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Do any of you sell Dippin Dots -THE ICE CREAM OF THE FUTURE? We will be getting a vending machine that sells these this summer, but I know they also have some freezer units behind the vending stand for sales that way too in other locations. Do you have it, and if you do how does it sell for you, and any problems?

If you don't know what dippin dots are, visit their web site at www.dippindots.com

Let's start this with a few admissions.

I like candy.
I like icecream.
I like soda pop.
I like junk food, and I like fast food.

I hate Dipping Dots!

I tried them last year at ShoWest and I had to throw them away. I know that the concession stand isn't about what we like but what sells and if Dipping Dots sell, God love em. But please don't make me eat another package. As a result of my hatred for this product, we have decided not to purchase them at this time.

Help me here, they look like "ice-cream ball bearings"?????? How can you improve on (good) ice-cream? It's like re-inventing the wheel, replacing film with video, I could go on and on......Good ice cream is like good mac and cheese, you want a nice thick creamy mass of it when eating, not ball bearings........

Tried them and hated them, I thought they were disgusting.

[This message has been edited by GREGBORR (edited May 03, 2002).]

So you think I ought to try and sell them some advertising?

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

WOW-
I don't mind them, they're nothing great. But I guess most of the theatre operators don't really care for them. Well, its coming down from headquarters, so it doesn't matter if I like them or not, they're coming. The other managers in my circuit I've talked to say they sell great though. Well see, and I'll let you know.

Mike,
Sell them all the advertising space you want, just keep the free samples for yourself! I'm sure they sell in the right markets, but as for the ice cream of the future.....

Greg Borr
RTS

If I had all to do over again I'd have made the concession space 3 times as big. On a busy night we'll have 700 +/- come through. Any restaurant would kill for those numbers! All you have to do is have something they like and the register will ring! I'd have added ice cream cones myself!

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

Mike-
You're absolutely right. Big vending stand= big $$$. That is where we all make our money. If I ever have my own theatre I will be utilizing all of my additional business concession experience in that thing and maximize every inch of space into profitable space.You're right, we all have this essential captive audience that we can tap into for maximum profit. One key thing to think about in the concession stand is MARKETING- I've seen all kinds of theatres old and new alike-many just don't do their best to market their products. Lighted menu boards, appetizing pictures of your products, nachos, pretzels,etc. Displaying your items, hanging the bags of cotton candy out for everyone to see.All essential to selling more items. You can have a menu with all of your items on it, but pictures, back lit menu board pictures, table tents, etc. all really SELL the items.An example-Two theatres I recently visited: Theatre A had a counter top refrigerator displaying their bottled water, and they had cotton candy hanging down from the ceiling-both very powerful selling points. Theatre B: was selling the same items, but had bottled water and cotton candy only on their non lighted menu boards.If I hadn't looked at the menu for theatre b I wouldn't even have known they had these items, theatre A shoved them right in my face... Which theatre do you think sells more items...and thats our goal.

Well, we got the Dippin Dots machine on Friday. Its a vending machine, they cost $3.50 for a "pouch" of those things. Pre-packed, we just fill the freezer and empty the money. There was $200.00 in there from just two days, we weren't even busy. So, the customers seem to like em...