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Mike-
I'm glad you figured a way to work it out at the Colonial...Your bottom line will thank you.

People buy the large soda because often it appears to be the "Best Buy". People do not want to buy the small soda and come out for refills. Sometimes only the large has a free refill, and sometimes people just don't want to have to get up and miss any of the movie. In my experience, only a small percentage of the large sodas ever got their free refill. Also, very easy to track if you want to..

$56.75 for Coke BIB has nothing to do with being a single screen. That's what they charge anyone doing my volume in this area.

[This message has been edited by RoxyVaudeville (edited March 02, 2008).]

I must be doing something wrong with coke...We are as busy as any 3 screen theater can be and paying 70.00 for a bib...

how do you get out of those contracts....it is there equipment...

We get our pop from a company who buys from Coke and Pepsi and supplies various venues from bars to theaters. I actually sell both Coke and Pepsi products but the prices are the same for both. Yes, those 2.5 gallon bibs, 3 gallon bibs and 5 gallon bibs are priced proportionately. I already quoted price for 5 gallon Coke and you can see that we get a good price. Try looking for a company such as this in your market. BTW, they also supply the machines and the CO2. We choose to pay a weekly charge ($15) for CO2 rather than by the canister so that we never run out.

Yes. It is their equipment. Both Coke and Pepsi will provide you coolers and the self serve stuff but most smaller ops, even a busy 3 screen, are smaller ops. They fight to the death for ball fields, convention centers, etc. But in any event they are completely competitive and will slash each others pricing so you have to be willing to shop and compare. As to slaps problem: your pricing sounds completely out of line. Even my 60.00 is higher than some. If it was me: I would invite Coke by, or just call, all you have to say is the magic words "we pour Pepsi but are thinking of changing" and ask them what's the cost? Once you have a quote you have 23 choices: 1. you find you're in a high price market and there's no diff. 2. You switch and they pull the Pepsi equip when they do the new install. 3. use the info to go back to Coke for a price reduct.

Coke or Pepsi will give you free equip as long as you put their stuff in it and buy it from them. So: we bought our own cooler and we put Coke and Pepsi and other stuff in there. Plus both will come and service the equip for free any time there's a screw up.

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

So...the key to pricing is getting on "national account pricing"?? I just re-opened my drive-in for the season last weekend, and our Coke BIB pricing jumped from $51.00 to $81.00. Their claim was the fact that they own our machines and were providing the servicing for the machines.

We're looking at either switching to Pepsi or something else. We're not a "low-volume" theatre by any means, but $81.00 for a 5 gallon BIB is rediculous.

Wow Barry! $30 a bag more isn't bad if you only use a bag a month--As I had mentioned in an earlier post my state does not allow "free" equipment anymore--but the one I do rent is $25 a month for everything--and no service charge for repairs or parts. The ones I own I bought off Ebay (maybe Mike can like soda equipment on the Ebay link here??) I use Pepsi's service department only for things I have no clue about and not often. They have to do the normal flush and adjust every 6 months per national account terms at no cost. I am just responsible for any other problems.

Yes, Ebay is a good place for used equipment. But check your local area for businesses that are getting auctioned off. Most areas have lots of restaurants, so they don't all make it. But by buying at public auction you can save yourself a ton. I have been to lots of business auctions, sometimes stuff goes high, but other times its cheap. I've seen entire soda systems go for $50 many times.

We have just joined a independant concessionaires co-op (because we operate both the theatre and a mobile concessions business) and we are now able to get that magic "National Pricing" thru the co-op at $50.20 for a 5 gallon BIB. I've already checked with my local bottler and they must honor the national deal. As soon as my paperwork comes back from the co-op, our local Coke will switch us over to the new pricing. We will pay for the cost of joining the co-op with the savings from the next full order from Coke.

I pay $55 for 5 gal BIB, gotta remember only coke, Sprite and Diet come in 5 Gal, the rest are 2 1/2 gal thus the lower cost.