Attention Concession Owners...Tell Us about You and Your Company

Owners, are you looking for some additional exposure for your concessions business? Of course you are! To answer NO to that question would be foolish.

At ConcessionCentral.com, we are always interested in talking to entrepreneurs about their business. Whether you've been in business for decades or are just starting out, we'd like to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment here about your business. If you are in a business related to the products and services we feature currently in our blog (shaved ice, snow cones, slush drinks, or cotton candy), we would be interested in putting together a blog post about your business.

Anytime we can feature information from other concessions business owners, it's helpful for everyone here.

Thanks!

Chilly Dilly’s – Ice Cream & Hawaiian Shaved Ice in York, PA

If you’re from the York, PA area, then there’s a strong possibility that you are already familiar with Chilly Dilly’s. Their popular, recognizable fleet of five trucks has faithfully been serving up tasty ice cream treats and Hawaiian Shaved Ice in neighborhoods and special events for five seasons now. Recently, I had a chance to ask Dylan Bauer, owner of Chilly Dilly’s, some questions about his business. For anyone who is thinking of starting their own concessions business, we hope you will glean some helpful information from Dylan’s experience.

What is the length of your season?

Dylan: We usually begin our season near the end of March, first part of April. We run until Halloween. Our final run is in the York Halloween Parade.

Why did you decide to incorporate Hawaiian shaved ice into your ice cream trucks?

Dylan: Simply put…profit. Shaved Ice has a huge profit margin. For example, on my trucks I sell a small cup of shaved ice for $2.00. The cost of making that cup of shaved ice runs me around $0.15 to $0.20. A large cup sells for $3.00, with a total cost of approximately $0.25. People love our shaved ice. It’s fresh and made to order just for them. People like that personal touch. I’m not a fan of snow cones. I think they are boring, cheap, wet, and watery. Shaved ice on the other hand is refreshing and a much better, tastier product.

What type of shaved ice machines do you use on your trucks?

Dylan: All 5 of my trucks use the Hatsuyuki 12 volt cube ice shavers. Since my trucks all use cold plate freezers for their ice cream products, the 12 volt ice shavers work very well for us. We use deep cycle marine batteries which allow our trucks to sit at a special event all day long serving ice cream and making shaved ice without any power issues at all. I also went with cubed ice shavers simply because cube ice is readily available. If, for some reason, one of my drivers runs out of ice on his route, it’s easy to find a convenience store or grocery store where cubed ice may be purchased.

How do you like the Hatsuyuki ice shavers?

Dylan: They’re great. I’ve had one of the machines for 5 years now and it’s seen a lot of use. But, it still is doing a great job. One tip that I would like to make people aware of is this: very cold ice can cause the machine to lock up. It will freeze up, requiring you to take it apart and clean it out. It’s okay to have your ice cold…just not really, really cold!

I know that you sell from trucks on neighborhood routes. But, tell us what else you do in addition to your regular, established routes?

Dylan: Our routes make up the bulk of our sales. But, we also spend about 30% of our time catering special events. We will do business events, parties, and other local, special events. For some of our business parties, we will charge a per-person rate for a two hour block of time. We also have our own website, www.ChillyDillys.com, where people can contact us for special events. We also have a “neighborhood request” form on our site which allows people to request a truck for their neighborhood.



What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own shaved ice/ice cream business?

Dylan: If they’re going to use a truck…drive slowly! Really, I’d say to focus on the profitable items. Shaved ice is our biggest money maker. It’s popular and cheap to produce.

Typically, how many servings do you sell in a day on a truck?

Dylan: We average about 400 sales per day per truck. Out of that number, around 150 sales per day are shaved ice orders on each truck.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice helped you and your business?

Dylan: I have used them since day one. My very first purchase was through them. It’s a great company. When I call in to order, they know who I am and I appreciate that. I prefer to call in my orders rather than use the website. I like the personal interaction. They always ship my items out to me as soon as possible. I’ve never really had any problems. I did have one issue once with bottle pourers…the manufacturer had changed them and I didn’t like them at all. I called up and they took care of the problem immediately. Great customer service!



Since you run dedicated routes, are there any funny moments with customers or employees?

Dylan: Nothing specific comes to mind. I do know that it’s great to roll up to a routine stop and see a line of kids (and parents) already there waiting for you. For us, maintaining a consistent routine is vital for our success. People expect us to be at a particular place at a certain time.

What is your favorite shaved ice flavor?

Dylan: Tiger’s blood. I love it! I think we have the best flavors out there. My customers love our flavors too. We make our own simple syrup and use the flavor concentrates from 1-800-Shaved-Ice.

Thanks for taking the time to discuss your business with us Dylan. I know that people will appreciate your input and suggestions for them. From everyone at 1-800-Shaved-Ice, we thank you for your business and hope that your upcoming season will be a busy and very profitable one!

Byrd House Enterprises, Arkansas

Byrd House Enterprises is a company owned by Patrick Byrd which is involved in many different areas of the business world (property management, furniture, online marketing, and shaved ice). I had the opportunity to talk to Brandy, who manages and operates the shaved ice portion of Byrd House Enterprises. Here’s what Brandy had to say about how they operate their shaved ice business in Arkansas.

What’s the name of your shaved ice business?

Brandy: We chose to just go with just calling it Hawaiian Shaved Ice.

How many years have you been in business?

Brandy: We are starting our 3rd season. We are opening our stand on April 1st. Our season will end on August 31st. We used to stay open until October. However, once school started back up, our sales dropped tremendously. So, we’ve decided to shorten our season.

Why did you choose to go into the shaved ice business?

Brandy: Simply put…money. When the location became available to us after another stand moved away, we decided to open our own stand in that same location. We knew that there was only one other shaved ice business and it was on the opposite side of town. We saw the potential and went for it.

Would you tell us a little about your equipment and where you operate?

Brandy: We purchased a 6’x14’ trailer from 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com and love it. It’s sharp looking and attractive to our customers. We use a New Orleans Block Machine. It’s extremely dependable and makes great shaved ice. In my opinion, it’s the perfect machine for a high volume stand. We only sell shaved ice. We are a neighborhood stand and have an excellent location. It’s a prime spot. Of course, we produce an excellent product which brings people back time after time, but our location is a major factor to the success of our stand too.

One thing that’s interesting to me is the fact that most of our customers (around 60%) are adults. After school gets out, we see a lot of kids. During the summer break, we get a lot of kids too. But, most of the time we serve more adults than kids. We also have a couple of local businesses who will come over on a regular basis and order shaved ice for all of their employees. They’ll bring a list with everyone’s order, we’ll make them, box it up and they take them back to everybody.

What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own shaved ice business?

Brandy: Three things come to mind. First, take the time to find a prime location where the market isn’t flooded with competitors. Securing a great location is incredibly important to the success of any business. Do some research and find the best location possible. Second, work the stand yourself. Be dedicated to the success of your business. The best way to grow your business is to be directly involved in the day to day operations. Finally, keep your stand clean. People notice. A clean stand serving great products adds up to quality. Quality matters to your customers. Quality creates repeat customers.

What has been your best day as far as gross sales?

Brandy: July 4th has been our best sales day. I don’t have an absolute figure that I can give you. However, we probably sold 350-400 servings that day at an average price of $2 per serving. Conservatively, I’d say our profit margin runs about 30%. We have never really put “pen to paper” to run the numbers and come up with those kind of figures. So, 30% is probably a very conservative number.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com helped your business?

Brandy: Dealing with 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com is great. I know that I can call Carly, tell her what I need and it’s on its way to me. Sometimes I have called her three times in one day…she’s great. Their support is fantastic and their products are unrivaled.

Have you had any funny moments with customers or employees?

Brandy: The only thing that comes to mind is that we had a customer who, for some reason, had her mouth wired shut for close to three months. She came to our stand everyday for lunch and dinner…everyday! She always ordered the same thing, Honolulu Hawaiian with cream. I think our stand was the only way she survived for those three months!

What’s your favorite shaved ice flavor?

Brandy: My all time favorite is definitely mango with cream.

I want to thank Byrd House Enterprises and especially thank Brandy for taking time out of her busy schedule to discuss their shaved ice business with me. I know that their insight into operating a neighborhood shaved ice stand will prove to be invaluable to other concessions owners and potential shaved ice owners. From everyone at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we wish you a “long hot summer” full of sales!

Summer Snow in Minnesota!

Summer Snow is a mobile concessions business in Minnesota. In a phone interview, I had the opportunity to speak with Jamie about her business. Over the past two years, her business has experienced rapid growth. Their sales tripled between their first and second season. Now, her goal is to double sales in the third season. Here’s how she answered some of my questions.

How many years have you been operating your business?

Jamie: We will be entering our third season starting in May. Our first season, we were only open June, July, and August. Our second season went from May through September 1st. We are planning on running our stands on that schedule this year too.

Why did you decide to open a shaved ice business?

Jamie: While growing up in the Dallas, TX area, we had numerous shaved ice stands around us. It was a summer tradition. When we moved to Minnesota, we realized that there were pretty much nonexistent. Because we like and enjoy shaved ice and the market seemed to be wide open here, we decided to venture into the business.

Are you a dedicated neighborhood stand or do you sell at special events and festivals?

Jamie: Our first season, we tried setting up in one consistent location. We quickly found out that it wasn’t how we wanted to operate. We started concentrating on special events in our area and things started to take off for us then. Our first year was “hit and miss” as far as finding good events. However, after receiving customer referrals on other good events and being directly invited to participate in high attendance events, we have grown rapidly. We now set up our trailer at a local soccer complex during the week and then operate at events on the weekends.

What advice do you have for a potential shaved ice business owner?

Jamie: If they were up here in our area, I’d advise them to do special events. I would also recommend that they visit the 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com website and download the free business manual there. It was very helpful in answering some of our questions. It also gave us the confidence we needed to push forward and open up our business. One thing that we did in the very beginning was use the recommended ‘Free Day.’ Our first day, we probably handed out over 1000 sample cups of shaved ice. Even though it was free day, we still sold around $400 worth of products!

Another thing to remember as a mobile concessionaire: a line attracts more people. During slow times, we will sometimes send out an employee who will give away sample cups of shaved ice. Pretty soon, you have a few people in line and the line starts growing again. At some concerts, we use printed coupons that give the customer 50 cents off. When it’s slow, we’ll have an employee or two go out and start giving those coupons out. Again, our line will start growing and sales start increasing again.

We have experienced great growth. We started out with a small, older trailer our first season. Our second year we sold the smaller trailer, ordered a custom 8x12 trailer and still ended up adding a tent, tables, and a second machine. With our newer trailer, we have been invited to work at events because of the professional appearance we maintain. Entering into our third season, we have replaced the tent and tables with a cart setup. At some events, we plan on operating in two different locations within the same event. We are also planning to do private party catering (setting a flat rate for a certain time limit) with the cart.

What has been your best day as far as gross sales?

Jamie: Our goal at any event is to average $200 per hour for an 8 hour day. If we do this, we are very successful.

What is your profit margin?

Jamie: This is hard to calculate since overall our company is still losing money. We have expanded quickly. We also have about 8 employees that work for us each season. It’s expensive to maintain employees in our state. However, if we hit the mark of $200 per hour at our events, we do pretty well.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice helped your company?

Jamie: When we initially found their website and used their Cold Cash Business Manual, we were very pleased. Now we order our products over the phone and it has been great. We have had several other companies try to get us to purchase their products, but we have stayed with 1-800-Shaved-Ice from the beginning. We like their flavors!

Do you sell other items in addition to shaved ice?

Jamie: We sell quite a few other items. Mini doughnuts, fruit smoothies, frozen coffee drinks, ice cream sundaes, soda, water, and candy are all items that are on our menu. It varies sometimes from one event to another as far as what we sell. Our goal is to get people to our stand however possible. Another thing we like about having multiple products is that if a family comes up, we can potentially serve all of them. One person might want a shaved ice, another a smoothie, another may want a bottle of water, etc.

What are your favorite shaved ice flavors?

Jamie: Wedding cake is my favorite flavor. My husband also likes the sour flavors.

Thanks for taking the time to discuss your business with me Jamie. I appreciate it. Everyone at 1-800-Shaved-Ice appreciates you too! We are thrilled about the growth of your business. We hope that your third season will be the best yet!

Shed’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Come Back Hot Dogs

After many years of serving in the US military, Shed now operates a mobile shaved ice and hot dog concessions business full time out of Savannah, Georgia. Recently, I talked with Shed about his business and how he had settled on establishing a mobile concessions business. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

How many years have you been in business?

Shed: I’m in my second year now.

Why did you choose to go into the shaved ice business?

Shed: During my military service, I was stationed for awhile in Hawaii. While visiting a flea market, I saw a line of people waiting to be served at a shaved ice stand. I watched the operator and how long it took him to make each serving and noticed the amount of money he was charging for each serving. At that time, I thought it was a great idea. The main ingredient (ice) is cheap and total business overhead is low. I knew it just came down to selecting a good location. Once I had finished my military service, it was a no brainer on what I wanted to do and at that time, I chose to start my own shaved ice business.

Would you tell us a little about your equipment and where you operate?

Shed: I purchased two Snowie 3000 machines from 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. I have one that is 12volt (DC) and the other one is an AC machine. The Snowie is a real workhorse – very powerful and reliable. I had some issues in the beginning as far as learning how to use the machine, but the problems were mainly my fault and not the fault of the machine. I operate my business from a small, single axle trailer that is large enough for two employees. I primarily set up at two main locations. I spend two weeks at Hunter Army Airfield and then two weeks over at Fort Stewart. I also occasionally work at family reunions, church events, and fairs too. When I want to find events, I use the Internet to search for them. I operate year round due to selling hot dogs, chips, and soda, as well as shaved ice.

What advice would you give to potential shaved ice business owners?

Shed: I’d tell them to do their homework as far as health department regulations are concerned. Here in Georgia, ice is considered a prepared food product. Even though I purchase ice and it is bagged, I still am treated like a full fledged food service provider. Because of this, I must have a commissary. I need to have access to a full kitchen, approved by the health department where I can prepare my equipment and clean up my equipment. In some cases, if you don’t have access to this type of facility, it can be expensive to obtain a facility that will meet the health department standards. At times, it can also be hard to get a commissary agreement in place with a local restaurant or kitchen. So, I would encourage them to find out what rules the health department in their area has and how they apply to shaved ice businesses.

What has been your best day as far as gross sales?

Shed: I did about $700 selling shaved ice only on July 4th, from 3pm to 11pm. I had a line all day long. I think we used about a dozen 20lb. bags of ice that day. I made about $400 profit that day, which was really nice.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com helped your business?

Shed: I order about 95% of all the supplies I use for my business online using 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. I’m 100% satisfied with their service to my business. Anytime I need something, I know I can call Gary and he’ll take care of my needs. They always have a quick response to any requests or problems that may come up. For example, I was having difficulty with my Snowie machines right after I ordered them. I was using up blades real fast and I knew I was doing something wrong. I called Gary and he worked with me to solve the problem. Gary also called the machine manufacturer and I was able to speak directly with the owner about my problem. After a couple of phone conversations, they helped me figure out what I was doing wrong.

Have you had any funny moments with customers or employees?

Shed: I always seem to have a few skeptical customers. I wear a t-shirt that has my company name on it and a lot of people don’t understand the last part of my company name, ‘Come Back Hot Dogs.’ I have a recipe for cooking my hot dogs which gives them a unique taste. Many times, I’ll have a skeptical customer who will order one hot dog and leave. However, usually within 15 minutes, they’ll ‘come back’ for another one! Even though I am a mobile vendor, I get to see a lot of the same customers over and over again. Often times, I’ll get phone calls from loyal customers wondering when I’m going to be back in their area again. I also enjoy watching kids (and the young at heart) get excited about ordering shaved ice. Often times I get comments from older folks who say having a cup of shaved ice brings back good memories for them. I enjoy that.

What’s your favorite shaved ice flavor?

Shed: I like to mix cherry, wild cherry and black cherry.

I want to thank Shed for talking about his business with me. From everyone at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we wish only the best for Shed and his business. We appreciate the opportunity to provide him with our products and services. By the way, if you’re down around Savannah…be sure you stop by his stand for a couple of hot dogs. Just save some room for a cool, refreshing cup of shaved ice too!

An Interview with Britton Roller: College Student and Entrepreneur in Oklahoma

Britton Roller, college student and business owner at 22 years of age. Britton is one busy guy! When he’s not attending Southeast Oklahoma State University studying for his degree in aviation, he pretty much spends the rest of his time inside his shaved ice stand. While at school (between classes of course!), Britton took some time to talk with me about his shaved ice business and answer some questions.

What’s the name of your shaved ice business?

Britton: I just use the traditional name, Hawaiian Shaved Ice.

How many years have you been in business?

Britton: I’ll be starting my 3rd season on April 12th. I’ll only be open a couple of days each week until the spring semester ends. Once I’m out of school though, I’ll be open seven days a week. I’m open from 11am to 10pm Monday thru Saturday and 2pm to 10pm on Sundays.

Why did you choose to go into the shaved ice business?

Britton: After spending a summer working at a factory with low pay and bad hours, my dad and I sat down to discuss other ideas for generating income for me so I could pay for college. We came up with the plan of opening our own shaved ice stand and operating it during the summer months. I did a lot of research about the business online. I found the 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com website, downloaded and printed out their COLD CASH business manual. After more research, my dad and I went through it all together. Once we had looked at everything and the cost vs. profit, we put our plan into action. My dad loaned me the money to start up the business (which I paid back in full during my first season of operation).

Would you tell us a little about your equipment and where you operate?

Britton: Fortunately, my dad and I were able to design and build the stand ourselves. Initially the building was 15’x30’. However, due to the need for more freezers, we expanded the building and it is now 15’x45’. We have a great location in a business parking lot in town. I have a New Orleans Block Machine and it’s perfect for our stand. It creates the best shaved ice around! We make our own block ice in-house too. During my first season, we underestimated the amount of ice we would need and consequently had to purchase additional block ice from a local ice house. However, after adding on to the building, we now have 2 upright freezers for making ice and 3 deep, floor freezers for storing ice blocks. I go through about 15-25 blocks of ice every day. When I first opened my stand, there were two other stands in town too. However, they have both closed since then, leaving me without any local competition. There are several stands in the larger town just north of us.

What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own shaved ice business?

Britton: I would have to say that they should expect to put a lot more time into it than they originally plan. It’s very time consuming. Your time invested goes way beyond just the hours you are open for customers. Also, I’d recommend that they operate it themselves. If you’re looking to make the most money, you need to do it yourself. I work everyday and don’t have any employees. I feel that I’m fortunate though because by doing this, I don’t have to work at all during the school year.

Be open to customer suggestions too. I’ve had customers suggest different flavors or recipes and I’ve tried them. If they’re popular, I’ve added them to my menu. Customer service is critical and part of that is responding to their requests.

Another thing I would recommend to someone interested in operating their own shaved ice business is to set your hours and stick with them. Be consistent! You can’t close just because you have something else that you want to do that particular day. You will lose customers! You have to set your hours and be open in order to build repeat customers.

What has been your best day as far as gross sales?

Britton: On my busiest days, I’ll bring in about $300-315 per day. I probably make about 150-200 servings on those days. My profit margin is pretty high because my expenses are very limited. I’d say that my profit margin runs around 80%.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com helped your business?

Britton: 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com is fantastic. When I first started my business, I ordered everything from them. I ordered my machine, mixing supplies, bottles, utensils…everything came from 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. Now I order all of my flavors, sugar free base packs, and other items through them. I think their customer service is awesome. I know that I can call them, ask a question and they’ll get an answer for me. When I ordered my machine in the beginning, Gary called us up and counseled us in making a decision on a machine that was slightly higher in price, but much better in quality. He was right and we really appreciated the time and effort he took in helping us choose a great machine for our business.

Have you had any funny moments with customers or employees?

Britton: One thing I enjoy is knowing what my customers are going to order. Because I’m a neighborhood stand, I get a lot of repeat customers. It’s fun to have a customer ask me, “What is it that I order all the time?” They get a kick out of the fact that I can remember their order and they can’t.

Another thing that I find interesting is the amount of people who will come and just order a plain cup of ice (no flavor). They just like the ice that our machine produces. I have a boy who’s about 4 years old that comes by with his grandma just about every day. He likes to get a cup of plain ice with a blue straw. A lot of times I’ll see him coming across the parking lot and I’ll have it ready, sitting under the counter, waiting for him. He gets a thrill when I pull it out and hand it over to him.

I also had a customer come through, order a cup of shaved ice, taste it, and ask: “Are your flavors from that company in North Carolina?” I was blown away. I told them yes, it was from 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com and they said they could tell just by the taste! Apparently they used to own or work at a stand where they used the same flavors. It just goes to show you that people can taste the difference between cheaply made syrups and the quality syrups made by 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com.

What’s your favorite shaved ice flavor?

Britton: My favorite is called a “Salty Dog.” Some people may make it in different ways, but I make it with strawberry syrup, real lemon juice, and margarita salt.

Thanks for taking the time to talk about your stand with us Britton. We really appreciate your insight! Everyone here at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com admires your dedication to your customers and the hard work you put in to your business. We wish you the best with your education, flying, and your shaved ice business!