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I'll be adding a soda fountain at our new theatre. What is the best set up to use? Pre-mix or cans? I'd really appreciate a run through on soda management as we've always used can/bottles before.

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Come on Mike, we've all told you before how crazy your bottles/cans situation is...

Your only real question is should you use pre-mix or post-mix.That would depend upon the volume of business you plan on doing. Pre-mix for an operation that may not be able to use up all of the post-mix syrup before it expires.Post-mix if you will be a busy location pouring lots of soda. I'm sure you will see your per-caps going up significantly by being able to offer different sized drinks and more "theatre level" pricing.You can only charge soo much for a "can"-but a fountain drink is a different story.Now you can have combos with different sized drinks and popcorn, candy, etc. good luck

I agree with trackfood... and I'd suggest POST-MIX. We've got post-mix everywhere here... even the GARRICK did that had no business.

McD's has post-mix. We only need 3 boxes for all our fountains (3) each day. The first one runs out around 9:00pm. The 3 boxes of Coke are all hooked up to the same pipe and then split to each. We also have a mountain high of syrup too!

One more suggestion... GO PEPSI!

Lol. TTYL.

Andrew

Mike,

Definitely post-mix. We also set up new and of course the Coke or Pepsi guys will typically provide you gratis with whatever equipment you need and even do the install. You may have to play them off each other to get the best deal. Generally its clean, easy and convenient. You also adjust prices and cup sizes at first until you find the right "mix" for your town. Good luck.

Don't worry about pre-mix vs. post mix. Contact Coke and Pepsi. Tell each one that you are evaluating service for a small theatre chain. Ask them what they can do for you. They will tell you what kind of machine will be best for you based on your soda sales at the Colonial. Don't worry about machine costs; each will lease them to you for about $20 per month. Don't worry about where you buy your soda from; all major food suppliers carry both brands. Let them compete for your business. I used to be an unreformed Coke addict. But it seems that it doesn't matter which one you install. If they want a soda, they will buy either. Is there a regional preference in Maine? There are regional preferences in some states. Georgia is a Coke state, Utah is a Pepsi state, and Texans must have Dr. Pepper.

For your tower, just get the basics, cola, diet cola, lemon/lime (7-Up or Sprite) and my favorite, carbonated prune juice beverage (Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb.) All other specialty brands you can carry in a display fridge. If the tower has five heads, get two cola heads installed. If it has 6 heads, get two diet cola heads installed as well.

We started out with Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Barques Root Beer and Minute Maid Lemonade (0% Fruit Juice.) Then we started carrying Henry Wienhearts Root Beer so wee changed the tap to Dr. Pepper. Then Coke had a cow and offered us national pricing if we carried Mr. Pibb instead, so we switched. It seems most of the staff drink those instead of our customers. Now we make our own fresh squeezed lemonade so we are in the process of dumping Minute Maid Lemonade. We asked Coke about Ginger Ale but they only carry a generic brand for bar guns. This in spite of the fact that they own Schweppes. So we are going to try Diet Sprite in out sixth soda head. Coke says that if you inform your customers that you have Diet Sprite it sells well.

Being a commercial theatre with six heads, I might try starting with Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Mr. Pibb and Barques Root Beer. Then I would dump the slow seller and install that second Coke head.

Coke also carries Nestea unsweetened and raspberry ice tea for your soda tower.

But Lemonade and Ice Tea are much better if you make them yourself.

Oh, yea. While your at it, get the Colonial done too.

Damn, there I go again, spewing off at the fingertips.

Mike,

How much are you paying for a can of soda?
For how much are you selling that can of soda?

My small costs $0.18 and sells for $2.75.
My medium costs $0.28 and sells for $3.25.
My large costs $0.41 and sells for $3.75.

Now I see why all of the fast food restaurants have turned their soda towers around and offer free refills. The soda costs less than the labor to fill the cup.

You also may want to try a head of pink lemonade or hawaiian punch-those sell well, especially with large amounts of kids/families. But those specialty items you may want to carry in a counter-top refrig. We are supplied by pepsi, and carry Aquafina bottled water, and Fruit Works Juices in bottles too, but they are also priced like you're in a theatre $3.50
Jeff

So on average, what does it cost for making popcorn, Large?

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"Would you like fries with that?"

Andrew,

See my thread titled Concession Statistics.

Gotcha!

I was checking out Cash & Carry, which is a discount grocery outlet for the food service businesses here in Santa Rosa. A case of lemons is $26.

A twelve pack of soda ranged between $3.69 and $4.07. So the average was about $3.88. So an average can of soda cost $0.33 there. So although it isn't totally out of line with what our hard costs are, it is still more expensive. I'll also bet that you can't sell a can of soda for anywhere approaching the prices we get for fountain service.

So for profitability, fountain service wins.

I am absolutely not doing a solo on cans/bottle with #2. My darling wife Therese has ultimate managerial control of the Colonial and she is a heavy nix on fountain primarily for space considerations. The Temple is a different animule with lots of space and a new install to boot so fountain it will be. In Maine/ and it does not sound like it in Calif accord to large/ Coke and Pepsi are near monopolies, very protective of their accounts and equipment and do all their own deliveries as well so you go with one and only one. That was why we had chosen to purchase our own cooler and expect to do so here as well: it's my cooler and I'll put what I want in the dang thing..... but the fountain is a definite that whoever supplies you the equip is the mix you run through it.

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Met with Pepsi and I'm leaning toward the post with a self serve set up. I hope I'm not nuts!

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I've never seen a theatre using self service. I would never do that in a million years. Whats to keep your patrons from sneaking in their own cups or containers and filling them up? Keep the soda behind the concession counter and have your staff pour the soda.

One area theatre I was recently at has self serve drinks. They seem to do ok with it, from what I saw. Also just about all the area fast food franchises have now gone to self serve drinks also. Having the self serve station in clear view of the concession or service counter seemed to be the setup.