Setting Up Your Snow Cone or Shaved Ice Business, Part 2

Everyone one is familiar with the Real Estate Industry's mantra “location, location, location.” This same model holds true in the shaved ice and snow cone business when you are searching for a permanent location.

After visiting your local health department to find out what regulations you must comply with as a fixed location food service business, your next step should be to secure a good location. There are several things that need to be factored into your decision. When looking into various locations, consider the following:

Investigate high traffic areas such as the parking lots of local shopping centers, super markets or malls. Find out if you can place a small building in a high traffic parking lot. If this is something you are looking into, double check power and water supply availability and the costs associated with hooking them into your building or trailer. Does your health department allow you to use water storage containers for your fresh water and waste water? These are answers to questions that you need to know prior to signing any lease agreements or purchasing any equipment. You may also be able to operate your business inside one of these locations. When considering a high traffic roadside location, make sure it has easy access and good visibility from the road. Customers need to be able to see your location before they are right on top of you. Customers also need to be able to get in and out of your location easily too.

These are just a couple examples of what you should look for when investigating a fixed location for your shaved ice or snow cone business. We will continue to expand on some of these ideas, tips and concepts in further articles. If you have a specific question that we haven’t addressed just yet, please email us at CustomerCare@HawaiianShavedIce.com and we’ll be happy to assist you.