The Coffee Cart Playbook: How the Right Equipment Can Make (or Break) Your Catering Business

Your coffee cart setup can either make you unstoppable—or hold you back. In this episode of the Flashquotes Podcast, we break down the exact equipment, tools, and strategies you need to run a seamless, profitable coffee catering business.

Join Justin Goodhart and Zach Capshaw as they dive into espresso machines, coffee carts, transport hacks, plumbing setups, and warehouse organization—all optimized for efficiency, growth, and scaling beyond a one-person operation.

Whether you’re just getting started or already running a high-volume coffee catering business, this episode will help you choose the right gear, avoid costly mistakes, and set up your operations for long-term success.

 

📌 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

☕ The best espresso machines for coffee catering—and which ones to avoid 🛠️ Custom vs. pre-built carts: What’s the best option for your business? 🚀 Why your cart’s size & weight matter more than you think 🔧 Transport & storage hacks to cut setup time in half 💰 How to scale your coffee cart fleet—without breaking the bank 📦 Why organization & storage solutions can save you thousands

🔗 Build & grow your event business with Flashquotes – The all-in-one quoting & operations system: https://flashquotes.com

 

⏳ Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro - The espresso machine mistake that’s killing your scalability


2:12 - The best espresso machines for coffee catering


7:18 - Why cart design matters & how to choose the right one


13:14 - The biggest transport mistake coffee caters make


14:45 - Storage, organization & why the right boxes matter

20:41 - The importance of first impressions when setting up at events


22:08- How 3D printing is changing coffee cart setups


27:20- The two-trip rule: How to optimize your setup time


33:03 - When you should move from a garage to a warehouse


39:14 - The #1 reason coffee caters burn out & how to fix it

 

🛠️ Resources & Tools Mentioned:

📌 Flashquotes – The best quoting & operations tool for event businesses: https://flashquotes.com 📌 The Woodress – Beautiful, collapsible coffee carts by Jacqui: https://www.instagram.com/thewoodress 📌 Systainer Storage Boxes – The best stackable transport boxes for coffee carts: https://systainer.store/ 📌 Lelit Bianca & Linea Mini – Two of the top recommended espresso machines: https://www.lelit.com/en-us/product/bianca-pesbn03 https://home.lamarzoccousa.com/product/linea-mini/ 📌 CaffeWorks Pumps – A top choice for mobile espresso setups https://caffewerks.com/

 

 

🚀 Want to Scale Your Coffee Cart Business?

Most coffee caterers limit their growth by choosing the wrong equipment. This episode will show you how to optimize your setup, improve your mobility, and serve more events with ease—so you can scale faster and increase your revenue.

📢 Like & Subscribe for more insights on equipment, pricing, operations, and scaling your event business!

 

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