The National Dipper March April 2020

Dipper Vol. 36 No. 2

The National ®

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS

March/April 2020 $5.00

Reader Service #101

®

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS Published by United States Exposition Corp.

Vol. 36, No. 2 • March/April 2020

Features 2020 Industry Outlook.....................................................12 Anna Curcuitt, Mercurio’s Company, Pittsburgh, PA

Sarah Ebaugh, Ebaugh’s Whistle Stop, White Lake, MI Theresa Fouquette, Bliss Homemade Creamery, Tacoma, WA Katie Kimball, Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Cape Cod, MA Nicole Lane, Vanilla Moose, Aztec, NM Jay Ragusa, Gofer Ice Cream, Greenwich, CT Dan Sell, The STIL, Boise, ID

Page 5 - Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019, just released.

Cash Flow Strategies and Profits...................................21

by Mark E. Battersby Love Fuels a WOW Culture..........................................23 Six Ways to Share the Love with Employees and Customers

by Deb Boelkes

Departments Advertisers’ Index ......................26 Calendar .............................26 Editorial ..............................4 News .....................................5

Page 6 - Officers and Board Members of the Great Lakes Ice Cream + Fast Food Association cut the ribbon to open their annual trade show.

Reader Service Card ....................19 Regional Yellow Pages ..............25 Subscription Card ........................9 Yellow Pages ............................25

In The Next Issue • July is National Ice Cream Month • July 19, 2020 National Ice Cream Day The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Page 7 - Sign found in front of the First Presbyterian Church of Succasunna, NJ. “Cliff’s refers to Cliff’s Dairy Maid.

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Editorial

35th Anniversary!

We are very excited to announce that in celebration of our 35th Anniversary issue, in addition to the thousands of copies we mail, we are also going digital. We sent an email to over 3,000 ice cream store owners with the issue attached. And it is available on our website at www.nationaldipper.com.

If you did not receive the email and would like to be added to the list, send me an email and include your name, store name, address and email address. You will receive an email, with the issue attached, when each issue is being mailed.

As you read the digital version of this issue, you will be able to link directly to each advertiser’s website.

And at this time I would like to sincerely thank all of our advertisers and subscribers over the years who made it possible for us to be celebrating this great milestone. Without you, it would not have been possible. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to bringing you many more issues of The National Dipper for many years to come, both through the mail and digitally.

In This Issue This issue contains the annual Industry Outlook. We asked several ice cream store owners from around the country to look at their business for the past year and to look ahead to predict the future of the ice cream industry for 2020.

This year the participants in the Industry Outlook are: Anna Curcitt, Mercurio’s Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sarah Ebaugh, Ebaugh’s Whistle Stop, White Lake, Michigan; Theresa Fouquette, Bliss Homemade Creamery, Inc. Tacoma, Washington; Katie Kimball, Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Nicole Lane, Vanilla Moose, Aztec, New Mexico; Jay Ragusa, Gofer Ice Cream, Greenwich, Connecticut; and Dan Sell, The STIL, Boise, Idaho.

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Each participant had great insights into the future of the industry and the path for their business in the coming year and beyond.

If you would like to participate in the Industry Outlook next year, please send me an email and I will contact you and send you the questions to answer for the Outlook.

Next, Mark E. Battersby has written an article called “Cash Flow Strategies and Profits,” beginning on page 21. He says that cash flow is the life blood of every business and many experts advise putting cash flow management before profits. In this article he tells you how to do that.

Do you love your employees and your customers? Deb Boelkes says that love belongs in the business world and it should fuel everything you do, both internally and in your interactions with customers. “Love Fuels a WOW Culture: Six Ways to Share the Love with Employees and Customers” begins on page 23.

On a Sad Note Just as we were going to press, we were notified of the passing of Joe Fee, Fee Brothers, Rochester, N.Y. Joe passed away on February 6th from complications related to a respiratory infection.

Joe joined Fee Brothers as a full time employee in 1991, following his graduation from Notre Dame University. He and his sister Ellen and their great team of people grew the business beyond their ancestor’s wildest dreams. Joe loved to travel and interact with customers.

Donations to the Arc Foundation of Monroe in his name, or your favorite charity to memorialize Joe. Or Ellen said, “just raise a glass to toast the memory of a great guy.”

Lynda Utterback Publisher/Editor

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS

LYNDA UTTERBACK Publisher/Editor Editorial and Sales Office 1030 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-7226 Phone: 847/301-8400 Fax: 847/301-8402 e-mail:lynda@nationaldipper.com Web: www.nationaldipper.com

This publication is a member of: • New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association • National Ice Cream Mix Association • Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Association • The Ice Screamers The National Dipper (USPS 0001-374) (ISSN #0895-9722) is published six times a year, (Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/June; Jul/Aug: Sep/Oct; Nov/Dec) by United States Exposition Corp., 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. 847/301-8400. The National Dipper serves ice cream retailers in the United States and Canada.

COPYRIGHT © 2020 UNITED STATES EXPOSITION CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The National Dipper Magazine and The National Dipper Source Books (the “Works”) contain proprietary information and are licensed, not sold. In consideration for the original subscriber of this copy of this work substantially completing and returning the subscription form to the publisher, which act shall be deemed sufficient evidence of said subscriber's acceptance of this non-exclusive, non-transferable, license, the publisher (a) grants the original subscriber only the limited right to use these works in that subscriber's business, provided that said subscriber does not sell, resell, reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means, (by way of example and not limitation, photocopying or recording by or in an information storage retrieval system) these Works, either in part or in their entirety, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Without advance written permission from the copyright owner, no part of these publications may be sold, resold, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, without limitation, electronic, optical, or mechanical means (by way of example and not limitation, photocopying, or recording by or in an information storage retrieval system).

For information on permission to copy material exceeding fair use from the National Dipper Source Book or other copies of The National Dipper, please contact: Lynda Utterback, Publisher/Editor, The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007; Telephone (847) 301-8400. The “NATIONAL DIPPER” and the “ICE CREAM CONE DESIGN” are registered trademarks of JLM Unlimited, Inc. In new product items and trade news this publication acts only as a news reporting service and assumes no responsibility for the validity of claims or statements. Unsolicited material should be accompanied by return postage. The publisher assumes no responsibility for such material. All letters/e-mails sent to The National Dipper will be considered the property of The National Dipper.

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POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007.

The National Dipper March/April 2020

News LEOPOLD’S ICE CREAM: A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019, a new book chronicles the lives and history of the Leopold brothers and their family in Savannah, Georgia, between 1901 and 2019, including the life of renowned ice cream maker and Hollywood film producer Stratton Leopold.

The book is richly illustrated with historic photographs and includes a foreword by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as well as vintage recipes, celebrity quotes and customer memories.

The book is available for purchase in Savannah, Georgia, at the Savannah Book Festival, the Leopold’s store on Broughton Street, the two Leopold’s locations at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and the Ex Libris Bookstore, and online at leopoldsicecream.com.

Proceeds from the book will benefit local education initiatives in Savannah.

Written by Melanie Bowden Simón, A Century of Tasty Memories provides a detailed, intimate look at the history of a growing Southern city through two World Wars and in modern times through the lens of a family and their local business. The book also explores Georgia’s early film history that was a catalyst for today’s multibillion-dollar industry.

“Today, Stratton and Mary are stewards of much more than a business, which they have expanded in many ways,” former President Jimmy Carter writes. “They are conservationists of the Leopold brothers’ precious legacy, bound by philotimo, the Greek word for a set of principles that places honor, duty, family and service to community above all else.”

Stratton Leopold, born in Savannah, proudly grew up in the ice cream business. His father, Peter, and uncles, George and Basil, immigrated from Greece and opened the original Leopold’s Ice Cream at the corner of Gwinnett and Habersham Streets in 1919. The humble fruit and ice cream stand became a cornerstone of the community.

Though Stratton left Savannah to pursue his Hollywood dream, Leopold’s Ice Cream continued to be a Savannah tradition carried on by other members of the Leopold family.

Stratton served as an executive vice president for Paramount Pictures and the producer of films such as The General’s Daughter, The Sum of All Fears, Paycheck and Mission Impossible III, and others, yet, he considers the continuation of his family’s business as one of his greatest accomplishments.

With the help of Oscar-nominated set designer Dan Lomino, Stratton and Mary opened a flagship location on Broughton Street in 2004, creating an iconic space that honors the family’s commitment to quality and service in the heart of what is now a top international destination.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Reader Service #102

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Tips for Costing Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Cakes & Pies How to Cost:

• Mix • Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Soft Frozen Yogurt • Hard Frozen Yogurt • Crunch • Cake • Manufacturing • Preparation • Decoration • Packaging • Labor • Pricing

Tips for Costing Cones, Sundaes, Shakes & Other Goodies Using Soft or Hard Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt How to Cost:

• Mix • Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Soft Frozen Yogurt • Hard Frozen Yogurt • Cones • Sundaes • Shakes • Mix-Ins • Sodas • Floats • and more

Learn from Cliff Freund, Cliff's Dairy Maid, an expert and store owner for over 40 years!

$15.99 each

SAVE–Order Both for $30. plus shipping & handling

Description

ORDER FORM

Total

Costing Cakes & Pies, $15.99, plus $2.00 s&h Costing Cones, Sundaes, $15.99, plus $2.00 s&h Both Manuals, $30.00 plus $4.00 s&h Illinois Residents add 9.5% sales tax Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Sorry, no phone or credit card orders.

TOTAL

Name

Company Address City

State

Zip

Make check payable to JLM Unlimited, Inc., 1028 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 • Phone: 847-301-8400

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Reader Service #103

News KRISTIN FALKNER, President & CEO of Server Products, was recognized in the Notable Women in Manufacturing list published by BizTimes Milwaukee in their December 2019 issue. BizTimes Milwaukee selected ten women to receive this honor from a pool of nominees who have contributed significantly to the manufacturing industry in southeast Wisconsin.

Kristin Falkner was selected for this recognition at the height of her career-long dedication to the success of Server Products, a manufacturer of portion-control and point-of-use dispensing, serving and holding equipment for the foodservice industry. Falkner’s grandfather, Al Wickesberg, founded the company in 1949, and Falkner joined the company in 1997.

She held positions within operations and customer service before becoming president of Server Products in 2009.

As President and CEO, Falkner has worked to build a company-wide mentality focused on future-forward innovation based on intuitive and integrated solutions for the foodservice industry. Her leadership has also seen Server double its annual sales, complete a 10,000-square-foot expansion and employ 140 full-time staff members.

“I am humbled and honored by this recognition. It’s important for me to emphasize that our company’s strength in its numbers; our stellar team of dedicated employees and their diverse skills has made Server the success it is today,” said Falkner.

BizTimes selected honorees from a list of nominees who must be based in southeast Wisconsin, employed at a manufacturing company with a minimum sales revenue of $3 million, and serve in a senior role at their firm.

GREAT LAKES ICE CREAM and Fast Food Association held its election for the Board of Directors at the General Membership meeting, during the 2020 Convention and Trade Show at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek Michigan, February 6-8, 2020.

Elected to the Board of Directors for a two-year term are Suppliers; Aaron Morris of Frosty Products, Mary Sowers of Ice Cream Advantage and Terry Vanderzand of BMC-POS. Suppliers elected to a one-year term are; Bobby Enell of Prairie Farms and Troy Westendorp of MOO-ville Creamery.

Store operators elected for a two-year term are; Craig Christian of Frosty Boy, Watervliet, Kelly Rice of Trailside Treats, and Tanyell Uren of Country Cove Store.

Elected to the Executive Board for a two-year term are: Joe Watt of Cone Corral and Pizzeria as President, Ryan Pfeiffer of United Dairy Farmers as Vice President, Cindy Bristol of Scooter’s Malt Shoppe as Secretary/Treasurer, and presiding President Aaron Morris of Frosty Products transfers to Immediate Past President.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

News THE “CLIFF” referred to in that sign is Cliff Freund, Cliff’s Dairy Maid, Ledgewood, N.J. He was a member of the church, pre 1940. He went to Sunday school and Bible school for several years and was active in the local YMCA chapter. He was guided by his mother, a member also, to live, play and work by the Christian ways.

As a part time job, he worked at various times in the graveyard from about 1938 to 1946, all work was manual. The year he graduated from Roxbury, he had not seen weed wackers nor power lawn mowers.

Neither had back hoes appeared. All graves had to be Sign in front of the First Presbyterian dug by hand using Church of Succasunna. a pick and shovel.

He reached the top of the pay scale when he dug graves, earning 50 cents an hour. He was a junior and senior in high school when earning that much.

After graduation from college, he joined the corporate world and enjoyed meaningful occupational experiences over the years. He returned to Succasunna in 1964, joined the staff at Roxbury High School and taught until 1979.

In 1975 he started Cliff’s Dairy Maid, making it a local, producing home made ice cream business. The business, while demanding, is a fun business. For some time now, his great nephew, Pete and been operating Cliff’s. We are always pleased with the continued good response that we receive from our surrounding communities.

“When Pete sent me the picture I had the most warm feelings, which I would like to share with you. First, I laughed, happily you know, because it made me proud. Proud that you mentioned Cliff’s and your Sundays together was very clever and so meaningful to me. In the originating copy for the sign, one would have no way of knowing how close I was with this church in my earlier years. Then to see us both on the same sign gave me such a feeling of pride that I will always treasure. May God bless you all,” said Cliff.

STANDEX Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG) recently named Erik Meyer Vice President of Finance effective January 6, 2020, reporting directly to Kevin Fink, President of Standex RSG. As Vice President of Finance, Meyer will be instrumental in leading the RSG finance team across the MasterBilt and Nor-Lake brands within the Refrigerated Solutions Group. “We are confident that Erik will be an asset to RSG with 17 years of experience as a senior finance and supply chain executive,” Fink said.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Reader Service #104

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News IN 2020, THE NATIONAL FROZEN & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) is celebrating 75 years of promoting the sales and consumption of frozen and refrigerated foods and providing a forum for industry dialogue and networking. This special anniversary is being noted with a commemorative 75th anniversary logo, and the Association is holding special activities throughout the year culminating with an all-industry celebration at the NFRA Convention in October at the Gaylord National Harbor.

NFRA was founded in 1945 as “The National Wholesale Frozen Food Distributors.” At a meeting in New York City’s Yale Club, 42 representatives of 36 distributing firms chartered the organization under the leadership of Burton Prince of New Haven, Connecticut. The purpose of the Association was to give the distributors a “single voice” with which to deal with the government and other segments of the frozen food industry on issues of concern to the distributors.

“Though the Association has changed in many ways since our formative years, the purpose of NFRA as the organization that brings the industry together to do business and is the collective consumer voice of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry remains true today,” says NFRA President and CEO Skip Shaw.

As the Association entered the 1950s it counted a membership of 107 distributors and 46 associate packer and broker members. In recognition of the broadened membership, the word “Wholesale” was dropped from the organization title in 1955. Four years later, the word “Distributors” was dropped, and the Association became known as the National Frozen Food Association.

A major milestone was achieved in 1984 with the launch of the first March National Frozen Food Month promotion led by Murray Lender of Lender’s Bagels and Ron Lunde of Super Valu. Thirty-six years later, Frozen Food Month is one of the longest running and most successful promotions.

In 2001, the refrigerated dairy foods department was incorporated into the Association because of its similarities to frozen in the retail market, and the Association was renamed the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association to recognize its broadened membership. NFRA sponsored its first June Dairy Month in 2003 modeled after the successful Frozen Food Month promotion.

NFRA launched its year-long consumer PR campaigns Real Food. Frozen and Dairy…and Beyond in 2013.

Through its Easy Home Meals consumer digital and social channels, the Association speaks on behalf of the industry to thousands of consumers every day.

“The frozen and dairy aisles are essential and influential departments of the store. Through years of innovation and adapting to changing consumer habits and preferences, our products offer something for every lifestyle and dietary need.

We’re proud that our PR campaigns spread that message to millions of consumers every year, and proud in particular that our efforts to change the conversation and perceptions of frozen foods over the last five years have played a role in the resurgence and positive growth of the frozen food category.”

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Today, NFRA has grown to over 400 corporate members from every segment of the industry. These trading partners meet every October at the NFRA Convention for the best “working” meeting focused on conducting business and growing the industry.

GREAT LAKES ICE CREAM + Fast Food Association (GLIC+FFA) has announced the 2020 Ward J. Anderson Scholarship winners. The winners are; $2,000 to Emily Cajka, sponsored by Mike and Aj’z Ice Cream Shack in Luckey, OH, $1,000 to Panagiotis Kurtis, sponsored by Christo’s Family Dining in Culver, IN, $500 scholarship sponsored

by Craig and Gladys Christian of Frosty Boy, Watervliet to Carly Maynard sponsored by Trailside Treats in Belmont MI. Scholarship winners and their parents are invited to the Founder’s Dinner during the Annual Convention and Trade Show held February 6-8, 2020 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Battle Creek MI. To be eligible, student employees must be high school seniors through college seniors (their 4th year of college) in a five-year program this past Fall, worked a minimum of three (3) months for a GLIC+FFA member within the year, have minimums of 20 on the ACT composite or 1,000 on SAT and 3.0 GPA, and plan on attending a college or university next Fall.

Since 1990, the Ward J. Anderson Scholarship program has awarded $184,000 in scholarship monies to GLIC + FFA member student employees.

NOR-LAKE®, manufacturer and supplier of a full line of commercial refrigeration equipment, has named Jeff Lehmann as Regional Sales Manager effective December 2, 2019, reporting directly to Keith Funke, Vice President of Sales for Nor-Lake.

Managing the Northeastern region of North America, Lehmann will also be responsible for managing three manufacturer representative groups on behalf of Nor-Lake in that territory. “We are excited to have Jeff as part of our team at Nor-Lake,” said Vice President of Sales at Nor-Lake, Keith Funke. “His many years of sales management experience will be key with profitable sales and share gain of the dealer market in the Northeastern region,” Funke added..

IN APRIL 2019, Visstun® announced their goal to make ALL paper products using 30% Post-Consumer Recycled Fiber by the end of the year. Not only did they meet the 30% goal, they exceeded it. As of December 17, 2019, all Visstun paper cups, containers, and paper lids were made with Sustana’s EnviroLife Post-consumer recycled fiber. Instead of just 30%, Visstun achieved an industry leading 35% PostConsumer Recycled content.

Rather than offer the recycled cups as an option, Visstun replaced all the paper used for all cup types with recycled paper. “We felt it was too important a step to only go half-way.

So, at no additional cost to our customers, we jumped in with both feet, upgrading all our material. The response has been awesome,” says Paula Thompson, National Sales Director.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Subscription Card The National Dipper Magazine and The National Dipper Source Books are provided, subject to the limited license, stated below, only to qualified subscribers. If you have not filled out a subscription card within the last year, please fill out the card below to receive your complimentary subscription to THE publication for frozen dessert retailers. The subscription is for a one year period only and requires you to re-apply each year in order to continue to receive a complimentary subscription, subject to the limited license. The publisher reserves the right to restrict complimentary subscriptions to qualified subscribers only. All information must be provided or we cannot process your complimentary subscription request. Thank you.

March/April 2020 Subscription Card

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Type of Firm (Check All That Apply) Your Title (Check All That Apply) ❏ Ice Cream Dipping Store-1 ❏ Owner-1 ❏ Soft Serve-2 ❏ Partner-2 ❏ Frozen Yogurt-3 ❏ President-3 ❏ Frozen Custard-4 ❏ Vice President-4 ❏ Gelato-5 ❏ Secretary/Treasurer-5 ❏ Italian Ice -6 ❏ Manager-6 ❏ Vending Vehicle/Catering-7 ❏ Buyer-7 ❏ Concession Stand-8 ❏ Salesperson-8 ❏ Dairy and Convenience-9 ❏ Representative-9 ❏ Supplier of Goods & Services-11 ❏ Other-10 ❏ Distributor-12 Do you make your own frozen desserts using a batch or ❏ Supplier/Dist Rep-13 continuous freezer? ❏Yes ❏ No ❏ Broker-14 Average gallons of frozen desserts sold per week ❏ Other-15 ❏ 151 to 200 gallons-3 ❏ Up to 100 gallons-1 Do you sell food? ❏ 201 plus gallons-4 ❏ 101 to 150 gallons-2 ❏ Yes ❏ No

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News TOM HOTARD, President of H.C. Duke & Son, LLC/ Electro Freeze, announced that Zink Foodservice has been selected as a selling partner for the company effective February 1, 2020.

Zink Foodservice, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio will be responsible for representing Electro Freeze in the Ohio, Michigan, Northern Kentucky, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Indiana and Western Pennsylvania markets. “Zink Foodservice is a premier selling organization and we are very proud to have them represent Electro Freeze in the Midwest,” says President Tom Hotard. “They have long-standing relationships in the foodservice industry and will be a great channel partner to bring the new and innovative technology that Electro Freeze has to offer to important markets and end users.”

Zink Foodservice brings more than 40 years of experience in the foodservice industry connecting foodservice owners, operators and consultants with custom solutions from premier equipment, tabletop and smallwares manufacturers and dealers.

Electro Freeze manufactures a wide range of machines including soft serve, yogurt, shake, slush, cocktail, and batch machines.

Zink is an employee-owned company with a team of more than 80 associates with offices throughout Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania. Zink provides comprehensive sales, marketing, distribution, ventilation and installation services for premier manufacturers and dealers of foodservice equipment, furniture and smallwares.

BRYAN O’ROURKE, President of Crown Brands, LLC announced that the company will officially change its name to Oneida Hospitality Group effective January 20, 2020.

O’Rourke explained that this rebranding reflects the heritage and focus of the company, adding, “Oneida is a wellrecognized and respected brand with history and integrity.

We have been planning this name change along with other strategy changes to position the company for accelerated growth.”

In addition to the Oneida brand, Oneida Hospitality Group is a collection of other distinguished brands including UpDate International, Tomlinson Industries, Focus Foodservice, Johnson Rose and Co-Rect.

The new brand standards and logo were effective January 20, 2020 and have been released to the market. A rebranded website is coming soon.

Oneida Hospitality Group, formerly Crown Brands, LLC, was formed in 2014 with the acquisition of the Focus Foodservice, UpDate International and Johnson Rose brands. Co-Rect products was acquired in 2015. In a span of four months, Tomlinson was added to the portfolio in October 2018 and Oneida joined in January 2019.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Reader Service #105

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Industry Outlook

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Q & A

The National Dipper asked several ice cream shop owners from around the country to look at their business for the past year and to look ahead to predict the future of the ice cream industry in 2020. This year the participants in the Industry Outlook are: Anna Curcitt, Mercurio’s Company, Pittsburgh, PA; Sarah Ebaugh, Ebaugh’s Whistle Stop, White Lake, MI; Theresa Fouquette, Bliss Homemade Creamery, Inc., Tacoma, WA; Katie Kimball, Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Cape Cod, MA; Nicole Lane, Vanilla Moose, Aztec, NM; Jay Ragusa, Gofer Ice Cream, Greenwich, CT.; and Dan Sell, The STIL, Boise, ID. QUESTION : Please give a few sentences about yourself and your store.

How long have you been in business?

How many stores do you own? What do you serve? Etc. CRUCITT: I’m Anna Crucitt and my brothers are Michael Mercurio and Joe Mercurio. We are a sibling trio that owns the Mercurio’s Company in Pittsburgh, PA. We have two restaurant/retail locations and one gelato wholesale/manufacturing business.

Our company developed over the last 20 years, starting with a gelato shop, the Mulberry Street Creamery, that our parents began in Kittanning, PA in 1999. In 2016, the three of us bought our parents gelato wholesale business.

In our restaurants, we offer customers an authentic Italian gelato, 30 flavors at a time, served in cups and cones, milkshakes and floats in addition to Neapolitan pizza and appetizers.

EBAUGH: Hi my name is Sarah Ebaugh I am a Realtor, I fell in love with this abandoned ice cream shop up north of my cottage, so I bought it and decided to give it a go. I had to gut the whole building and start from scratch.

I opened Ebaugh’s Whistle Stop in White Lake, Michigan. I have been in business for four years now. This is my only store so far. We serve soft serve and hand dipped ice cream, broasted chicken, burgers and Coney dogs.

FOUQUETTE: My name is Theresa Fouqette and I am the general man-

ager at Bliss Homemade Creamery, Inc. in Tacoma, Wash. Super premium ice cream is made locally by us in small batches using only the very best all natural ingredients. We scoop into cups and cones and we also make milkshakes, ice cream cakes and sundaes. We started by first building out a kitchen and serving from a vintage camping trailer (food truck) while the location of our current brick and mortar in a new shopping development was under construction.

KIMBALL: My name is Katie Kimball and I am the second-generation owner of Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream on Cape Cod. I have been the sole owner since 2016 when my mother retired and I purchased the business.

Our primary items are hand-dipped, homemade ice cream cones and cups, soft serve, and sundaes with a variety of house made toppings. We strive to produce as much as possible right on the premises. We are seasonal, open April through September every year.

LANE: My name is Nicole Lane and I am the owner of Vanilla Moose in Aztec, NM. Vanilla Moose has been in business since 1983 and we have been running it for the past four seasons. We are a soft serve shop that specializes in shakes, sundaes and novelties.

RAGUSA: I am Jay Ragusa and I founded Gofer Ice Cream in 2003 in Greenwich, CT. I always had the idea of expanding through franchising the concept. Today we currently have five shops with three company owned and two franchised. I’m excited to also have recently announced a renewed focus on the franchise program and our third franchise location set to open this spring. We offer both traditional premium hard and soft serve as well as a fat free and even plant based options.

SELL: We are Kasey Allen and Dan Sell and we own The STIL in Boise, Idaho. We opened in July, 2017 so we are approximately 2.5 years old. Our store serves high quality, small batch ice cream in dairy, alcohol infused, dairy free, and vegan options.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

QUESTION: Please tell us why and how you decided to open an ice cream store.

CRUCITT: The three of us are the youngest of seven kids in our family and grew up watching our parents operate the Mulberry Street Creamery.

We all have a love of the Italian culture and of course, the food, and working in the family business was always a lot of fun for me. In 2005, the retail side of our business was moved to a highend shopping district in Pittsburgh, although the manufacturing remained in Kittanning. I went to college at the University of Pittsburgh, majored in Marketing and Italian, and managed the new gelateria while I was in school.

I finished college in 2009 and finding a job was tricky for a new graduate. It was at that time I decided to take over the retail shop from my parents. My biggest decision to continue on with the family business was that our product is delicious, and I knew I had an award winning and marketable product. I also wanted the flexibility given to business owners and the unlimited income potential.

EBAUGH: I have always wanted to have a small restaurant and I saw this as a great opportunity. I did some research, went to a couple of ice cream conventions and learned as I went.

the back of our mind we thought it would be a fun endeavor to one day open our own shop. We moved back to our hometown and heard our local shop was for sale so we inquired.

Three weeks later we signed the papers with the idea to keep a local favorite in business.

RAGUSA: I will always credit my father with putting the idea in my head as we looked at this business as a family when I was about 12 years old. After an eight year career on Wall Street I decided to go out on my own and put the Gofer Ice Cream business plan into action.

SELL: There was a market gap in the high end, local ice cream market.

QUESTION: Were sales up or down in 2019? To what do you attribute the increase or decrease in business?

Do you think the economy in general affected sales in your store last year or was it the weather, gasoline prices, food costs, etc.?

CRUCITT: Our sales were up in 2019 against 2018 and 2017. We have seen about 3% growth against 2016, not factoring in any increases in prices to our customers. 2016 was a big year for us so to be back at that level in 2019 was really exciting. Although, the positive

of having lower revenue in 2017 is that I found ways to cut our labor costs and overhead. We went back to basics on budgeting our payroll against projected sales and working to keep our prime costs at or under 55%. It was really difficult at first, cutting labor to be in line with sales, as we were so used to having a certain number of hands on deck at all times. The challenge was in asking our initial staff to do more or essentially ‘work harder’. To them, it didn’t seem fair. But as I’ve learned, once you train someone new coming in to do something one way, they never knew it was done differently.

EBAUGH: My sales were up in 2019, I believe it was increased marketing and a new sign on the main road, directing traffic towards my shop. I’m sure the better economy had something to do with it as well. But I’ve also learned how to keep my food costs and waste down.

FOUQUETTE: 2019 was our first year in our new shop. Sales were up!

We live in one of the fastest growing counties in the country. This was definitely a consideration in our decision to go into business.

KIMBALL: Sales in 2019 were slightly up over sales in 2018. There were two main factors that I believe

FOUQUETTE: My sister and I worked at our local Baskin Robbins together when we were in high school.

It was so much fun! People that go for ice cream are in a happy mood. We want to be a part of our community’s every day celebrations!

KIMBALL: I decided to take over the family ice cream store because of the simple truth that ice cream makes people happy. Owning an ice cream shop gives you the privilege of offering a product that brings people together.

Katie’s Ice Cream is the product of our family wishing to create a welcoming, and fun, gathering place for locals and visitors alike to enjoy a delicious treat that we all loved.

LANE: My husband Ryan and I have always been ice cream lovers and in The National Dipper

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contributed to this slight increase.

They include people spending a bit more and great weather with little rain.

Based on our figures we saw our customers were more likely to splurge on add-ons this year over last helping to increase our sales slightly.

LANE: Sales were down in 2019. Our community relies heavily on the oil and gas industry. Without getting into politics, many had lost their jobs and still more had moved to other states where the jobs were more plentiful.

Many businesses have also closed their doors or sought to be bought out by larger companies.

RAGUSA: In 2019 we were fortunate to have an up year, and in fact our best year. Average store sales ranged from +10% to +19%. I believe the great economy always helps, but I don’t feel it’s a large factor. Weather was great from what I recall and our new social advertising campaign as well as some competition dropping off in a few of the markets certainly contributed to our success.

SELL: Sales were up. We opened an additional store as well as expanded our wholesale. Store over store sales were up slightly mostly due to further market penetration.

QUESTION: Were profits up or down in 2019? To what do you attribute the increase or decrease in profits?

CRUCITT: From 2016 to 2019 our profits have been up every year. I attribute it to having lower revenue and being hyper aware of labor and product costs as to not lose any profit. We definitely lost a lot of conveniences, ie, buying a lot of the supplies with one vendor versus making multiple stops or having multiple deliveries, but we would go with whatever was the least expensive. And I’m talking about supplies like napkins, paper towels, and even milk. Milk can vary between stores about a dollar and I would find the place that carried it at the lowest price and get it there. It all adds up.

EBAUGH: My profits were up, be14

cause my sales increased.

FOUQUETTE: We are in the growth and learning phase. We have great expectations for 2020!

KIMBALL: Profits in 2019 were up slightly. I contribute this to the new business practices we began implementing three years ago including diversifying food distributors, focusing on food cost management and changing employee and scheduling practices.

LANE: Profits were up in 2019. The previous year I had read the book Profit First by Mike Mikalowicz and implemented his principles in our business. 2019 was the first year my husband and I were able to take home a profit and had money left to do some capitol improvements on our business property.

RAGUSA: Our profits were great.

However we did stumble when a neighboring building tenant had a fire, as a result we lost our top performing shop in mid October. So that continues to be a drag on our personal profits as it’s being rebuilt. The Gofer Ice Cream stores, both company and franchised owned, had increased profits thanks to increased revenue, as well some more efficient operations and our market penetration.

SELL: Due to our pace of growth, our profits were down as the money was being reinvested into the business.

QUESTION: Vanilla prices have been very high in the past few years.

What are your vanilla suppliers telling you about prices for the 2020 season?

CRUCITT: For the past three years we have purchased a year’s worth of vanilla at a time through the NICRA auction, paying slightly more than market in an effort to support the scholarships.

I have noticed the price increases since 2017 and trends for 2020 seem to be consistent with the prices continuing to increase.

EBAUGH: I don’t make my own ice

cream, so I’m not sure. I do bring vanilla back from Mexico when I go.

FOUQUETTE: We haven’t heard anything new.

KIMBALL: I’ve been told that vanilla prices are expected to fall slightly or stay pretty much the same.

LANE: Vanilla suppliers have made it sound like the prices will be about the same as in 2019 with a possible slight decrease towards the end of the year.

I’m not holding my breath, however.

RAGUSA: I actually just had a brief discussion with our supplier last week and he indicated the prices are indeed coming down a bit over the next few months. After years of record high prices from as long as I have been in business (since 2003), I’m certainly looking forward to some relief.

SELL: My vanilla supplier reduced prices for 2020.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We contacted Nielsen Massey Vanilla and received the following statement regarding vanilla prices: “As a manufacturer of high quality natural vanilla extracts, Nielsen-Massey closely monitors global pricing trends weekly for vanilla beans with its partners around the world. According to Craig Nielsen, Vice President of Sustainability, the 2019 vanilla crop in Madagascar was smaller-than-anticipated due to wet, cold weather in the country’s vanilla growing regions. Early indications are that the 2020 crop will be more robust in size, which means there should be plentiful supplies of high quality vanilla beans coming to market later this year and into 2021.” Nielsen said his company will update customers and partners about potential changes in vanilla prices as the year progresses.

QUESTION: Are your mix/ice cream prices increasing or decreasing for 2020? To what do you attribute the increase or decrease in price?

CRUCITT: The price of our gelato base has been the same since 2017.

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That year, we decided to work with a dairy to produce our gelato base versus pasteurizing and making on site. It cost us too much in labor to make the quantity that we needed on a weekly basis. It also has eliminated any possibility for waste during the production process. We are able to buy our gelato base from the dairy at a lower cost than making it ourselves because we were eliminating the cost of labor and waste.

EBAUGH: My mix prices are increasing, due to the increased price of milk.

FOUQUETTE: We haven’t heard anything new.

KIMBALL: Ice cream mix prices are increasing for 2020.

LANE: I saw an increase last year in our mix prices. I assume our prices will continue to increase since our state has implemented an increase in minimum wage over the next three years.

RAGUSA: From my understanding butter prices have been flat to down recently and this summer milk looks to be up a little bit and vanilla prices down. So overall I expect flat prices versus 2019 for our mix this season.

EBAUGH: I will be offering extreme shakes this year and ice cream cakes.

FOUQUETTE: We just added milkshakes including our “MovieStar” milkshakes. We will continue to add celebratory Instagram worthy desserts and continue to develop more fun flavors that we release and promote in very small batches.

KIMBALL: We are not planning on offering any new products in 2020. We are actually having a flashback year in which we feature old flavors that have been retired including: Lemon Meringue: Lemon ice cream swirled with Italian meringue. Sandy Dunes: Hazelnut ice cream with a milk chocolate swirl and pieces of chocolate biscotti.

Shark Tooth: Chocolate peanut butter ice cream with chunks of chocolate.

Double Dutch Chocolate.

LANE: We have some new products such as a week of breakfast cereal toppings, a scoop able cookie dough, a Fluffer Nutter shake and we will continue to develop in season fruit flavors for our fruit popsicles. On the business side, we are offering more catering options for special events such as wed-

dings, Birthday parties, graduations, etc. We have attended Expo’s where people can see us as a catering option.

RAGUSA: We decided a few years back to focus on plant based ice cream since I had a personal interest in this area. Therefore, I believe we have been ahead of the trend and are much farther down the road versus the competition in our offerings. I expect to really expand our options and feature this category as a differentiator as we grow the franchise program.

SELL: We’ll be rolling out several new ice cream flavors as well as fresh baked (in store) cookies.

QUESTION: What was your best selling item during the 2019 summer season? Why? CRUCITT: Our best selling item last year was a small cup of gelato with 2 flavors. Our cup in about 3-5 ounces sold by the ounce and customers love that they can get a smaller portion with more than one flavor. The waffle cone would be a close second.

EBAUGH: Soft serve ice cream, be-

SELL: Ours are the same as 2019. We are hoping to drive them down a bit given additional economies of scale and purchasing power.

QUESTION: What new products and/or flavors will you offer customers in 2020?

CRUCITT: We are adding gelato filled donuts and bubble waffles to our menu. Also working to turn some of our popular flavors into vegan, nondairy options. New gelato flavors include, frozen hot cocoa, caramel coffee crunch, brownie brittle, white chocolate peppermint bark, strawberry matcha tea, cherry ricotta, chocolate rum raisin, salty caramel butter pecan and honey roasted pistachio. We serve 30 gelato flavors at a time and rotate our list to include 5 brand new flavors every two months. We always hope that one might be a hit and then add it to the rotation for the following season.

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cause I have 30 flavors and broasted chicken, because I’m the only one in town selling it.

outing/theme park, to show my appreciation and most of them come back to work the following season.

FOUQUETTE: Cups and cones continue to be the most popular.

FOUQUETTE: We ask our good employees about their friends. It also helps that we have a 19 year old son with friends. We are also located near universities and technical colleges.

KIMBALL: Our best-selling item is a one scoop ice cream cone because it is affordable, sizable and fulfilling.

LANE: Twist Cone. Our cones are priced so that it’s an affordable option and customers will come back many times a week to enjoy it as a treat. I’ve even had customers come back more than once in a day to enjoy a cone.

RAGUSA: I believe our standard single scoop cup followed by our soft serve regular and our Razzle “mix-in” remains our most popular items over the years.

SELL: Brownie Batter, people love their chocolate.

QUESTION: Good employees are one of the “keys” to a good business.

How do you find good employees and what do you do to keep them?

CURCITT: It’s all about the customer experience. When customers come in, they either (hopefully) like or love their experience with your company.

If they love it, they will go online and leave a review, post pictures on social media, tell their friends and generate positive attention towards your business. People want to work for companies that have that type of reputation.

For the most part, our employees are customers first and they wouldn’t apply if they didn’t feel like it was a place they would be comfortable working. I think we keep them by creating an atmosphere that challenges them but isn’t high pressure. We also overstaff by 15% of our total hours to make sure that we can accommodate their schedules. We feel that flexibility and recognition are major factors in retention.

EBAUGH: I hire people with good personalities and a desire to work and learn. I train them well and make sure they know how much I value them. At the end of the season, I take them on an 16

KIMBALL: To hire good employees, we hire from within the company, we hire brand new job seekers, and relying on existing employees being brand ambassadors to recruit people they believe to be a good fit. In order to keep our good employees, we make sure that they are given opportunities to grow, offer benefits unique to our company, manage with trust and challenge them when needed.

LANE: I work with the school counselor at our local high school. I send her applications every year and she hands them out to kids based on our criteria for an employee. I also ask our current employees to recommend friends who they believe would enjoy the job and they would be willing to work alongside on a busy night.

RAGUSA: We are still looking for the best method of finding employees as we rely on word of mouth and postings in the local high schools. To keep them, we provide very flexible hours to match their schedule and work with the crew as long as they work with us. We try to make it a fun experience for all involved, and that includes the crew.

SELL: The culture we have created in our shop is something individuals are drawn to. Further, our current employees are a great source of referrals, they are fans of our product and business.

QUESTION: In your opinion, what are the other “keys” to a successful business?

CRUCITT: I’m always thinking about my contingency plan for the next dollar. If this doesn’t work out, what’s next? If it does, what’s next? What am I willing to do and where am I willing to take my business that falls in line with my brand and mission. Also,

engagement with my customers is so important. Whether it’s in the shop or online, they want to hear from us and want those relationships. It’s difficult to balance the effort and time it takes with all of the other owner responsibilities we have, but it’s always worth it.

EBAUGH: Pricing and getting people through the door. Letting your customers know what they mean to you.

FOUQUETTE: We are just trying to learn from our past mistakes and build upon our successes. A positive outlook and a desire to connect with our community in positive ways have been so important!

KIMBALL: An awesome product for a decent price. Love what you are doing, the people you work with and the people you serve. Budget and be careful with your money. Invest and reinvest in yourself, your employees and your business.

LANE: Passion and Purpose. You have to love what you do and understand why you do what you do.

RAGUSA: As for the “Keys to Business” I will always defer to the late great Dicky Fox. “ The key to business is personal relationships”, in our case with our customers and franchisees.

We strive to go the extra step to understand and relate to them and have their best interest in mind in all we do.

SELL: Make a great product. Know where your money is being spent. Create raving fans both internally and externally.

QUESTION: Do you use social media to promote your business? If yes, tell us what you use and how you use it. If no, tell us why.

CRUCITT: Absolutely. I use it to promote our business because as a consumer, I respond to it when other businesses use it to promote their businesses. It works! We are currently on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. I use each of these for different purposes.

My Facebook wall mostly has content that I share between other businesses,

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March/April 2020

events that are going on in our community and events that we are holding in our shops. I use our Instagram wall to push the face of our brand. I want people to look through our content and know exactly what experience they will receive when they come to our restaurant and how they will feel. I use our Instagram story in conjunction with TikTok to show the fun elements of our business, our personality, and more of the behind the scenes.

EBAUGH: I do, I mainly use Facebook with daily posts, to let our customers know what we have going on for the daily specials or activities.

We Specialize In Mobile Vending Carts, Trailers, Trucks and Kiosks Cold Plate Freezers And Much More

FOUQUETTE: Yes!! We have hired an independent social media manager. Her photography is amazing! We are so busy with daily operations that keeping up with social media would be impossible without her! Her work has been gold!

KIMBALL: No. I’m am just learning how to use social media to promote the business. I am beginning with Instagram.

LANE: Absolutely! Social Media is a must for growing business. We use Instagram and Facebook. We use it from everything to promotions, product features, customer pictures, event pictures to holiday wishes. We even encourage our employees to post if they see families making great memories at our store.

RAGUSA: Social media is clearly of growing importance.

As Gary Vee says attention people are giving to their phone is replacing the television, and we can’t ignore it. This summer was actually the first year we had any sort of structured paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram. At the same time we did have our best sales season. So while it is hard to attribute to this campaign, I sure can’t discount it.

View our online catalogue at

www.AllStarCarts.com Call us with any questions: 1.800.831.3166 ALL STAR CARTS & VEHICLES Inc. | 1565 5th Industrial Court, Bayshore, NY 11706

Reader Service #108

SELL: Yes, it’s our prime source of marketing. We leverage it to interact with our most passionate customers as well as to expand our partnership network.

QUESTION: What do you see as the biggest problem in running your store? What are you doing to solve it?

CRUCITT: Managing the different personalities of the staff, handling egos and removing gossip. We schedule staff based on who works well with one another and create groups that bring each other up. Our expectations of behavior are clearly outlined in our policy manual and this is read to the staff at orientation, before they become an actual employee. They know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip and talking negatively about anyone outside or inside our business is cause for dismissal. It doesn’t always solve the problem as certain types of people love to carry on with drama but once our managers catch wind or it’s reported by another staff member, that team member is let go. It’s the only way we’ve been able to keep the morale up.

EBAUGH: Over scooping, I have my employees use the scale, if I see this happening too much. And I make them measure everything.

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FOUQUETTE: Communication can be especially difficult in a fast paced and changing environment. We can’t always be there to make sure that everything has had training in all areas.

We are trying to get better at using technology to make sure everyone stays informed.

KIMBALL: The biggest problem in running the store is uncontrollable employee costs. Not really a solvable problem, we are focusing on conservative scheduling, increased in-store efficiency through layout, menu and design, and employee training.

LANE: My biggest problem is delegating. I know exactly how I want things to be done so it’s quicker to do it myself. I’m working on being better at training others to perform tasks and being open to suggestions or other ways of doing things.

RAGUSA: In growing Gofer Ice Cream we feel hiring and managing managers across a growing number of locations led us to conclude that franchising is the best way for us to grow.

We have a proven system and now we need to bring in highly motivated managers (franchisees) to own and operate new shops.

SELL: Time and attention. We are often too involved with the day-to-day operations to effectively “drive the bus.” We have hired a general manager and will be empowering employees to take over certain facets of the business.

QUESTION: What was the best promotion you ran in your store in 2019?

CRUCITT: National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day in 2019 and 2020 was a huge success. We offered different menu items, like bubble waffles, breakfast sandwiches made with two pancakes and gelato, frozen berry parfaits, new breakfast gelato flavors and drinks. It was promoted as a one day only event and the feedback from the customers was great. It drove in a day’s worth of business in just 3 hours.

18

EBAUGH: Free family movie nights.

I provide a big screen outdoor movie, with free popcorn to show my appreciation to my customers.

FOUQUETTE: We use Clover for our POS and utilize the promo feature to send out instant promos to our customer base. The app also sends out 20% off coupons to our customers if they haven’t checked in at our shop in a while. This tool has been great at enticing people to come in when it may not be on their mind.

KIMBALL: We didn’t run any promotions in 2019.

LANE: We have monthly (seasonal) specials and our best seller was our Key Lime Sundae and Shake.

RAGUSA: We have been a little relaxed on the promotion side in 2019 with a focus on the relaunch of the Gofer Ice Cream franchise program. But in an effort to add value I can mention my favorite promotion we did in the past, that we will bring back soon. We call it the “Name Game”, we pick one male and one female name for each day of the month and those people get a free ice cream. We just posted them on an on-line calendar and people loved it. The promotion got us a lot of social attention. People got involved and were telling their friends and requesting their name be added. I wish I could take credit for the idea but I believe my brother Justin learned about it from some craft beer promotion. So we did some good old fashioned R&D on that one (Rebrand and Duplicate!)

SELL: Ice cream for breakfast.

QUESTION: What sets you apart from your competition?

CRUCITT: Our unwavering commitment to quality and our products.

We use what we truly feel are the best ingredients available to us. We frequently make our flavors with different ingredients to see if there is a way to make it better. We try not to fall into the trap of ‘this is how it’s always been done’. I feel that there are always new ingredients on the market and always

ways to improve - as long as the flavor profile doesn’t change for the worse or to be unrecognizable to our customers.

EBAUGH: I am very involved with my community and I show my customers appreciation.

FOUQUETTE: Fun flavors that change often and a fun atmosphere.

We also make a lot of vegan flavors!

So many people can’t or don’t do dairy. It is great to have many options for just about everyone.

KIMBALL: We are traditionally, untraditional. Not only do we offer a wide selection of classic flavors and treats but we also offer some unique flavors. We also try to be as genuinely, homemade as possible in order to make the familiar unique.

LANE: We are the only family owned ice cream business in town, which gives us a competitive edge. We also have been around for a while so customers have childhood memories tied to our shop and want to share those same memories with their families. We are truly a community establishment and hope to be for many years to come.

RAGUSA: We feel being truly part of the communities we serve, sets us part.

Gofer Ice Cream is the home team and a gathering place for friends, family and fun. Quality, variety, cleanliness and good service are always important and as we build the Gofer Ice Cream it is important to deliver on that brand promise. We also use technology to allow for our franchisees to have multiple streams of income like on-line ordering, delivery, catering and we are working on a curbside pickup app for 2020.

SELL: The quality of our ice cream.

We do not use artificial flavorings, extracts, etc. Whatever the flavor says is in it...is in it. We utilize gelato machines so that customers get less air and a thicker, richer ice cream experience. Finally, we incorporate alcohol both as a flavoring, as well as a complimentary item in the form of beer and wine pairings. v

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March/April 2020

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101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110

111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130

131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140

141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Average gallons of frozen desserts sold per week ❏ Up to 100 gallons-1 ❏ 101 to 150 gallons-2 ❏ 151 to 200 gallons-3 ❏ 201 plus gallons-4

151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160

161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

171 172 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208

209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218

219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228

229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238

Do you make your own frozen desserts using a batch or continuous freezer? ❏ Yes ❏ No

Do you sell food? ❏Yes ❏ No

Type of Firm (Check All That Apply) ❏ Ice Cream Dipping Store-1 ❏ Soft Serve-2 ❏ Frozen Yogurt-3 ❏ Frozen Custard-4 ❏ Gelato-5 ❏ Italian Ice -6 ❏ Vending Vehicle/Catering-7 ❏ Concession Stand-8 ❏ Dairy and Convenience-9 ❏ Supplier of Goods & Services-11 ❏ Distributor-12 ❏ Supplier/Dist Rep-13 ❏ Broker-14 ❏ Other-15 Your Title (Check All That Apply) ❏ Manager-6 ❏ Owner-1 ❏ Buyer-7 ❏ Partner-2 ❏ Salesperson-8 ❏ President-3 ❏ RepresenTtative-9 ❏ Vice President-4 ❏ Secretary/Treas.-5 ❏ Other-10

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Cash Flow Strategies and Profits

by Mark E. Battersby Cash flow is the life blood of every business. In fact, according to a recent U.S. Bank study, poor cash flow management causes 82% of U.S. business failures. Although seemingly counterintuitive, many experts advise putting cash flow management before profits.

While profits are how an ice cream or frozen dessert business survives, failure to manage the operation’s cash flow can mean running into problems that one profitable accounting period might not be able to offset. Another study, this one by Intuit, revealed that 61% of small businesses around the world struggle with cash flow and 32% are unable to pay vendors, pay back pending loans, pay themselves or their employees, all due to cash flow issues.

Cash Flow Management 101 In essence, cash flow is nothing more than the movement of money in and out of the ice cream business. Cash flows into the business from sales of products or services. Money flows out of the business for supplies, raw materials, overhead and salaries in the normal course of business.

An adequate cash flow means a steady flow of money coming into the business in time to be used to pay those bills.

How well the frozen dessert operation’s cash flow is managed will obviously have a significant impact on the bottom-line profits of the business.

More-often-than-not, the operation’s cash inflows will lag behind its cash outflows, often leaving the business short of money. This shortage or cash flow “gap,” represents an excessive outflow of cash that may not be covered by a cash inflow for weeks, months or even years.

Properly managing the ice cream or frozen dessert operation’s cash flow allows that “gap” to be narrowed or closed completely before it reaches the crises stage. This is usually accomplished by examining the different items that affect the operation’s cash flow -– and looking at the various components that directly impact on cash flow. This analysis can provide the answer to a number of important questions such as: • How much cash does the business have?

• How much cash does the business need in order to operate -– and when is it needed?

• Where does the business get its cash and spend it?

• How does the operation’s income and expenses affect the amount of cash needed to operate the business?

ness world. Thus, the need to manage the cash inflows and outflows of the business.

Obviously, accelerating cash inflows improves overall cash flow. After all, the quicker cash can be collected, the faster the business can spend it. Put another way, accelerating cash flow allows a business to pay its own bills and obligations on time, or even earlier than required. It may also allow the business to take advantage of trade discounts offered by suppliers.

An important key to improving the ice cream or frozen yogurt operation’s cash flow is often as simple as delaying all outflows of cash as long as possible. Naturally, the operation must meet its outflow obligations on time, but delaying cash outflows makes it possible to maximize the benefits of each dollar in the operation’s own cash flow.

Outflow Outflows are the movement of money out of the business, usually as the result of paying expenses. If the busi-

The “In” of Cash In a perfect world, there would be a cash inflow, usually from a cash sale, every time there is an outflow of cash.

Unfortunately, this occurs very rarely in an imperfect busiThe National Dipper March/April 2020

Reader Service #110

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ness involves reselling goods, the largest outflow will most likely be for the purchase of inventory. An ice cream manufacturing business’s biggest outflow most likely involve the purchase of raw materials and other components needed for the manufacturing process.

Purchasing fixed assets, paying back loans and paying the operation’s bills are all cash outflows.

An ice cream retailer or other business operator can regain control over their finances by adopting best practices and proper tools. A good first step involves how the operation pays its bills.

Many credit cards have a cash back bonus program. Even if the program offers only 1% cash back, that could equate to a sizeable monthly amount for many ice cream and frozen dessert businesses. Of course, because credit cards tend to have a higher interest rate, they should only be used if the balance can be quickly paid off in full.

Where bulk sales are involved, improving the invoicing process is another key step in cash flow management. Any business can adopt incentive strategies to be paid faster. Giving away small extra services, on the other hand, might work. Incentives might include the following: • Small additional services • Discount for early payments (balance paid before a certain date, or yearly invoice vs. monthly) • Greater flexibility (for instance: a down payment required to book a delivery date).

Some customers are just late payers and need to be nudged. The way that dunning is handled can, however, greatly affect the collection process.

Timing and the quality of message content are the two main factors in the success or failure of these prods.

The manner in which the ice cream business gets paid not only affects its profitability but also its cash flow. Today, paper checks remain as the standard method of payment.

However, paper checks are slow, highly susceptible to fraud and bear “hidden costs” such as additional work and back office processing. They are also inadequate for recurring invoicing.

Something as simple as asking customers to switch to debit cards 22

or electronic funds transfer (EFT or ACH), providing incentives, etc., are among the tips that can be offered for faster, more secure, reliable and cheaper payments.

external financing sources: revolving lines of credit, bank loans and trade credit are just a few external financing options available to most ice cream and frozen dessert operations.

Improving Cash Flow As mentioned, cash flow and profit are not the same. There are many factors that make up cash flow, such as inventory, taxes, expenses, accounts payable and accounts receivable.

The proper management of cash outflows requires tracking and managing the operation’s liabilities. Managing cash outflows also means following one simple, but basic rule: Pay your bills on time -– but never pay bills before they are due.

Having a cash reserve can help any frozen dessert business operator survive the gaps in cash flow. Applying for a line of credit from the bank is one way to build that cash reserve.

Once qualified, lenders will grant a predetermined credit limit which can be withdrawn from when needed.

Yet another option might be frugality. Aiming to keep the ice cream business lean, evaluate it. Is the purchase of new equipment really necessary? Will hiring new employees really be cost-effective? Weighing the pros and cons of all business needs and wants enables the business to retain cash flow and avoid unnecessary expenses.

Cash Flow Loans Cash flow-based loans rely on the value of the operation’s cash flow. If the operation has a strong cash flow stream, it can be used to get significant loan amounts even if there are few business assets. Although cash flow loans can be expensive, they play a key roll in any expanding business.

An advantage of cash flow loans is the repayment period. These loans are usually designed according to the needs of the borrower with repayment period usually between five and seven years. And, since cash flow loans are different from asset-based loans, rarely does collateral have to be put up.

Cash Flow Gaps Remember, however, the cash flow gap in most businesses represents only an outflow of cash that might not be covered by a cash flow inflow for weeks, months or even years. Any business, large or small, can experience a cash flow gap -– it doesn’t necessarily mean the business is in financial trouble.

In fact, some cash flow gaps are created intentionally. That is, a business owner or manager will sometimes purposefully spend more cash to achieve some other financial results. A business might, for example, purchase extra inventory to meet seasonal needs, to take advantage of a quantity or early-payment discount, or might spend extra cash to expand its business.

Cash flow gaps are often filled by

Flowing Cash Flows Assessing the amounts, timing and uncertainty of cash flow is the most basic objective of cash flow management. Positive cash flow indicates the liquid assets of the business are increasing, enabling it to settle debts, reinvest in its business, return money to shareholders, pay expenses and provide a buffer against unanticipated financial challenges. The impact of a negative cash flow can be profound with so many operating on margins so thin that frequent lost opportunities will put them on the path to closing their doors.

Every business can improve their cash flow. Of course, in order for this to happen, they need to adopt best practices in the way they invoice, follow up with customers and, monitor outflow.

Without the help of a qualified professional, these best cash flow practices may be more difficult to achieve. v About the Author Mark E. Battersby currently writes in more than 75 fields, providing topical, valuable and, often interesting, tax and financial information. In addition to syndicating two, topical weekly columns, his monthly columns can currently be found in 14 trade magazines.

He has authored four books.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Love Fuels a WOW Culture

Six Ways to Share the Love with Employees and Customers

by Deb Boelkes We typically don’t think of love and business as existing in the same universe. Not only does love belong in the business world, Deb Boelkes says it should fuel everything you do, both internally and in your interactions with customers.

“Your customers are the reason you exist, and your job is to earn their love and loyalty,” says Boelkes, author of the WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Pace to Work Culture.

“That means you must first love them.

And that, in turn, means you must first love your employees.”

None of this will happen if you just go through the motions, she cautions. You can’t “fake” love for employees or customers. You must go all in. You must infuse love into all that you do. And that means building it in from the ground up.

To get the love flowing, says Boelkes, commit to becoming a WOW factor workplace. That’s a workplace in which heartfelt leaders inspire employees to create extraordinary products and deliver impeccable service at a great value. This creates an unparalleled experience for both employees and customers and in turn, makes them both feel special, appreciated and respected.

Don’t be Afraid to use the “L” Word In her book Boelkes quotes the late Teresa Laraba, former vice president of Southwest Airlines, as saying, “Early on, when we started, one of the taglines was: Somebody up here loves you. We used the word love in a space where it had not been used, especially in the airline industry. Our stock symbol is LUV. We were open about introducing love to corporate America and the airline industry. We were going to The National Dipper

March/April 2020

have a product which loved you and a company which was going to serve you and appreciate you doing business with us versus the attitude: ‘You exist to keep us in business.’”

“Find fun, creative ways to show the customer that you love them,” suggests Boelkes. “Send then a heartadorned coupon book with discounted offerings. Pen personalized cards listing the reasons you love them. Put together ‘We Love Our Customers’ gift boxes. Or make a charitable donation to a local soup kitchen or animal shel-

ter in honor of your customer. There are countless ways to show you care.”

Recommit to Your Relationship with Employees Engaged employees are happy employees, and happy employees create happy customers. That’s why leaders make it a priority to work on their relationship with employees.

And as with any good relationship, it means putting in time and effort.

Teresa Laraba said, “We do not subscribe to ‘you leave your problems at

When you join NEICRA, you are family!

As part of our family, here are some of the benefits you will enjoy

• Network with your peers • Great Newsletter • Consult with your suppliers • Improve profits • Enhance shop operations • Learn about new products • Improve employer-employee relations

For information contact: Margaret Anderson New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association 781-551-4450 E-mail: mca319@gmail.com Web Site: www.neicra.com Reader Service #111

23

the door’ You do, in the sense the customer shouldn’t have to pay for your employees’ problems, but as leaders you ought to know what’s going on with them and find out if there’s something that’s stopping your employees from delivering on their work promise that day.

“If you take the time to get to know your employees as you work with them everyday as you walk by them every day, if you have just two or three one-minute engagements as you walk through your workplace, it builds,” added Laraba. “If you don’t bother asking employees how they’re really doing except every six months, or if you don’t stop to talk to them except once a year when you give them a performance appraisal, it is going to take too much time, because you’re trying to build a relationship in a tenminute conversation when you should have been building a relationship every day.”

Think of Yourself as a Superior Service Role Model When you WOW customers, employees will too. If you commit to giving the best possible service to every customer and making decisions that benefit the customer first, your employees will do the same. They are watching and taking cues from your behavior. WOW them with heartfelt leadership and they will WOW the clients every time.

Boelkes says legendary coach John Wooden is a prime example.

Wooden said, “I’m convinced that regardless of the task, leaders must be enthusiastic and really enjoy what they are doing if they expect those under their supervision to work near their respective levels of competency.

With few exceptions, an unenthusiastic leader will keep those under his or her charge from achieving their collective best.”

Look for the Servant’s Heart in Those You Hire To win your customers’ love, you must truly love the work you do. No one should ever phone it in. Great leaders and employees alike develop what Teresa Laraba called a “Servant’s Heart.” She said, “We’re lucky at 24

Southwest. We first try to hire people who care. Our hiring process is looking for people who genuinely enjoy what they do. We call it the Servant’s Heart. People who have a Servant’s Heart are people who, especially if you’re going to be on the service side of it, enjoy serving, not somebody who merely pretends they enjoy serving.”

Learn to Look at Your Customers Through “Soft Eyes” Don’t treat them like transactions.

Boelkes quotes Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee, as saying: “I have this idea. Rather than seeing people as customers or seeing people in their roles as bankers or teachers or authors or whatever, we need to see all people in the context of their humanness, of being a human being. Then when you’re dealing with somebody and whatever the job happens to be, whether you are trying to get a loan for your house or you are a banker trying to make a loan, you look at everybody through human eyes, through soft eyes.

It doesn’t mean you’re not going to turn the person down,” Behar clarifies. “It does mean you come at it with a caring attitude, with a belief in him or her as a human being and a belief in yourself as a human being. That piece of it only requires practice. We all get caught up in the transactions. We’re all in a hurry to get things done. Being in a hurry adds to it. Slow down. Take your time. Think about what you’re doing.

Don’t let yourself go there.”

Create Service Experiences that take the Customer’s Breath Away In her book Boelkes cites her own experience with dining at Bern’s Steak House as one of her favorite examples of delightful customer service. She says the dining rooms were opulent.

The menu was extensive and the food sublime. The Harry Waugh Dessert Room was spectacular. Finally, the wait staff was a testament to their mission of delivering impeccable service.

We were so impressed with the service from our young waiter,” recalls Boelkes. “He never hovered, but magically appeared the instant we wanted him. When I asked how long he had been a waiter there, he answered, ‘two

weeks.” Given his professionalism, manners, attention to detail and superior service attitude, this was a surprise.

We learned he had worked at Bern’s for two years. Everyone there starts out working in the kitchen. If they do well enough, they are promoted to assist in the dining room, and so on. Founder Bern Laxer was a firm believer in hiring for attitude and work ethic, not experience. Clearly, it pays off.

Allow Employees to go Above and Beyond for Customers Take a cue from Donald Stamets, general manager for Solage, an Auberge resort in Calistoga, CA, and don’t make employees ask permission to go the extra mile to WOW customers. As part of his Expected, Requested and Delighted philosophy, Stamets encourages them to go above and beyond what the customer expects or requests and try to delight them at every turn.

For instance, if a guest is sick, employees can bring them tissues and chicken soup without asking a manager.

“Likewise, tell your employees their goal is to delight customers,” says Boelkes. “Let them use their own judgment and tap into their creativity.

Being allowed to do it ‘their way’ will encourage and inspire them to go in whole-heartedly.”

“Yes, it’s hard to work to be a heartfelt organization, but the rewards are so much greater for you, your team and most of all, your customers,” says Boelkes. “Life is just better when you give and receive love every day, in all that you do. There’s no reason why this truth can’t apply to the workplace.v About the Author Deb Boelkes is not just a role model heartfelt leader: she is the ultimate authority on creating best places to work, with 25+ years in Fortune 150 high-tech firms, leading superstar business development and professional service teams. As an entrepreneur, she has accelerated advancement for women to senior leadership. Deb has delighted and inspired over 1,000 audiences across North America. Her book, The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture is available from major online booksellers.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Yellow Pages The National Dipper Yellow pages is a complete resource guide for tthe frozen dessert retail industry and will appear in every issue.

Listings are sold on an annual basis and rates are for six issues.

Yellow pages are not commissionable and payment must accompany order. Send your order to: The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-7226. 847/301-8400.

Regular Listing: 1st line $395. year, additional lines, $280. year.

Maximum characters 40 characters per line.

Boldface Listing: 1st line $495. year, additional lines, $395. year.

Maximum 30 characters per line.

ALL CAP Listing: additional $85 a line per year, regular or boldface.

Maximum 30 characters per line.

ASSOCIATIONS Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Assn. ..................810/618-0605 New England Ice Cream Restaurant Assn. .........mca319@gmail.com BATCH FREEZERS Emery Thompson......www.emerythompson.com……..718-588-7300 BOOKS Tips for Costing Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Cakes & Pies, plus: Tips for Costing Ice Cream Cones, Sundaes, Shakes & Other

Goodies………………………..JLM Unlimited...........847-301-8400 BULK ICE CREAM CONTAINERS Ice Cream Boxes...........www.icecreamboxes.com........717/382-4931 Negus Packaging Solutions 3220 Kingsley, Madison…888-241-7482 Tyoga Container Co., Inc…..Tioga, PA 16946……....800-724-6003 Samedayshippingon stock items by 11 AM!.www.tyogacontainer.com COCOA Forbes Chocolate……www.forbeschocolate.com…440/838-4400 CONES The Cone Guys, Ltd….Specialty Cones….............……215/781-6996 Joy Cone Co. Cake,Sugar,Pretzel,Waffle Cones & Bowls.800-242-2663 PDI Cone-Dutch Treat…Sugar Cones & Toppings.....…866-277-3084 FLAVORS Green Mountain Flavors, Inc. ………………………...800-639-8653

LUBRICANTS Haynes Lubricants…..www.haynesmfg.com….............800-992-2166 PHOTOGRAPHY Stella Lorens Gallery…www.stellalorens.com...............630/730-8297 POINT OF SALE POSTERS JLM Unlimited, Inc., ........Elk Grove Village, IL ..............847/301-8400 Ice Cream Banana Split and Sundaes Posters SODA FOUNTAINS AMERICAN SODA FOUNATIN, INC............................312/733-5000 455 N. Oakley Bl Chgo,IL................www.americansodafountain.com Parts-Sales-Service-Mixers-Pumps-DraftArms-SodaFount.Bev.Equip TOPPINGS TR Toppers ………..800-748-4635……................ www.trtoppers.com

Regional Yellow Pages Regional Yellow Pages are available to companies that distribute products and/or services in a limited area of the country. Companies are listed in the state in which they are located. Regional Yellow Pages will appear in all six issues of The National Dipper and rates shown are for six issues. Regular Listing: 1st line, $295. per year, additional lines $165. per year. Maximum 40 characters per line.

Boldface Listing: 1st line, $395. per year, additional lines $295. per year. Maximum 30 characters per line. ALL CAP Listing: additional $75. a line per year, regular or boldface. Maximum 30 characters per line. Payment must accompany order. Regional Yellow Pages are non-commissionable.

CALIFORNIA Taylor Freezers of California..800-927-7704..www.taylorfreezers. com SF Food Supply…….San Jose, CA…....................….408-436-12283

Ice cream ingredients and supplies

FROZEN CUSTARD Classic Mix Partners...www.classicmixpartners.com.....800-722-8903 Award Winning Frozen Custard Mixes Meadowvale, Inc. www.meadowvale-inc.com….......800-953-0201

NEW JERSEY A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com….......................….800-Ice-Cream Dingman’s Dairy....www.dingmansdairy.biz.............800-958-6838

FROZEN YOGURT MIX A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com…………………….800-Ice-Cream

OHIO Peck Food Service…..www.peckfoodservice.com..800-732-7325

GELATO PreGel America…..www.pregelamerica.com….........…866-977-3435

This issue of The National Dipper is now available online at: www.nationaldipper.com

ICE CREAM CARTS & FREEZERS AllStarCarts-IceCreamCarts-Tricycles-TrucksTrailers...800/831-3166 ICE CREAM MIX A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com…........................….800-Ice-Cream

The National Dipper March/April 2020

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This issue of The National Dipper is now available online at: www. national dipper.com NEGUS PACKAGING SOLUTIONS

Calendar March 26 – Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University – Store Operations & Brand Management Class, Carpigiani Headquarters, High Pooint, NC. Contact: Bobbie Dilldine, Frozen Dessert University, 800-648-4389. E-mail: info@carpigiani-usa. com April 8 - Make It Fresh Seminar. Emery Thompson Machine, Brooksville, FL. Contact: Steve Thompson, Emery Thompson Machine, 15350 Flight Path Dr., Brooksville, FL 34604. 718/588-7300. Fax: 352/796-0720. E-mail: steve@emerythompson.com April 23 – Kohl Wholesale Spring Food Show, Oakley-Lindsay Center, Quincy, IL. Contact: Andrew Romano, Kohl Wholesale, 130 Jersey, Quincy, IL 62306.

217/222-5000. E-mail: andrewr@kohlwholesale.com May 4-6 - Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University Ice Cream Course. Carpigiani Headquarters, High Point, NC,. Contact Bobbie Dilldine, Frozen Dessert University, 800-648-4389. E-mail: info@carpigiani-usa.com May 6 – Taylor U.S. Open House, Taylor U.S. Weston, FL. Contact: Frank Baquedano, Taylor U.S., 1780 N. Commerce Pkwy, Weston, FL 33326. 800-940-4848.

Fax: 954/217-0994. E-mail: sales@taylorus.com May 7 – Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University – Store Operations & Brand Management Class, Carpigiani Headquarters, High Point, NC. Contact: Bobbie Dilldine, Frozen Dessert University, 800-648-4389. E-mail: info@carpigiani-usa. com May 16-19 - National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.

McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Contact: National Restaurant Association, 150 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601. 312/853-2525. Fax: 312/853-2548.

E-mail: restaurant.org/show.

May 21-23 - Sweets & Snacks Expo. McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Contact: National Confectioners Association, 1101 - 30th St., NW, #200, Washington, DC 20007. 202/534-1440.

June 28-30 - Summer Fancy Food Show, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York, NY. Contact: National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT), 120 Wall St., 27th Fl., New York, NY 10005. 212/482-6440. Fax: 212/482-6459.

Advertisers’ Index

NEGUS

3220 Kingsley Way Madison, WI 53713

888-241-7482

negus.info@negusboxnbag.com www.negusboxnbag.com

Distributor Inquiries Welcome 26

Reader Service #112

All Star Carts & Vehicles, Inc...........17 Cardinal Carts...................................21 Carpigiani-USA...................4th Cover Costing Manuals................................6 The Cone Guys…………………….13 Dingman’s Dairy................................5 Dipwell Techware..............................7 Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Association................................15 Green Mountain Flavors…………...17 Hill & Markes……………………...11

Stella Lorens Photography ..3rd Cover Negus Packaging Solutions..............26 New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association.................................23 A.Panza & Sons, Ltd..........2nd Cover This Advertisers’ Index is published as a service to you, the reader. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.

The National Dipper

March/April 2020

Reader Service #114

Reader Service #115