When an entrepreneur starts planning for their frozen yogurt shop's success, there are many factors to consider. Such as raising capital, location, promotion, ensuring quality service, & machinery/equipment. While all of these aspects are important, some mistakes are easier to correct than others.

One of the most important areas to avoid mistakes in is that of industrial ice cream and frozen yogurt machinery & equipment. New & seasoned buyers alike should ask questions about pricing, self or full service, electrical requirements, minimum clearance, serving volume, total costs over its lifespan, & technical aspects of machines. We recommend people do their research & ask questions before your purchase. 

Factors To Consider In a Frozen Yogurt Machine

1. Full vs Self-Serve

Self-serve machines can help reduce labor costs, but might need more space to be placed in the store. Self-serve machines are also more consistent in the product they serve than the full service machines. Full service machines are better suited for shops that experiment with the flavors they provide as well as producing all natural fresh daily batches of product.

2. Single vs Multi Flavor

Single flavor machines are best suited for self-service venues because some flavors in a multi flavor machine might be used more often than others therefore leaving the machine with a need for constant supervision & refilling of product mix. Keeping this in mind, multi flavor machines are best suited for behind the counter full service venues where you can also experiment with producing small fresh daily batches.

3. Mechanical Design

The best designs in a machine make it easy to access the machines from the front so you can clean areas that usually aren't easy to sanitize. They should also be made using stainless steel designed with heavy gauges & minimal crevasses & seams.

4. Servicing Ease

One of the top things to consider is how easy a machine is to refill with product mix & how easy it is to clean. A machine that has water & drain connections externally can save you a lot of time & effort when cleaning it. Some machines are easily cleaned with little training or equipment needed, while others need you to call a specialist to service & repair it.

Machines that don't have a connection for water can make cleaning more tedious & time consuming. The following's an example of cutting costs & necessary time: A machine that doesn't have a water supply connection may take an extra 20 minutes per cleaning. If you need to clean the machine every day, that equals about 92 extra hours each year that the machine isn't making revenue and only generating costs (don't forget that it keeps at least 1 employee from helping clients).

5. Useful Life

A machine that lasts longer will always give you a greater return on your investment. Foreign made machines that are initially cheaper will cost more in the long run than investing more in a brand name machine (such as a Taylor, Stoelting, Carpigiani, or Electro Freeze), but the hidden costs add up for the foreign machines such as repairs, broken parts, & quality of the product produced. In the life span of a cheap machine you might need to repair or replace it with a new machine 2 to 3 times while a higher quality machine is still functioning strong & it's only been a quarter or half of its life span.

What determines the quality & consequently price of a machine is the materials used & design of the machine. A machine should have a useful life of at least 20-25 years of quality service. In cases like these you truly do "get what you pay for".

Serving Volume

Machines that have larger mix hoppers & freezing cylinders can increase the volume & speed of product you produce. The initial money you save on a machine that is smaller can easily increase as a cost to you because of the time spent needed to refill it with product mix.

How to choose the right Ice Cream / Frozen Yogurt Machine?

Think of all of your options carefully & try to see it from your customers point of view. In doing so, you'll be able to cut costs add up in the long run. Customers will also appreciate the attention to detail in satisfying their needs, which will create loyalty among your customers.

We have experience in helping hundreds of entrepreneurs in many different industries & can help you make informed choices when investing in the success of your business. Be sure to check out our online selection of soft serve & frozen yogurt machines, and please feel free to call us for more information: 352-888-1107.

* Follow all local and national health codes. Always refer to local and national rules. This article is just a suggestion.