Frozen Beverages

[James Wyrembelski]

Wanted to ask anyone their experience with offering frozen beverages. Mainly, at small locations (single screens mostly). I've been toying with adding that to our offerings for quite some time. I probably would have added it by now but we all know what happened. I get asked quite a bit if we offer them so I think enough demand is there but I also don't want to add something that may generate unnecessary cost and waste.

In 2019 I had offered cotton candy at one time that we made here. It sold really well but the mess it created and the clean up was a disaster so I stopped. Just don't want to run into a similar situation again!

[Jon Dent]

We sell ICEE drinks and they are very popular, especially amongst the teens and kids. Personally, I can't stand them and wish we could get rid of the machine (expensive to operate and the syrup creates a thick, sticky mess when something breaks) but our owner is convinced we'd go out of business if we did.

[Mark Lane]

We have a slushy machine but no longer use it. We used a two bay Slushy machine but it could not keep up with the demand. It took to long to become "slushy". I had more disappointed customers because the drink was more like a puddle than slush.
It did sell well, but it was a constant task to keep adding more beverage to the machine so it would keep frozen and by the time the movie started, it was just chilled flavored liquid. The machine broke down at which time, I kicked it to the curb (put it in storage).
I don't think we lost any sells from doing away with it, because people just picked something else to drink.

[Frank Cox]

When you have a movie theatre you have a more-or-less captive customer; what you're selling is what they'll buy. By adding more options you'll just spread the same amount of money out over more unique items.

There won't be too many people who say, "I wasn't going to buy a drink at all but since you have X I'll buy one of those." Maybe a few, but I don't know if it will be enough to make up for the extra work and space required.

[James Wyrembelski]

We used a two bay Slushy machine but it could not keep up with the demand. .

Any idea what the capacity of it was? That was my fear that going too small may create the issue of running out.

And I also ask this as well because of I don't want to spread out the same income over more items. However, I'm not exactly in an isolated area. There are 5 theatres within a 20 to 45 minute range of me so offering items that may already be at these locations (or may not be) couldn't hurt to boost attractiveness a little. I know it all boils down largely to presentation and the film, but you also gotta think about the sprinkles on top. I currently only offer the bare necessities. But I think adding a thing or two here and there couldn't hurt either. I've been contemplating this since early 2019 so it's not going to happen any time soon anyways.

I would rather like to offer one or two basic food items. (Think basic nachos & pretzels). But the increased cost of food licensing, being properly certified, and increased inspections just isn't worth it. (I can't even offer peanuts like M&M's unless I step up to the next food license tier).

[Darin Steffl]

We have a Bunn slushie machine and generally have blue raspberry and cherry in the two bins. Links below to the machine and the syrup. They are VERY popular with the kids at our single screen. Adults barely buy any slushies but it's worth it to keep the kids happy. After all, kids have a lot of power over their parents and if we offer tasty slushies at a good price, kids will tell their parents they want to see the movie with us instead of the big theaters. Don't bother with frozen soda as kids don't want that. Blue raspberry is the most popular flavor so order more of that compared to cherry.

We've only had 2-3 people ask about nachos or pretzels in the last year so I don't think it's worth it to offer that here. We make tasty popcorn, offer 8 soda choices, 2 slushie flavors, and over 24 candy choices. Sometimes the KISS principle is best. (Keep It Simple Stupid)


https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bun...9.html#reviews

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/car...2SLBLRASP.html

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/car...82SLCHERY.html

[Mark Lane]

Any idea what the capacity of it was? That was my fear that going too small may create the issue of running out.

I would rather like to offer one or two basic food items. (Think basic nachos & pretzels). But the increased cost of food licensing, being properly certified, and increased inspections just isn't worth it. (I can't even offer peanuts like M&M's unless I step up to the next food license tier).

Each station was more than a gallon but maybe less than two gallons. I estimate we could pour 6 to 8 large per station.
We are a single screen theater, and have about 20 minutes to sell as much concessions as possible. We would sell one or two slushies then take a jug of mix from the cooler and pour it into the machine.. Since we did not have much time to allow the mix to freeze each order was a little less frozen. If we where busy, our frozen slush we where serving was coming out of the machine more like a chilled puddle.
You might try renting a machine for a month before buying one.. this will allow you to experience any issues and see if there is a way to worth through them before making a large investment.

One the plus side.. they where popular. We got soda syrup from our supplier and used that as our slushy mix.. We could get any number of flavors. It was less expensive than what Slushy wanted from us. We normally went with cola for the adults and cherry for the younger audience... then we went with one flavor (same flavor in both stations) to help keep stock frozen but it still was an issue.

On the subject of sodas (they call it "pop" here)
I have not done the math but I think we have a hundred soda flavors or more. We have ten standard flavors but have a number of flavored syrup that we can add to the soda. We can add Orange to a serving of Cream Soda which is popular or add raspberry to a serving of lemonade. We have the ten beverages that come out of the machine then have bottles of flavoring that we can add a pump or two, to give the beverage an extra layer of flavoring. One or two squirts, no need to stir, it only cost a few pennies and a couple of seconds. We also use the syrup as ice cream toppings.

[Mike Blakesley]

I wish we had the space to offer a frozen drink but reading some of the posts above, I don't know if the amount of work/trouble would be worth it for us. We have six kinds of pop/soda, three flavors of bottled water, two teas, and lemonade, so we're pretty well covered.

We get the occasional people -- almost always women -- who carry in their own giant bottle of water (or something), which technically we don't allow, but we tend to look the other way a lot because they always buy popcorn and candy. I figure, around here almost every customer is a regular and we're just glad they're here. The TV is ever-beckoning, so we try to make going to the movies as fun for them as possible, and getting chewed out over bringing their jug of water (or something) in wouldn't be fun.

[Marcel Birgelen]

When you have a movie theatre you have a more-or-less captive customer; what you're selling is what they'll buy. By adding more options you'll just spread the same amount of money out over more unique items.

There won't be too many people who say, "I wasn't going to buy a drink at all but since you have X I'll buy one of those." Maybe a few, but I don't know if it will be enough to make up for the extra work and space required.

I guess this argument is somewhat up for debate, at least if you look what happens in the field, where many companies try to diversify their offerings, to capture a broader audience for whatever they're selling.

It's hard to get into an argument about this, without the ability to back it up with numbers, but I'm pretty sure that a bit of diversity in offerings will actually increase your sales. That being said, you'll always need to evaluate the true cost of what you're offering. When I read about cotton candy, it was pretty clear to me that something like that wouldn't be worth it, given the mess it will leave. If you factor in the labor needed for cleaning up, you'll probably end up in the negatives.

As for frozen drinks: Those machines don't look very economical to me and with current energy prices, you may want to keep your energy usage somewhat in check. Furthermore, they sure must require a lot of cleaning.

[James Wyrembelski]

Thank you Mark. The ones I had been eyeing are similar to the ones Darin had suggested. I figured a dual 3 gallon capacity would work sufficiently.

We currently have a 6 head fountain. Offer the standard water/tea/sweet tea. I also carry diet dew and orange crush in bottle. Also waiting on Pepsi to get Pepsi Zero in bottles to add to the group.

I used to also carry the 20oz Bubly waters and they sold relatively well, even with kids, but started really declining and then Pepsi only offered them in cans, so that went out.

We also offer about 18-20 different candies. But, since wholesale costs for that are rapidly rising I'm thinking of shrinking that down a touch to focus mostly on the "must haves". I can't believe my wholesaler went to 1.50 on Milk Duds for example. So, I now buy them through the local grocery store for cheaper and may need to resort to the dollar store at this rate. Although none of them carry the volume I need. Perhaps price just needs to rise as well. We really only carry theatre box sized stuff and charge 2.50. I can't believe how much moves at that price. Although I'm seeing a ton more outside wrappers on the floor than in months past.

Mike, I also get the usual large "water" bottle. We pretty much do the same. I don't argue over water because they do usually buy other stuff.

We point to the water fountains when people ask if they can just get tap water in a cup instead of paying for bottled.

I appreciate the replies. Perhaps we'll offer frozen stuff one day but it seems best to just stay basic for now.

[Frank Cox]

I used to make and sell cotton candy.
cottoncandy.jpg

I sold it at my theatre and at a few trade shows, and I wholesaled it to some gas stations and convenience stores around here.

It always sold pretty well but it was definitely a lot of work and eventually it got to a point where it was too hard on my back to work over that big pot making cotton candy so I sold my machine a few years ago.

I just did it in these bags, never on a stick. That way I could make a bunch of cotton candy, seal it in the bags and have it to sell for three or four days before it went flat. And I couldn't be making it "live" when people were coming in for the show anyway....

Oh, and for James: I sell Pepsi Zero in bottles. So it does exist, here.

[Mike Blakesley]

Perhaps we'll offer frozen stuff one day but it seems best to just stay basic for now.

I always return to a quote I heard at a concession seminar at a convention years ago. I'm not sure who said it, but he said "You can offer anything you want in your concession stand, but at least 80% of your sales are always going to be the big three: soda, popcorn, candy."

I think these days you would need to add bottled water to that mix -- I can't believe the amount of bottled water we go through, even some kids buy it.

[James Wyrembelski]

Frank, we do have Pepsi Zero available here as well. It's just the whole shortage issue here. Perhaps it's mainly a regional thing. I was just able to finally get my Crush in after being out for over a month.

Bottled water is certainly a requirement. We move that stuff just as much as everything else.

And to the point above. I'm in the camp that increasing offerings does boost sales to a degree. I certainly saw evidence of it in the restaurant business. The trick is just to not get too over zealous with it, which is an issue I see at many restaurants and other establishments that offer food and drink. Bloated menus can be a real big issue, but so can one that's too small.

[Darin Steffl]

We buy cotton candy in sealed plastic containers from Sam's Club and sell them for $3 each. They sell well with the kids. I believe we get them for $0.97/unit. They keep buying it so it must taste good and I don't have to make it myself.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/parade-co...oz-tubs/176225

James, who do you buy your candy from? We use Vistar and our last order of Milk Duds was $13.22 for 12 boxes so $1.10 per box. We used to be under $1 per box of any candy but M&M's, Duds, and some others are creeping up to $1.10. Some others are staying at $1 or less.

[Bobby Henderson]

Frozen slushie drink machines are a royal pain in the ass. They're okay in a convenience store where demand is sporadic, if not just sort of slow and steady. They can be a nightmare if run in a high demand environment. My AMBUCS civic club usually runs the beer tent at our 4th of July "Freedom Fest" event in Lawton's Elmer Thomas Park. About 4 or 5 years ago we tried selling frozen "adult" slushie drinks along with beer. Demand was very high. We couldn't keep the machine running properly to keep up with demand. There was no balance. The damned thing would either freeze up or be pouring out liquid icy "soup." I got stuck having to try to keep the thing running; I got pretty infuriated with the situation after awhile. Various customers and crew members were on my ass through no fault of my own. The damned machine just sucked. In our after-action meeting I told others in the club if they wanted to rent the slushie machine next year I wouldn't take part as a volunteer. There is no well in hell I'm ever going to allow myself to get stuck operating one of those fucking things ever again.