The average American eats more than 23 pounds of ice cream a year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. For businesses looking to cash in on this cool dessert, choosing the right soft serve machine is crucial.
How to Choose the Right Commercial Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine
Commercial soft service ice cream machines are equipment with many menu possibilities, which is why its important for restaurants, ice cream shops, and food service facilities to choose the right piece of equipment. There are three main criteria that should factor into the decision; for a more detailed break-down, contact a local commercial equipment professional for assistance with choosing the machine that meets the business’ needs and budget.
- Capacity. The right commercial soft serve ice cream machine has the capacity and ability to recover quickly during high volume periods with minimal turnaround time. During slow periods, the soft serve ice cream machine should be able to maintain safe product temperature and product quality.
- Ease of Use. Because restaurants and food service facilities often have a large amount of employees, the best commercial soft service ice cream machines have easy-to-use controls, including indicator lights that alert staff when the mix needs to be refilled. For long-term, optimal operation, owners and managers should also ensure that regular maintenance is simple and easy to include in daily operations (such as with Hydra Rinse soft serve ice cream machine cleaning products).
- Flavors. An integral part of choosing the right commercial soft serve ice cream machine is considering the menu. Simply, “how many different flavors do we want to offer? How many different ice cream products do we want to add to the menu?” Fortunately, soft serve ice cream comes with a large amount of menu options. Restaurants and food service facilities can offer a single flavor or multiple flavors in a cone or dish, with candy and cookie toppings, with fruit or syrup, or with a combination of all these ideas.
Commercial Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine Options
Single Flavor Machines
Though these machines offer only a single soft serve flavor, there are numerous menu possibilities such as sundaes, cones, and ice cream sandwiches.
Multiple Flavors
These commercial soft serve ice cream machines offer variety, typically with customers’ favorites: vanilla, chocolate, and twist. However, the opportunities for ice cream flavors are endless, especially with the Flavor Burst machine which boats 37 different flavors.
Blending Machine
Restaurants, ice cream shops, and food service facilities can take their menu to a new level with a soft service ice cream machine with blending capabilities. The Flavor Burst Crunchi Crème machine efficiently blends toppings (i.e. candies, nuts, cereals) into a customer favorite.
Shake Machines
Shake machines are a versatile ice cream machine, producing many of customers’ favorite flavors. Some shake machines offer a combination of shakes and soft serve products.