Summer is still going strong. Your customers have more free time now than they will in a few months. Is your ice cream shop taking advantage of the surge in business?
Your refurbished ice cream machines should be working on a steady basis to provide every last customer with an experience they won’t forget. This is more than just helping them choose a good flavor, but delivering a tasty experience cleanly and quickly. Sadly, ice cream machines aren’t any more resistant to disruption than any other type of equipment. They can break down, clog or even create a soft serve cone that looks lackluster. Before you start putting up signs for new recipes, take a glance below to see how you can keep your Taylor ice cream machine parts working smoothly every day of the week.
A tasty ice cream cone speaks for itself, after all!
If any ice cream treat is making a comeback, it’s soft serve. Able to be topped high and served quickly, this delicious dessert first started making waves back in the 1970’s and the 1980’s. Ice cream trucks were starting to see even more widespread usage, but the ability to create a frozen treat that’s as visually appealing as it was easy to eat was still being figured out. Unfortunately, old soft serve recipes relied on raw eggs more often than not, causing many people to become sick. Today’s soft serve is much safer, using an egg-free recipe that still delivers on quality.
Your shop should have classic flavors as well as more unique varieties. After all…why fix what isn’t broken? Vanilla ice cream remains the top choice for many customers, so much so that it even has its own day commemorating it on the 23rd of July. Chocolate and strawberry should also be kept in high quantity. Retail sales of both frozen yogurt and non-dairy ice cream have dropped 10% in the last two years, remaining steady at $300 million in 2016. On the other hand, soft serve ice cream is only getting more popular and more people are starting to turn to frozen yogurt as a great way to satisfy their cravings while adhering to a low-calorie diet.
Consumers today are showing a preference for the classics. A recent survey found customers will choose a soft serve mix seven out of 10 times over hard ice cream. A popular reason for this is soft serve’s ability to be eaten quickly, perfect for a hot day or when a family is on-the-go. Another reason is soft serve’s unique, creamy consistency. Your typical soft serve mix cone has around 35% air (or overrun), meaning a 4-ounce soft serve mix cone by weight will appear to be six ounces by volume. Refurbished ice cream machines that can’t achieve this should be double-checked for quality.
What should you do? It’s important to clean out your nozzles regularly, even if they appear to be clean on the surface. Even a small build-up of sugar and fat can prevent your ice cream from forming properly, leading to a lackluster cone or an eventual clog that requires deeper maintenance. Your Taylor slush machine should also be inspected internally multiple time per year, particularly during the summer when you’re seeing a high volume of customers. Refurbished ice cream machines are a great choice for new shops and old shops alike, helping you save money and create great products all at once.
Let’s do a little refresher. Second hand ice cream machines are just as good as new models, with the added bonus of saving you a little extra money in the process. Soft serve ice cream is more popular than ever and should be prioritized this summer, particularly classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate. Sherbert ice cream is another choice you should consider. It has a general milkfat content of 1% to 2%, with a minimum of six pounds to the gallon. Lastly, regular maintenance will make sure you’re not dealing with a breakdown during the summer rush.
At the end of the day you want your customers leaving happy. Refurbished ice cream machines are more than capable of doing the job.
