How Frozen Beverages & Smoothies Increase Revenue

3 Steps to Add Frozen Drinks to Your Menu

Step 1: Decide which types of frozen drinks are best for your business model and customer base.

To add a frozen drink selection to your restaurant, café, deli, convenience store, event space, or other types of food service operation, first, decide which type is best for your business model and customer base – FCBs or FUBs.

For example, if you run a fine-dining restaurant, you may want to turn craft beers, champagne, and cocktails into irresistible signature slushies. Or maybe your business is a casual light-fare café where customers would respond to frozen coffees, chai tea, and fruit smoothies. For the convenience store operator, a self-serve slushie machine with several flavors could be your best option.

Here are a few examples of frozen carbonated beverages and frozen uncarbonated beverages to help you decide.

Frozen Carbonated Beverage (FCB) Types

Frozen carbonated beverages include soda pop slushies, signature infused sodas, alcoholic beverages, ginger ale, root beer, fruity and tropical icees.

Frozen Uncarbonated Beverage (FUB) Types

Frozen uncarbonated beverages include fruit smoothies, milkshakes (smooth or with bits of candy), malteds, coffees, frappes, teas, adult beverages, fruit-juice slushies, infused herbal concoctions, Italian Ice, and Granitas.

Step 2: Choose a frozen beverage and slushie machine type.

Commercial Frozen Drink Machines: FCB Freezers

FCB machines, also called freezers, use flavored syrup and water mixed with CO₂ for a light, fluffy, effervescent slushie texture. When dispensed, the pressure releases, ice crystals form and expand, and you get a delicious frozen carbonated drink. These are the “slushies” we know and love.

One example of a quality commercial FCB machine is Taylor Company’s modular, countertop, frozen carbonated beverage freezer, Model C300. It offers two flavor options at once and dispenses a fluffy, high-overrun slushie in a pressurized system. An optional non-pressurized system produces a wetter, lower overrun slush.

Commercial Frozen Drink Machines: FUB Freezers

FUB machines come in a variety of options, from milkshake and smoothie machines to frozen drink and adult beverage freezers, and combination freezers that dispense both soft serve ice cream and frozen uncarbonated beverages.

One of Taylor Company’s most popular and versatile commercial frozen uncarbonated beverage freezers is Model 390, which produces non-dairy frozen beverages, like smoothies, frozen lemonade, and cocktails, as well as fruit juices, coffees, cappuccinos, and teas. Adjustable control allows you to serve a wide variety of frozen beverages at the desired thickness.

Step 3: Market Your New Frozen Drink Menu

Once you’ve received your new frozen beverage machine, it’s time to create drinks and market your frozen beverages. Here are a few ideas:

• Position your new frozen drinks as menu items: as desserts or a pairing with food items (i.e., salad and smoothie, frozen coffee and a pastry).
• Create signature flavors, seasonal and daily specials, and rotate your offerings often.
• Offer free or low-cost trial sizes to inspire people to try them.
• Market their convenience and/or healthful benefits.
• Get the word out on your website, social media, and use point-of-sale (POS) materials.

No matter how you decide to market your new frozen drinks, new and existing customers will be excited to try them and if they love them, come back for more. High profitability, increased traffic, and add-on sales equate to food service success.