Press Release
Campuses Turn to Automation to Improve Student Life
Dining leaders are turning to platforms like Botrista to cut costs, ease labor demands, and keep up with Gen Z’s thirst for trending drinks like boba. The future of campus dining? Efficient, flexible, and automated.
April 11, 2025
As we’ve been on the road this spring, meeting with campus dining professionals at NACUFS regional conferences in Myrtle Beach, SC (March 12-14), Albuquerque, NM (April 2-4), and Duluth, MN (April 23-25), the conversations increasingly center around automation as a strategic solution rather than just a stopgap measure.
"We were looking for an item that students would be gravitate to,” says the University of Buffalo’s Director of Campus Dining Ray Kohl, as to the reason he brought automation into his beverage lineup with Botrista.
The shift toward automated beverage platforms represents more than just a trend; it's a strategic response to multiple operational challenges. When we examine the impact of implementing automated beverage systems on campus, three key benefits consistently emerge: significant labor savings, cost control, and the ability to quickly adapt to changing beverage trends.
Labor efficiency and consistency
Modern beverage automation platforms can handle the work of multiple staff members while maintaining consistent quality across thousands of drinks. This efficiency isn't just about reducing labor hours – it's about reallocating valuable staff resources to areas where human interaction and creativity are most impactful.
“I think it’s great to have a machine do this kind of work,” one student commented to us after grabbing his boba at a New York-based college. “Not only to take the workload off people, but it also standardizes our drinks.”
“Things can get busy here at the Café,” a staffer told us on a break at an Indiana-based college. “It’s nice to just be able to push a button and walk away.”
Cost control
The financial implications of automated beverage service extend beyond labor savings. Precise portion control, reduced waste, and optimized inventory management contribute to a more sustainable operation both environmentally and financially. Campus dining operations implementing these systems typically report seeing ROI within months, not years.
Future sips and planning ahead
As campus dining services continue to evolve, the integration of smart automation solutions represents a critical step toward future-proofing operations. The ability to offer an expanded beverage menu while controlling costs and maintaining quality isn't just a competitive advantage – it's becoming a necessity for meeting student expectations and operational goals.
The upcoming NACUFS regional conferences provide an excellent opportunity for dining services leaders to explore how automated beverage platforms can transform their operations. As we prepare to share insights and innovations at these events, it's clear that the future of campus dining will be shaped by those willing to embrace smart automation solutions that enhance both the student experience and operational efficiency.
For campus dining leaders, the question is no longer whether to automate, but rather how to implement automation strategically to meet both current needs and future challenges. The answer lies in finding partners who understand both the unique demands of campus dining and the transformative potential of thoughtful automation.
Staying ahead of beverage trends
Perhaps most importantly for today's campus dining environments, automated platforms offer the flexibility to quickly adapt to changing student preferences. From craft mocktails to functional beverages, having a single platform that can produce hundreds of different drinks means dining services can easily update their menu offerings without additional training or equipment investments.
The data supports this strategic approach. Our recent surveys show that Gen Z students place a high value on variety and customization in their dining experiences, with over 82% indicating that they’re craving these trending options like boba tea on their campus.
Included In This Story
Botrista
Botrista empowers partners to serve trending, high-quality beverages with ease. Using premium ingredients and a data-driven approach, implementation, operation, and scaling are simplified—ensuring consistency, quality, and profitability in an effortless, ever-evolving program.
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