Starting an ice cream shop in your hometown is going to be exciting. You know how kids would wait in line just to get a cone or a cup of this cold dessert. And now that you are decided that you will have your own shop, then you should know the things that you need to have and prepare first before you can open your doors for business.
Freezers and Refrigeration
One of the areas that you need to majorly invest in before opening an ice cream shop would be the equipment for refrigeration. There are a couple of machines that you need to have like the dipping cabinet, product case, and different types of freezers – walk-in, reach-in, and drop-in. And of course, the most important to buy is the ice machine.
Dispensers
Now that you have your freezers and refrigerated equipment, you need dispensers. There are different types of ice cream, soft-serve ice cream, and beverage dispensers. You also need to have syrup pumps, toppings dispensers, and ice cream cone dispensers. If you choose to sell beverages, then you must have a carbonator too.
Dishes and Utensils
You then move on to the things that you need to serve your ice cream. You will need different sizes of ice cream and sundae dishes. Also purchase at least a couple of ice cream scoops, spades, and dippers. Even if you have your topping dispensers, you will also need some spoons for it.
If you want to be unique, make sure that you order custom cup for your ice cream products. You can now easily order customized cups and to-go containers as part of your marketing strategy. If your customers can identify you for your logo, theme colors, and personalized cups, then it’s a good start.
Tables and Chairs
This will be optional depending on the type of ice cream business that you will be having. If you will start serving in an ice cream truck, then there’s no need to invest in tables and chairs. But if you will have a physical store or a pop-up shop, then your customers will need some tables and seating like booths, high-chairs for babies, or some bar-style chairs.
What Your Staff Needs
For your staff, there are a couple of things that you need too – sneeze guards, cash registers, POS system, and a menu board. You might also want to invest in personalized uniforms with your logo and theme colors on them.
Before you decide to invest in an ice cream shop, you need to make sure that you love it too. It is not enough that you have the knowledge and experience in running and managing a business. It is also important that your heart and mind are into it. You have to make sure that it is something that you love too.