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we are thinking about changing our soda BIB machine around so people can serve their own drinks..it really slows up our service when people want 6 pepsi max large. How many here have self serve drinks and how do you find it? We obviously expect more mess to clean up, but is there anything else we need to know?? We don't have ice..should we?Thanks

You should DEFINATELY have ice. How can you serve fountain drinks without ice? People like ice in thier fountain drinks and it also helps your yeild as ice takes up some of the volume of the cup meaning you use less syrup per drink sold, which means more profit.

I'm not sure which way is best. Some of the owners I chat with do have self-serve fountains, especially where refills are free. Some seem to like it fine.

At my drive-in, I see too many opportunities for problems and abuse, so we don't do self-serve.

This might be an idea you'd have to try for yourself. You can always change it back, if you don't like how it works.

I have been in several theatres with self serve and it seams to be fine. It is up to you to do free refills or not. I have seen self serve setup both ways. It does cut down on labor and most people like doing it because they think they are getting the soda the way they want it. I hear a lot even put more ice in than we would.

I am getting ready to open a new place and I definitely are going to go self serve.

How topical. Last week, after beating my head up against the wall for 5 years (the wall aka: wife) we sold self serve bib. It took a complete redesign of the lobby and counter. Left and right of our concess counter were the dounble door entry to two of our 3 screens. We made them into singlke door enbtries and that gave us an extra 6' or so. We then built an extreme custom cabinet from left to R starting with our Cretors and ending with a two station self serve bib with ice of course! The Dispensers have ice built in and everyone is very well trained by fast food and everywhere else at getting their own ice. Last weekend we opened Zohan and Panda and was the first pressure test for back ups and confusion which never materialized. Why do BIB and self serve? First of: we were selling cans. Don't say a word. On day one of bib pour soda coming on line our NET income, not GROSS income, NET!!!!! jumped .50 per person. My advice: do it and do it fast. Yes you have to buy a big enough and buy it new ice machine. The soda things make a bundle of money for you. Plus your customers want it. I am glad it's over and we're pouring. Or rather "they're pouring".

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

Thanks for the replies..sounds like it will work. How many nozzels do you have Mike?? Is the mess ok? Have you had big lines waiting to use it or do they all push up and do a bunch together? Has anyone commented on it whether good or bad? Do you do refills? I would imagine it would be hard not to do refills as youd have to sound like an ogre yelling at them to stop!!

I would offer refills on the largest size... It gives people a good incentive to spend the extra money. When you break it down soda is pretty cheap and it will make your customers happy.