How to Choose Display Tools When You Open a Yogurt Shop
Choose your yogurt shop display items based on four primary categories: size, function, presentation and value. As a yogurt shop owner, your product will dictate some of your needs, such as keeping the yogurt frozen yet providing your customers with an appealing display. If you sell items in addition to single servings of frozen yogurt, such as take-home containers or yogurt cakes or pies, these will require additional displays.
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Instructions
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Sizing Your Display Area
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Measure your available space in the yogurt shop with a measuring tape.
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Sketch out your shop area on a piece of paper. Tthen add in notations of your measurements.
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Mark out the area you need in front of and behind the display counter, as well as around any other displays, including noting the measurements. In general, you will need at least three feet of clear floor space in any area people will walk. Behind the counter, plan for at least five feet so you can move around comfortably, especially if more than one person is working at a time.
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Mark out the areas for your displays and note the measurements available. This is the maximum size you can use for your display units.
Selecting for Function
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Look for displays from reputable brands that have been in business for at least three years, and longer if possible. This increases the odds that the manufacturer will still be in business if you need support, repair or replacement for your displays.
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Choose displays that include built-in thermostats toward the front of the freezer units, as this will give you the most accurate temperature readings.
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Select display units made from clear, food-grade acrylic or similar plastics. The smooth acrylic surface is hard to break and easy to clean. Any surface you choose should be nonporous and able to handle cleaning with bleach so you can comply with food safety guidelines.
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Select freezer units that can hold a steady 0-degree temperature, even when frequently opened. This allows your employees to scoop out the frozen yogurt.
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Note the opening size and access method of each display tool. Larger access points are easier to reach into for serving your items, especially if you need to put some muscle into scooping hard frozen yogurt.
Selecting for Presentation
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Choose display cases with white insides. White bounces the ambient light to make your display appear brighter. It also makes the yogurt colors appear more natural and appealing.
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Select nonfood display tools, such as pricing boards and napkin holders, that fit the theme of your shop. Frozen yogurt is often seen as a summer treat and a healthy alternative to ice cream, so choose bright, summery colors, reflective metals or a color theme that evokes images of healthy living, such as earth tones.
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Choose displays with wide viewing ranges so people of varying heights can see inside. Children are a large part of your demographic, so select cases that will let them see their options without blocking views from adult height.
Evaluating Your Options
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Eliminate displays that don't meet your needs for size, function and presentation. List each of your remaining options on a piece of paper next to other options in that same category. For example, list all of your scoopable freezer display options; then list all of your topping display options.
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Write the price next to each item in the list.
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Look up the energy consumption for powered displays, such as freezers, to find how many watts or kilowatts per hour they use. Multiply that number by the hours per day you expect to run these displays. Then multiply that number by the days per year you expect to run them. Write this figure after the unit prices.
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Multiply the kilowatt hours per year by your average electrical cost per kilowatt hour, found on your electric bill. This is your cost per year to run the display.
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Select the powered display that uses the least energy but has the features you want at the lowest price. For nonpowered displays, select the one with the most features that costs the least, considering your shop's look as one of the features.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't Forget the Accessories! When you're dealing with products like yogurt toppings - which includes dry food items like sprinkles, granola, and nuts - you must make sure your displays include accessories such as plastic scoops or aluminum scoops to help customers easily retrieve the amount of toppings or other food product they need without contaminating the rest of it, and container lids to help keep the food items fresh and safe from debris both during work hours and while you're storing them.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
