Free 60-second audit
The Off-Site Break Cost Calculator
How much are off-site coffee and snack runs really costing your business? Move the sliders below to calculate your hidden wage overhead — and see what you recover with a $0 COST on-site machine.
The short answer
Every off-site coffee run is paid working time. A 40-person site where staff make three 15-minute coffee runs and two 12-minute snack runs a week burns well over $100,000 in wages across 48 working weeks. An on-site machine costs you nothing but electricity — roughly $145 to $420 a year — and keeps staff inside the gate during breaks.
Your site
People who would use the machine
Coffee runs
Cafe trips your team makes off site
Door to door, including queueing
What staff pay out of pocket off site
Snack & drink runs
Shop trips for food and cold drinks
Door to door, including queueing
Loaded cost per working hour
Combo ~2.0, ambient snack ~0.5
Indicative commercial rate
Calculated over 48 working weeks. Indicative only — actual results depend on your site.
What off-site breaks cost you
- Lost per week
- $2,070
- Lost per month
- $8,280
- Lost per year
- $99,360
- Hours lost to coffee runs
- 1,440 hrs
- Hours lost to snack & drink runs
- 768 hrs
- Wages paid during coffee runs
- $64,800
- Wages paid during snack runs
- $34,560
- Staff out-of-pocket cafe spend
- $31,680
- Electricity cost (your only cost)
- −$241
- Net annual benefit of an on-site machine
- $99,119
Beyond lost wages: the WHS and workers' comp exposure
Victorian workers' compensation schemes treat morning tea and lunch as an authorised recess. If a staff member leaves your premises for coffee or takeaway during that break and is injured — a footpath slip or a traffic incident — the injury can be lodged as a workplace claim. Claims history feeds directly into your premium, and a single claim can affect renewals for several years. Confirm how your state scheme and insurer treat recess claims for your site.
Get these numbers for your site — $0 COST hire
No purchase, no lease, no rental fee. Tell us about your site and we'll confirm which machine you qualify for, what it will stock and when we can install it — usually within a few working days.
- Your business name and site address (Melbourne suburb or Victorian town) so we can match a local operator
- How many staff, students or visitors are on site each day
- What you'd like stocked — snacks, cold drinks, healthy options, coffee, PPE or a mix
- Best contact name, mobile and email for confirming install times
We'll come back to you with machine availability and an install date. There is no cost, no lock-in contract and no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call 0401 NO COST (0401 662 678) — across Melbourne and Victoria Melbourne.
Download your results as a PDF
A one-page summary of your inputs, lost-wage figures and net annual benefit — ready to send to your manager, finance team or WHS committee.
Submit the enquiry form above to unlock your PDF summary
Risk mitigation & WHS
Why Melbourne workplaces are stopping off-site coffee & snack runs
Off-site breaks don't just drain productivity — they expose Victorian employers to workers' compensation claims and multi-year premium increases that on-site refreshments avoid entirely.
Authorised break liability
In major Victorian jurisdictions, lunch and morning tea are treated as an authorised recess. If an employee leaves your gate for coffee or food and is injured, it can be lodged as a workers' compensation claim — subject to the circumstances and your state scheme.
Multi-year premium impact
Workers' compensation premiums are experience-rated against your claims history. A single off-site slip or driving incident during a coffee run can influence your premium at renewal for several years, not just the year of the claim.
100% on-site risk elimination
Cafe-quality coffee, fresh food and cold drinks on site keep staff inside your premises during breaks — removing public road and footpath exposure while recovering hundreds of working hours a year.
General information only, not legal or insurance advice. Check your obligations with your insurer, broker or state regulator.
Reduce your WHS risk profile today. We deliver, install, stock and service your machine at zero cost to your business.
Check free placement eligibility in your cityOff-site break cost questions
What does the Off-Site Break Cost Calculator measure?
It estimates the wages your business pays while staff walk off site for coffee and snacks, split into coffee runs and snack runs, then nets that against the machine's electricity cost. Because placement, stock and servicing are free, electricity is your only direct cost.
How is the lost wage cost calculated?
Coffee runs and snack runs are counted separately. For each, staff on site x trips per person per week x minutes per trip x 48 working weeks, converted to hours and multiplied by your average loaded hourly wage. Weekly and monthly figures are the annual total divided by 48 and 12.
What does a workplace vending machine or coffee service cost to run?
Only electricity — typically $0.40 to $1.16 per day for a refrigerated machine at an indicative rate of $0.33 per kWh. There is no purchase price, lease, rental or service fee.
Can an off-site coffee run become a workers' compensation claim?
It can. Victorian workers' compensation schemes recognise injuries during an authorised recess, so an injury on a footpath or in traffic during a paid break may be claimable depending on the circumstances and the state scheme. Claims history feeds into premiums, so it is worth confirming your exposure with your insurer or broker.
Is the result a guarantee?
No. It is an indicative estimate based on the inputs you enter. Actual results depend on your site layout, staff behaviour and how far the nearest cafe or shop is.
Ready for a $0 COST vending machine hire at your site?
Tell us your location, staff numbers and what your team wants stocked in a $0 COST hire vending machine of your choice, with your product choices to keep everyone happy. We'll confirm the right machine and book installation — at no cost to your business. That's how $0 COST hire works: machine sales pay for the placement and the vending service.