How Many Frozen Yogurt Machines Do You Really Need?: A Cost/Benefit Analysis

When opening your frozen yogurt shop finding the perfect equilibrium of how many machines and flavors your shop should supply is an important factor in keeping your costs at the most optimal.

1. Size of location: Self serve frozen yogurt machines are large and need an ample amount of space between them, around 12 to 18 inches. After measuring for topping counters, point of sale space, back room, dining area, coolers, sinks, etc. you’ll know how much room you have for the self serve machines.
2. Start-up money: Spending all of your start up money on that “magic number” of machines, isn’t going to be the element that makes your shop an instant success. Rather the opposite, it could drive you to a loss due to the over supply in relation to how much start-up costs you have. Stick with what you can afford now, 3-6 machines and expand in the future. Competition: What does your competition look like? How many machines do they have? Just because they have eight machines doesn’t necessarily mean you need to match/ beat them in machinery right away.

   When deciding how many machines to start out with, it really boils down to a cost benefit analysis between additional machine cost versus additional machine benefit.

It’s important to NOT forget about the associated costs that come with maintenance and purchase; how much energy they use, the production capacity, heat required, and price.

Cooling Systems and the Additional Cost - Air/Water/Glycol

Air Cooling

Without being technical, air cooling means that hot air will be blown out of the machine while cool air is used within. If you have 6 machines or less, all you’ll need is basic air conditioning so your machines don’t overheat. If you have more, you may need a more industrial ventilation system that may require a back room or chimneys to take the hot air straight up to the ventilation system.

Water/Glycol Cooling

When it comes to water cooled yogurt machines there are two ways to get the cold water in and the hot water out. One is using regular water, but you may need a recycling system depending on the state you live in and also have to consider the monthly charge for water consumption. The other way to use the water cooling system is to use glycol(antifreeze) in a loop to a chiller located outside. A glycol cooling system would add $15k on top of your initial investment. Either way, if you choose to do water you will need a cooling unit, most likely located outside or on the roof.

Keep in mind the square footage, venting and utility cost that would be associated with the additional cooling machinery!

Comparing Machines

Use the following chart, put together by The Frozen Yogurt Review, to compare frozen yogurt machinery when taking into account energy usage, heat output, hourly production and price range in the market (click image to enlarge):

More Frozen Yogurt Industry Information

TurnkeyParlor
Frozen Yogurt Review

Top 10 Common Traits from Successful Frozen Yogurt Shops

When starting your frozen yogurt shop it’s important to look into what does and doesn’t work in some already successful frozen yogurt operations. Here are some similar trends in the industry;

1. Business Plan: Don’t fix what isn’t broken but do be creative:

• The self-serve frozen yogurt process is simple but effective. Customer’s grab a cup, pick their favorite flavors and toppings and create their own dessert concoction. They then, walk up to the froyo point of sale, put the cup on the scale and swipe their credit card. This is interactive for the customer and cost efficient for you as you won’t have to worry about labor.
• Because frozen yogurt is a booming industry there is competition. Set yourself apart with creativity. You can do this with your; frozen yogurt marketing campaign, point of sale loyalty program, or developing an interesting way to engage with customers such as events, promos, or games.

Choosing the right Location

You know the saying. Now there is enough data online to help you choose the proper location.

• Use Mapping like Google, Census Data, Demographics - the online tools will help make sure you don't second guess yourself.
• Don't go for the easy ideas. Find locations that are easy to drive to, if there is no walking space
• Look for neighbors gentrifying - Save in leasing long term.
• Easily accessible, visible, comfortable and space for parking should be at the top of your list when location shopping
• Foot traffic, nearby eateries and outdoor seating are also important factors to take into account.
• Malls might seem like ideal locations but be aware of opening and closing hours. Peak yogurt hours are in the evening and if the mall is closed during these hours you could miss out on dome potential revenue.

Design: Create a home away from home

• Stay contemporary and fresh to be in keeping with the health angle that has revitalized the frozen yogurt industry.
• Clean lines with a bold bright accent for counters and furniture
• Make it a family friendly hangout: Couches, music, plasma T.V’s, and an outdoor patio area invites people in.
• Modern technology appeals to the younger generation: Cafe Cartel offers an integrated loyalty program with sleek tablets for your customers to interact with.

Product and Equipment: The tools for success

• Everyone loves choices: On average successful frozen yogurt shops have around 8 to 16 flavors of low-fat, non-fat, and tart flavors.
• Include berries and tropical fresh cut fruits to go alongside your cookie and candy toppings.
• Make sure your fruit looks as fresh as it is. Mushy fruit in sitting pans is a visual turn-off for customers.
• Proper ventilation ensures that your machines last as long as they’re supposed to.
• Bigger isn’t always better: Buying the biggest and most expensive machinery can just be a drain on your wallet in the form of utility bills.
• Keep track of your inventory with Cafe Cartel’s Point of Sale System. Cafe Cartel has experience and knowledge of the frozen yogurt industry which means that your point of sale software will be tailored to you needs as a frozen yogurt shop owner.

Liquor Store Time Management: Barcodes vs Bottle Tags

Being a small business owner is a time intensive job especially if you own your own liquor store. When you’re juggling your inventory, employees, marketing campaigns, orders, and customers it can seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. You probably know more than anyone that refining your time management skills can help you to keep your business on track. Maximizing your time efficiency is a key component for this. Incorporating Cafe Cartel’s point of sale system is a  beneficial way for you to increase your productivity and use your time efficiently.

Bottle Pricing or Shelf Labeling

When you get a new batch of inventory how many hours do you or an employee spend tagging the bottles or product with the individual prices? This time consuming method can instantly be cut out of your routine with the adaptation of a barcode scanner inventory.

Inventory: Cafe Cartel’s point of sale system utilizes several kinds of barcode scanners. A fusion barcode scanner (a scanner that utilizes omni directional scanning which allows you to scan from any direction.) As all product from your inventory already contains a UPC barcode you simply need to enter the price in once and the same price will read when you scan each product thereafter. Adapting Cafe Cartel’s barcode-based inventory system will also condense your time spent on all other aspects of your business as well.

Price Changing and Specials | Rewards and Loyalty Programs

Any sales or price changing you may have to make for example sales or discounts you can do easily to all of your inventoried products at once by changing the price on your point of sales system, skipping the relabeling of individual items.

Loyalty Programs: With the point of sale’s customizable interface your shops loyalty programs are integrated directly without you spending time keeping track of prices sold or discounts earned. For example, many successful liquor stores implement a happy hour program. During this block of time prices drop on select items or a discount is given to loyal customers. This attracts more customers during a part of the day when there is usually a lull in sales. Your point of sale system easily adapts to the price change because you can customize it to fit your needs. Just input your happy hours and percent discount or price change into the system, scan the item and you’re done. It will automatically adjust and then adjust prices back when the happy hour time ends. The flawless integration cuts down time by taking the calculating and training time out of the checkout process.

Time Saving conclusions

CCS point of sale system for liquor stores is mindful that time management is a number one priority for a small business owner. Our product aims to help you to use your time most efficiently. Let us eliminate the time-consuming busy work so you can focus on achieving your business goals.