Frozen Custard – Add to Your Take Out Menu
During this challenging time, many small restaurants are suffering. Those that are able to do take-out and delivery are doing everything they can to keep their doors open. Changing directions and pivoting to new ideas and changing menus to accommodate the situation is proving to be the thing that is allowing owners of cafes, restaurants, and coffee shops to stay open.
- If you have an existing food establishment and can be open for take-out, now may be the perfect time to add frozen custard. Fast food restaurant chains went the route of adding ice cream or custard years ago when they realized they were leaving money on the table by not offering a frozen dessert choice or choices. Why can’t you do the same?Many small restaurants around the country are even offering curbside delivery. If you have a drive-through window like the big chain fast food places, great, but if, like most small stores, you don’t have that option, you may have to be creative until things get back to normal. Adding a frozen custard machine can mean more sales, more creative menu items, more options that bring people to your door.
Everyone loves ice cream. Most coffee, pizza, and sandwich shops are still able to serve the public even though sit-down service is unavailable. Why not add milkshakes, or if coffee is a big seller, make affogatos (Italian for drowned), the Italian coffee-based dessert. These are made by taking a scoop of ice cream; usually, vanilla, topped or “drowned” with a shot of hot espresso. If you’re selling sodas to go, make floats. A soda might sell for a dollar or two, but adding custard, while that means adding a product, can more than double your profit as you can charge a lot more for a float than a plain old soda. Cones and sundaes are also considered take-away items for grab and go. If they’re coming in for a pizza or a sandwich to go, why not add that creamy and delicious dessert or ice cream beverage. Don’t make them have to go to two different places to get what they want. Learn from the fast-food restaurants’ gameplay.
If you have an existing ice cream or custard shop, can you revamp your menu a little to offer treats that are more suited to curbside delivery, takeout, or eating on the go? I’m thinking here of shakes and concretes (which you should already be able to make) ice cream sandwiches or popsicles. With thoughtful packaging, you may be able to add delivery to your entire menu. One thing that has been popular is ado it yourself sundae kit – you supply the ice cream, the toppings, a few spoons along with instructions, and a coupon for when the lockdown ends. Have your customer send you a video of them making the sundaes and there’s content for your advertising right there too.
In this time of uncertainty, adding more products to your menu may seem like an odd decision, but the businesses that think forward and get prepared for the near future when all businesses reopen are going to be way ahead of the curve. Once the curfews are lifted for people, and social distancing regulations are eased, people are going to be desperate to get out and visit their favorite restaurants, cafes, pizza parlors, and sandwich shops. If you get ahead of the game by adding new dessert choices, when things come back online, they will have one more reason to visit you.
At Lancaster Manufacturing, frozen custard machines are our specialty. We offer new and refurbished models, both tabletop and floor models. You can serve just one flavor or multiple flavors depending on your needs and the size of the space you plan to put the custard machine.
We also sell high-quality dipping cabinets. These include individually refrigerated buckets and offer superior cooling so you can keep your product fresh and cold without wasting energy or having to toss out the product. Each dipping cabinet is easy to move with wheeled bases for convenience. They hold anywhere from 2 to 5 containers of ice cream either in round or square buckets.
If you are planning to open an ice cream store, now might be the perfect time to get the ball in motion. It takes time to find the ideal location and get all the details in order. There are permits to be acquired, contractors to be hired for the build-out, equipment to be chosen, not to mention training, and getting your marketing plans together. We can help with all of that. If you’re considering opening an ice cream store but don’t have all the liquid capital upfront, we can also help with financing for qualified buyers.
When the country and the economy are fully functional again, the people that were prepared and looking to the future are going to be the most successful. Now is a time for action, not the time to wait. Contact us, and we will be happy to help you create success in the ice cream business. We all need a little joy right now, and what brings more joy than frozen custard? Bring joy!
Please contact Frozen Custard Machines for a FREE no-obligation call and more information. 877-356-6176.
