Ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and more are popular frozen treats enjoyed across the United States and beyond, and some of them in fact date back over a century. Many different ice cream flavors and condiments are available wholesale for ice cream parlors, and yogurt cups, plastic spoons, dessert cups of custom design, and more are also available for purchase to serve a wide variety of customers. Some frozen treats are better served in different vessels, so a good ice cream parlor will have them all on hand, from yogurt cups to waffles cones. These wholesale supplies such as yogurt cups may be found online when a new ice cream parlor opens and the staff need a regular supplier. More established ice cream parlors may look for a new, complimentary ice cream parlor if they need a new model of yogurt cups that their current supplier doesn’t have, for example.
Americans and Frozen Treats
As mentioned above, Americans love to have frozen treats, and there are statistics out there to show just how much. According to research done by the NDP Group, in any given two-week period, 40% of Americans will eat ice cream. This figures out to the average American eating 28.5 servings of ice cream per year, and around 90% of all households today indulge regularly in frozen treats ranging from ice cream to gelato to sherbet. This also means that there’s all sorts of ingredients out there, and ice cream production today is enormous. Nearly 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream and related desserts are made every year, and they use up 9% of all milk produced at American dairy farms. Summer is often the most popular time to eat ice cream, and June is the s9ingle biggest month of all for ice cream production. On the business end of things, an ice cream parlor big or small will need the right supplies on hand and know what customers are looking for.
Running a Parlor
There are many aspects of business that any shop must keep in mind, and for an ice cream parlor in particular, the right supplies will be a reflection of the frozen treats being served there. As a shop opens for the first time, the staff will look up local suppliers for yogurt cups, gelato spoons, waffle cones, ice cream mixers, and more, and have them all in stock for customers. This may be at its most hectic during summer and late spring.
To begin with, a good ice cream parlor will have some waffle cones on hand, and these edible ice cream vessels are as popular as ever. In fact, one may consider them the classic image of an innocent summer, and a waffle cone is crunchy and mildly sweet as a pleasant contrast to the ice cream itself, and full ice cream cones are popular to share on image-sharing social media. However, these cones are also known for being messy, and drips and falling ice cream scoops are possible. For some customers, this may be unacceptable, so instead they will want paper cups. These cups aren’t edible like waffle cones are, but they can neatly keep all dessert inside the cup and prevent any messes, and they come with convenient spoons, too. These cups also serve as ready-made leftovers storage, and they may vary in size depending on the ice cream serving. Both soft serve and hard serve ice cream can come in cups, as can gelato and frozen yogurt, among other desserts.
Meanwhile, gelato, frozen yogurt and custard, and more are nearly always served in cups or bowls with spoons and straws, and they may vary in size, shape, and the patterns printed on them. Gelato is thicker and creamier than ice cream is, and it may be awkward to serve on a waffle cone. The same may be true of frozen yogurt, so gelato cups and spoons and yogurt cups are the best option here. Finally, a good ice cream parlor will have enough ice cream and gelato mixers and maker machines on site, and may need to order some more as the store expands and more customers regularly arrive for a frozen treat.