Setting Up an Ice Cream Parlor
A lot of statistics are kept about food and beverage consumption in the United States, and that ranges from meat and dairy to fruit and vegetables all the way to dessert items. Frozen treats like ice cream, gelato, sherbet, and frozen custard are some of the most popular sugary desserts among Americans today, and plenty of statistics can back that up. There’s more than one way to eat a serving of ice cream though, since ice cream containers such as paper ice cream cups and plastic spoons are sometimes preferred to waffles cones (though not always). An ice cream parlor today, big or small, will probably have a variety of ice cream containers on hand to serve gelato, soft serve ice cream, and more to customers. What is there to know about the popularity of these frozen desserts and ice cream containers in general?
The Popularity of Frozen Treats
Just how popular are ice cream and gelato? For one thing, statistics show that some 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream and related desserts are made in the United States every single year, and June is the single busiest month for ice cream production. In fact, around 8% of all dairy produced on American dairies goes toward ice cream alone. The average American eats ice cream 28.5 times per year, which if compressed into a month would mean near-daily ice cream servings. Around 87% of all Americans have ice cream in their freezer, and 90% of American households indulge regularly in frozen treats like these. What is more, the NDP Group has estimated that in any given two-week period, around 40% of all Americans, many tens of millions of people, will eat ice cream. There are plenty of ice cream parlors and mobile stands selling these treats, and at the end of 2013, an estimated 2,500 frozen yogurt shops could be found across the nation. But how are these treats typically served?
How to Eat It
There’s more than one way to eat a frozen treat, though some might be more preferable than others for some customers. The classic image of ice cream is on a waffle cone, a dessert option that dates back to 1904. These cones are edible, and not only are they a classic summer look, but an ice cream cone is a crunchy and mildly sweet dessert to contrast with the dessert itself. These prove popular enough, and ice cream on a cone is sometimes shown off on social media, just for fun. Some customers, though, might not like how messy an ice cream cone might be, since it can’t contain any drips and ice cream scoops might fall off entirely. What is more, these cones don’t make for good leftovers container, meaning someone who buys one should eat the whole thing in one serving.
For some customers at an ice cream stand, a popular alternative option is to use plastic, laminated ice cream containers, typically cups or shallow bowls. These aren’t edible like ice cream cones are, and aren’t very showy, but they do a fine job of keeping the dessert mess-free. That, and these are ready-made leftovers containers to put the ice cream in your freezer at home, and a consumer can mix around flavors and condiments as they like with a plastic spoon. Related desserts such as gelato, frozen custard, and sherbet, meanwhile, are nearly always served like this and may come in specialized ice cream containers with specially designed plastic spoons or straws.
Setting Up Shop
An ice cream stand is likely to be popular anywhere, but a shop may see the most business during warmer months from May through August. And in warmer states such as Texas, California, and Florida, ice cream can be eaten practically year-round. Someone in Montana in winter might not be in the mood for a cold dessert, but even cooler months in Florida or Texas might be a fine time for ice cream. A proper shop will have not only a variety of ice cream flavors, bu related desserts such as gelato, frozen custard, and more. Such a shop may get a supplier for wholesale waffle cones, ice cream mixers, plastic spoons, paper cups, and more, not to mention condiments. Ice cream machines, meanwhile, should be washed out daily after use.
