FAQs

Most cafe owners will buy their Modbar from a reseller, typically a roasting company or technical service provider. Outside the U.S., Modbar works with distributors (often within the La Marzocco partner network) to bring equipment to the market.

When you begin the conversation about bringing Modbar into your project, your reseller or distributor will want to talk through your goals for the space and how you envision laying out your Modbar equipment. You’ll need to consider power requirements, drainage, undercounter space, water treatment, drain tray placement, and overall workflow. Your reseller or service provider will help you through preparing your site and installing the gear based on your construction timeline.

We’d be happy to talk you through what it takes to become a Modbar reseller. Please email us at sales@modbar.com and we can see if it’s a good fit.

Happy to help! Shoot an email to sales@modbar.com for more information.

Modbar equipment sold in the United States is built in our factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Outside the U.S., you will receive equipment built in the La Marzocco facilities in Scarperia, Italy.

Great question! Both espresso systems are built, sold and serviced in full partnership with La Marzocco. They also each provide many of the same Modbar benefits: increasing meaningful customer interactions and helping cafes to make a beautifully distinct design statement.

The Espresso EP is the original Modbar. It offers the ability to pressure profile your shots thanks to a built-in gear pump, all in a classic, elegant design. The EP is best for lower-volume cafes looking to create a unique espresso shot for their customers.

The Espresso AV is the first Modbar built from the ground up alongside La Marzocco. It is designed for high volume environments adding in auto-volumetric controls based on the Linea PB. One module can support two espresso taps, and the option of built-in scales gives cafe owners more control than ever.

Your reseller or a Modbar/La Marzocco team member can help make sure you get the exact right system for your cafe.

Check out our installation guides for complete specs on setting up your space for Modbar. Here are a few things to consider:

- Design shelf space below-counter to give the modules space above and on either side, and to make access easy for service technicians. We recommend metro racks, metal shelving, or sliding/rotating shelves. Avoid MDF wherever possible!

- Design the above-counter space to give each tap enough room side to side. Use our cut templates to ensure proper spacing and distance from the drain tray. Cut templates can be found on our support page.

- Make sure to plan the drain tray footprint into your design. A specialized drain tray will ship with your AV system anywhere in the world, and with EP, Steam, and Pour-Over systems shipped to North America. We can also recommend vendors for custom-designed trays.

- Plan to pull the appropriate power and install plumbing that works with Modbar.

More info on these requirements can be found on Dozuki or through our support page.

Proper water treatment is essential to operating and maintaining your equipment. Every area has slightly different water coming in, so the required treatment can vary significantly. We recommend testing your water before and after installing treatment equipment to ensure it meets our spec. Take a look here at the recommended water spec and ask your reseller or service provider to help you choose the right system.

La Marzocco recommends caution when using sodium and hydrogen based ionexchange water softeners.

Suggested pressure and flow rate from water mains: 45 to 80 psi (3 to 5 bar) and 8 liters per minute.

Absolutely! Your reseller and service provider can help you identify where you need to make changes in your current buildout to switch from a traditional machine to a full Modbar espresso system. Adding a pourover bar or extra steam tap are great options for incorporating Modbar into your existing workflow with minimal changes.

Modbar Espresso EP, pre-2019 Steam, and Pourover systems run on a one-to-one module-to-tap ratio.

Modbar Espresso AV and the new Steam system can be purchased with one or two taps powered by a single module.

Warmup time varies for each system, based on the size of the boilers. Steam takes about 10 minutes; espresso and pour-over take about 3 minutes each.

We’re here to help, wherever you are in the world. Your first line of support will be your technical service provider, who has been trained by Modbar to maintain and repair your equipment.

If you can’t get in touch with your service provider or need additional help, you can always contact the support center for your part of the world. In the US, you’ll call the La Marzocco Solutions team in Seattle. Outside the US, you’ll reach us in one of the La Marzocco branch offices or our headquarters in Scarperia, and be connected to the right service provider for you.

You can also email us at support@modbar.com, or review our tutorials on Dozuki

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