Using Ice Cream Machines To Increase Sales

By Terrence Keenan

Whether a store sells food products or pharmaceuticals, the owner can increase income by selling ice cream. Adding soft serve ice cream machines to the sales floor takes advantage of the cold treat trend. More national chains are adding cold snacks to their menu, serving everything from frozen yogurt to shakes and smoothies. A small investment in the necessary equipment can pay off in a big way.

Between 2007 and 2011, the number national chain store restaurants serving ice cream increased by 5.7 percent. Even more impressive is the 31.7 percent increase in establishments serving smoothies. McDonald’s has made the move to offer fruit smoothies and is experiencing success. With the right equipment and flavors, there is no reason why local establishments will not see the same results.

Restaurants are not the only establishments deciding to offer cool treats. We see more gift shops, candy stores, and even pharmacies adding soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt to their inventory. By purchasing one piece of equipment, storeowners can offer cones, cups, milk shakes, and smoothies. Finding a machine suitable for the volume of business and getting it for a reasonable price makes this endeavor a successful one.

Some business owners purchase a countertop machine and make the yogurt or ice cream themselves. This is not difficult to do using free recipes available online. A recipe for a smaller quantity yield can be altered for six, seven, or event 20-quart countertop machines. Most of these units dispense only one flavor so smaller establishments usually select a vanilla ice cream recipe and add syrups and toppings to the menu. Others purchase two machines and serve chocolate, vanilla, and a twist, which is a combination of both popular flavors.

If this proves successful, the menu can be expanded to include flavors like cookie dough, chocolate mint, banana, and of course, strawberry. Many stores experience success with seasonal favorites like peach, blueberry, cinnamon, pumpkin, and even eggnog. Java lovers enjoy their coffee and hazelnut ice cream and those who imbibe love rum raisin and stout-flavored soft serve.

As word gets out about that ice cream is being served in the store, it may be necessary to trade up to floor model ice cream machines. These hold about 40 quarts of ice cream and some dispense multiple flavors simultaneously, keeping pace with a high-volume business. Soaring sales may lead the business owner devote more floor space to these cold treats each year.

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