Meeting Consumer Demand for Premium, Functional Beverages
Mark Hatch, VP of Foodservice Trade Relations at Winsight Media, says consumers are actively seeking exciting flavors and functional beverages that support healthier lifestyles. As a result, restaurant leaders are accelerating their adoption of foodservice equipment that can deliver these premium beverages quickly and conveniently.
Premium Drinks Are Driving Growth
Beverages continue to offer significantly stronger margins than food items. Because of this, restaurant leaders are leaning into the drink category as a major growth opportunity. Many are adding equipment that expands and enhances their premium beverage offerings.
Importantly, these new options are not replacing existing drink sales. Instead, restaurants are seeing an overall increase in beverage attachment rates. Customers who originally did not plan to order a drink are now choosing premium smoothies, fruit teas, boba teas, lemonades, and lattes made from scratch with all-natural ingredients.
This trend mirrors the direction of major brands. McDonald’s and Dunkin’ have both expanded their beverage lines to compete in the premium, café-style drink category.
Cold Drinks Continue to Dominate
Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan reported that 75% of Starbucks’ Q3 2023 revenue came from cold beverages. To support the growing demand for Refresher-style frozen drinks, Starbucks rolled out new cold foam blenders across all U.S. company-run stores. Narasimhan described this initiative as “one of the fastest equipment rollouts” in the company’s history.*
Scooter’s Coffee has taken a similar approach. After adding organic hot and iced teas to its menu, the brand emphasized that both quality and speed matter. According to Nathan Lester, Senior Director of Drive-Thru Innovation, consistency and fast service are key differentiators for their beverage program.
Lifting Sales Through Beverage Automation
John Morris, District Manager at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya, has witnessed the impact of beverage automation firsthand. By deploying Botrista, the freshly-blended beverage platform, Kizuki saw a 20–30% increase in incremental revenue.
“Being exact in our pours with Botrista, we sell a large number of high-quality, premium beverages,” says Morris. “This allows us to reinvest in the growth of our brand. I’m excited about it. Our team loves using the system, and guests enjoy coming in for a drink.”
Why Industry Leaders Are Paying Attention
Seeing the rapid growth in demand for natural, artisanal drinks, Mark Hatch joined Botrista’s advisory board in 2023. He believes Botrista fills an important gap for restaurant brands that need professional beverage strategy without adding operational complexity.
“Botrista empowers industry visionaries to offer premium drinks made from high-quality, natural ingredients—like fruit purees, natural sweeteners, boba teas, and optional vitamin additives,” says Hatch. “The powered beverage station creates these craft drinks with the push of a button.”
A Lift Across the Entire Beverage Category
Forward-thinking operators are finding that adding premium beverages does more than deepen the drink menu. It creates a lift across all beverage categories, including soft drinks. Premium beverage options encourage customers to add a drink who otherwise would not have ordered one.
Industry Excitement for Botrista
Hatch says he has seen restaurant executives “light up” after tasting freshly-blended drinks at FSTEC.
Jason Valentine, Chief Strategy Officer at Botrista, adds:
“Attendees can look forward to experiencing café-style drinks made from natural ingredients—all crafted at the touch of a button. Our team is here to guide and support partners through their beverage innovation journey.”
For media inquiries, demos, or interviews, contact: marketing@botrista.com
*Source: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/fast-food/cold-drinks-now-represent-75-percent-starbucks-sales
About Botrista
Botrista provides automated beverage solutions that help operators expand into profitable, non-alcoholic craft beverages. These include boba teas, smoothies, iced coffees, flavored lemonades, energy drinks, and more. Data shows these offerings lift overall beverage sales without reducing soda sales.
With Botrista, operators can add a new beverage category without operational complexity. The platform connects restaurants with world-class quality ingredients from leading manufacturers. The company’s vision is simple: make any staff member a barista or bartender through automation that delivers consistency, speed, and premium quality.
