Posts filed under 'F.A.Q'
What type of equipment do I need?
Depending on the location, type of store being built, and customer demands, equipment can range from a simple ice cream dipping cabinet, a couple of sinks, and dry storage, to elaborate water cooled refrigeration with manufacturing and backup systems, multiple soft serve machines and ice cream dipping cabinets, plus cooking equipment, computers and drive-thru windows. Be sure to check with your local health department for any special requirements, and to collect equipment specification sheets from your equipment supplier. A typical equipment (excluding small wares) list might include:
| Channel letter sign, backlit |
Electronic Scale |
| 4, 8, 12 or 16 hole/tray dipping cabinets |
Credit Card Machine |
| Cake display freezer |
Wire Storage racks |
| Self-serve Reach-in display freezer |
Stainless Steel prep tables |
| Batch Freezer |
5 quart mixer w/2 mixing bowls |
| 1, 2, or 3 door hardening cabinet, or walk in hardening cabinet |
Cake Image print system |
| Soda machine |
Reach-in / Walk-in cooler |
| Waffle Cone Iron(s) |
Reach-in / Walk-in storage freezer w/shelves |
| Commercial microwave |
Mop sink with faucet |
| 3 Head Shake Mixer w/4 shake cups |
Dishwashing sink with dbl wash boards (check w/health department for size) |
| Fudge Warmer 2 hole |
Hand wash sink |
| Cone Holder |
Inside Chairs |
| Sandwich / prep cooler |
Inside tables and bases |
| Soft Serve Machine(s) |
Replacement tabletops |
| Bar Blender(s) |
Outside chairs |
| Cold topping ice bin |
Outside tables |
| Cash Register(s) |
Store art |
| Fax Machine |
|
September 14th, 2011
Soft Serve Ice Cream Equipment
Nothing beats a sweet, soft serve ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Plenty of businesses know this and are getting in on the soft serve craze as a result. Lots of popular fast food chains like McDonald’s have soft serve machines now. These machines can even be found in unlikely places like convenience stores and hot dog stands. Smart business owners know that soft serve ice cream can significantly increase their profits.
Investing in soft serve ice cream equipment need not be an expensive proposition. In fact, soft serve ice cream equipment can be had for a bargain if you know where to look. Plus, the potential return on your investment is well-worth whatever small expense you may incur in getting your machine.
September 14th, 2011
Overrun, expressed as percentage, is generally defined as the volume of ice cream obtained in excess of the volume of the ice cream mix. The excess volume is composed mainly of the air incorporated during the freezing process. The over run due to air provides proper body, texture and palatability essential to a good quality product. Too much and too little quantity of air incorporation will affect the body, texture and palatability. The softy ice cream, ice cream packaged in bulk and retail packed ice cream will have over run of 30-50%, 90-100% and 70-80% respectively.
March 27th, 2010
The History of Gelato dates back to the 16th century. There is some confusion in the origin as to where or who really invented gelato. As most stories go, it is credited to Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, who delighted the court of Catherina dei Medici with his creation. Italians are certainly credited with introducing gelato to the rest of Europe; with Sicilian born Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli who undoubtedly was one of the most influential individuals in the history of gelato, as one of the first to sell it to the public.
Summoned to Paris in 1686, he opened a café named after himself called “Café Procope”, which quickly became one of the most celebrated haunts of the literary establishment in France. In Italy meanwhile, the art of traditional gelato making was passed on from father to son, improved and perfected right up to the 20th century, when many gelato makers began to emigrate, taking their know-how to the rest of Europe..
February 8th, 2010
There are two differences that distinguish Italian gelato from American ice cream. They are the fat content and the air. The first is that gelato is made from milk, not cream, as opposed to American ice cream which contains a mixture of 50% milk to 50% cream. The second is that American ice cream is filled with up to 60% air. Ever wonder why the ice cream in your freezer shrinks after it melts on the way home from the store and then refreezes in the freezer? Well, the air content in gelato is only 30%, giving it a richer and denser flavor. You eat less, but get more. Overall, these differences give Mangiano Gelato a creamy, smooth texture which is rich in flavor. Bottom line is that gelato tastes better and is a healthy alternative to American ice cream.
February 8th, 2010
Dairy workers mix together cream, milk, sugar, and stabilizer, then add flavouring to the mixture before it’s frozen. Other goodies like fudge, nuts, fruits, and chocolate chips are added to create your favorite flavours. ‘Overrun’ refers to the amount of air incorporated into the ice cream. More air makes for a lighter ice cream; less air makes it richer and creamier. Premium ice creams have very little air — they’re a bit harder to scoop, but definitely worth the wait! The packaged ice creams go into a freezer for 2 1/2 hours at 30°C or 22°F below zero to set. Then they’re stored in the freezer warehouse until delivery.
Why does ice cream sometimes have ice crystals in it?
To begin with, your home freezer is not as cold as a commercial freezer. When you open and close the freezer door, the ice cream thaws slightly, and the warm air that comes in condenses and forms ice crystals.
A sub zero freezer would better conserve your icecream and limit if not eliminate the formaion of ice crystals.
What’s the difference between ice cream and other frozen treats?
To be called ice cream, a frozen dessert must contain a minimum of 10% milk fat: economy brands might have 11 or 12%mf, and super premium ice cream might have up to 16%mf. Less than 10%mf makes it ice milk or light ice cream. Sherbet is a 2% milk fat product, with a lighter texture and refreshing fruit flavours. And gelato is similar to sherbet, but without any fat. Frozen yogurt has a similar texture to ice cream, but has lower fat and an active bacterial culture.
January 22nd, 2010
Premium ice creams are made with fresh cream (not condensed or powdered milk), real eggs, and natural flavorings. Quality ingredients aside, lesser ice creams also have more air whipped in. As much as half the carton may be air, in fact. ……..
Continue Reading January 22nd, 2010
When opening an Ice Cream shop there are a variety of Ice Cream shop type options to choose from.
Below are a few types of Ice Cream shops you could open:
- Stand Alone Store
- Mobile Cart
- Turn-key Kiosk/Build-outs
- Trailer
- Mall Store Front
- Double Drive-thru
Kiosks
If you do not want to open and manage an entire shop – you can simply open a small Ice Cream kiosk in your local mall. A kiosk is a stand-alone storefront that can be established within a larger shopping establishment. Many Ice Cream franchises offer the option of opening a kiosk and will provide tips and decoration for the Ice Cream kiosk.
Mall Store Fronts
The mall is the perfect location for your Ice Cream store as there’s always a nice volume of traffic and an influx of young people who enjoy their desserts. Your Ice Cream franchising corporation will help you open a store in the mall as well as decorate it. Having a store in the mall will provide more room for your employees to work and your customers to enjoy your Ice Cream.
Stand Alone Stores
If you do not want to open a location in a mall – you may open a Ice Cream store typically located in a strip mall. This type of Ice Cream franchise option might cost you a little more money in paying rent than the other options.
January 21st, 2010
Despite the Department of Commerce having proclaimed the success rate of franchises to be 90% compared to other small businesses success rate of only 40%, you will still find it difficult to borrow money to start your Ice Cream franchise.
Most franchises require a large initial investment and liquid capital available for the franchise company to use as insurance. There are several different ways to attain the capital needed to open your Ice Cream franchise. You can obtain a loan from the bank or family and friends. You can also use your credit card, but you must watch those high finance charge rates.
If you are unable to secure a loan or use your credit cards as equity, then you should try reaching the United States Small Business Association. The SBA offers guarantees on 90% of loans up to $155,000 and 85% of the remainder up to $750,000 total. The interest rates on these loans vary but are usually quite reasonable. The terms of the agreement range from 5 to 25 years.
Some state and local governments also offer financing options for franchise owners to encourage small business development. However, each state varies on what they do and don’t offer. Check in with your local government to see what options they have available.
Typically the Ice Cream franchise you choose to affiliate with will connect you with a preferred lender and help you work out the terms.
January 21st, 2010
The first step is to gather all the information you can about ice cream franchises. Search for a few ice cream franchises in your area and visit their locations, hang out, and eat some ice cream. This will help you get a feel for the overall concept of the ice cream franchise.
Try to visit at least three different ice cream franchises and speak with the owners. Interview them as if you were a student trying to do a school project on ice cream franchising (even older adults can pass as evening college students).
Some questions to ask current ice cream franchise owners:
1. Ask how their profits are?
2. Are they happy with the franchise they chose?
3. What is the most difficult part of their job?
4. What was their first step in opening their shop?
The next step would be to request information from the Ice Cream franchise you are interested in to discover what their particular start up costs are and initial investment requirements (total investment can be $90,000 – $150,000 depending on the franchise and type of store).
All Ice Cream franchises require various capital investment amounts and have varying degrees of support. Analyzing all the information you can will give you a better idea of which Ice Cream franchise is best suited to fit your needs.
January 21st, 2010
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