bosch works in Feuerbach. At many plants the early shift starts before the shops open. The coffee on the way from the stop to the factory gate is then often the first of the day.

The third group studies. Universität Stuttgart has campuses in the city centre and in Vaihingen, Universität Hohenheim is in the south of the city, and there are also the Hochschule der Medien, HFT Stuttgart and the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg. At the Duale Hochschule, students alternate between lectures and work placements at companies. So how much a location in a university building sells depends on the semester timetable, and we factor that in.

Which coffee shop formats we install in Stuttgart

The indoor coffee shop is the most frequent fit, turnkey from €6 425. It stands in a shopping mall, in the lobby of an office building, at a university, in a hospital or in the checkout area of a supermarket. Customers come into the warm, and winter does not hurt the location.

The outdoor coffee shop (from €10 709) manages without premises, works round the clock in any weather and has a vandal-resistant body. In Stuttgart it works well at Shell, Esso, Aral or Avia petrol stations, at a Stadtbahn stop or in front of a shop in a residential area. You sort out the spot with the owner of the space, for example 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, in the Oberer Schlossgarten, at the Höhenpark Killesberg or by the Neckar. We quote the price on request.

We choose the format only once we know the address: we look at how people move there and where they stop, and then we decide. If you would like to sell something other than coffee, we will build a different vending machine turnkey: for ice cream, candyfloss, pizza or ready meals.

Where to put a coffee shop in Stuttgart

On the map above you can see places in Stuttgart that lots of people pass every day: stops, stations, supermarkets, office buildings, hospitals and universities. Tap your district and see what is nearby. Below are the places where we start the search in Stuttgart.

Have you already found a free corner in a shopping mall or a spot at a stop? 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 Stuttgart 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 Stuttgart

In Stuttgart, the position on the slope often decides the walking routes. People who live in Degerloch, on the Killesberg or in another neighbourhood up on the heights do not walk far; they go to the nearest Stadtbahn stop. So people gather at a few points: at the stop, at the supermarket next to it, at the station down in the valley. A location just a few streets away gets little of this, even if it looks close on the map. That is why we always check the site on the spot, not just on the map.

For locations at plants and office buildings, the rhythm of shifts and working hours counts: early in the morning, at lunchtime, at the shift change. At weekends it is quiet there, whereas at a supermarket in Bad Cannstatt or Weilimdorf people buy on Saturdays too. Rents also differ: in the centre they are usually higher than in the outer districts. So we calculate the income for each address separately, taking into account the footfall, the drink price, the equipment and the rent of that exact site.

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 Stuttgart, 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 Stuttgart separately and free of charge.

Kavil franchise in Stuttgart: 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 Stuttgart at once? Ask about our wholesale offer: from 2 to 10 locations.

FAQ: a self-service coffee shop in Stuttgart