Concessions Made Simple

The High Cost Of Low Priced Corn

2010-05-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

Are you losing sales because of low popping popcorn?
Are you REALLY saving money with a lower priced popcorn?
Popping Expansion Is The Key To Increasing Your Profits

Popcorn is rated based on its MWVT (Popping Expansion) A lower grade popcorn may pop at a MWVT rating of 38 and a high quality hybrid of popcorn will have a MWVT rating of 48. A 50 lb bag of corn is a 50lb bag of corn, right?

NO!!! A high grade of popcorn expands more than a lower grade of corn. Thus, to fill a container takes less kernels using a high grade of corn. How much of a difference is it? Check out the chart below to find out. The difference in cost between a low grade of corn and a high grade is probably $ 10.00-$12.00 per bag. The difference in Retail Profit is: 3E Box @ Retail of $1.00 is $ 365.00 per 50 lb bag.

Click on the chart below. If your retails are higher than what is listed, it’s costing you more than you think.

Why Are People Buying Used Concession Equipment?

2010-03-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Concessions Business
Let’s face it; today’s economic environment is tough. People are scared of losing their jobs and as a result are looking for ways to make ends meet. One way people are doing this is to get involved in weekend festival events. Most small towns and every city, have weekend festivals or events that draw large numbers of people. Events like parades at holiday time or community sponsored gatherings are examples. Where there are people, there needs to be food, thus an opportunity to make money. The concessions business is not only a great way to make some extra money but it’s a ton of fun too!

How do you go about getting involved?

Select a food concept that you think will be a good seller.

Contact your municipalities and get a list of local events.

Contact your health department and find out what you need to do to comply with local safe food handling.

Contact a Fun Food Distributor for equipment/supplies and knowledge on how to get started. They are professional at the concession business and will guide you and help you avoid mistakes.

Making the Concessions Business Affordable
Investing in equipment to get started in this business is easy and scary at the same time. With money tight, many folks are looking for used concession equipment options to get into the concessions business. You don’t need to buy new equipment to get started. A good used concessions machine from a reputable wholesaler is a great way to begin. The beautiful part of selling concession food items is that most of the time the gross profit potential is huge. In many cases and item that sells for $3.00 has a cost of around $.20.

Is there risk in buying a used concession machine?
Obviously, when you purchase a used concession machine there is going to be greater risk than when buying a new one. The only way to reduce that risk is to be confident in the person or company you purchase it from. Buying used concession equipment off E-Bay or Craig’s List are options but the risk is higher. Find out if the equipment has been serviced by a factory certified technician. The last thing you need is the frustration of buying something that doesn’t work, or needs work as soon as you buy it. Any reputable dealer will stand behind the concession equipment the sell with a warranty. Check it out! Please, avoid buying something in an “as is” condition. Don’t be afraid to pay a little more and be confident and comfortable with whom you are buying from!

Allen Acquisition Leads to Increased Inventory of Closeout Equipment

2010-02-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Closeout Concessions Equipment...
Allen Associates recently purchased the assets of Pops-Corn in Rochester, NY. As a result we have an over abundance of new and used equipment for sale. The equipment includes Cretors Popcorn machines , Echols Sno-Cone machines, and Gold Medal Cotton Candy equipment. We are offering these machines at very reduced pricing to make room.

Popcorn Machines

Cotton Candy Machines

Sno-Cone Machines

We also now have Concession Equipment Parts Available on line…
Allen Associates recently started offering new and reconditioned concessions equipment parts to our website. Often times a machine needs a part to get it up and running and the cost of new parts can be daunting. A reconditioned or used part can do the job for you and save you a ton of money in the process. Not all parts are available on a reconditioned basis so be sure to call and ask about availability. Check out our selection of concession equipment parts.

Why Caramel Apple Dip Doesn’t Stick to Apples

2009-11-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Wonder why it seems harder and harder to make the caramel dip stick to caramel apples these days?

The Reason:

There is a new preservative coating that apple wholesalers are applying to apples to make them stay fresh longer. It is called LAC Resin or Shellac Resin. It makes the apples look very shiney and very fresh, however, caramel apple dip will NOT stick to these apples. In the past all you had to do was wash apples that were waxed with soap and water to get the wax off. Soap and water will not remove this new coating. The only thing that will remove it is alcohol.

So what do you do?

Buy your apples direct from your local orchard!

Did you buy your apples from a local orchard or from a produce wholesaler? If you got them from a wholesaler and the apples look like they are polished and shiney, then this is the problem -- not the caramel dip. There should be a label or sticker on the apples saying that it contains LAC Resin or Shellac Resin but that may not always be the case.

How to Maintain Your Cab Slush Puppie Machine

2009-10-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Maintaining your Cab Slush Puppie machine is very important to making sure it runs trouble free during the time of year when you need it most. Slush Machines need yearly maintenance. The good news is, it is fairly easy to do!

Steps to Maintaining your Slush Puppie machine:

Cab Slush Puppie Machine Maintenance Kit includes all the replacement parts needed to keep your machine running all year long. Slush Machine Part Number 41809619.
Remove Bowls and Tops, clean using “Melt” Slush Machine cleaner. Melt does a great job of removing bowl stains caused by slush product.
Clean condenser area of dirt and dust by using wisk broom or compressed air.
Be sure the torque adjustment is set to zero. Note: torque adjustment is located on the back side of the machine accessed through a small plastic opening near drive motors.
Replace and lubricate o-rings.
Replace condenser filter if more than 2 years old or is showing age. Slush Machine Part Number 41808319.
Replace bowls gaskets if more than 2 years old or showing age. Slush Machine Part Number 41808782.
Check drive shaft for scoring or wear on the spigot end of the shaft. If there are wear marks on shaft replace drive shafts. Slush Machine Part Number 41809005.
Evaporator Bushings and Seals are part of the Cab Maintenance Kit and needs to be replaced yearly. Remove bushings and seals with screwdriver prying them out carefully. This is the hardest part of the job.
Check and add lubricant to motor pivot bushing points.
Put a dab of lubricant on micro switch for moisture protection and free movement.
Make sure condensate drains located on black deck area are clear of debris.
Set timer.
Check to be sure thermostat is set at #4 position. Thermostat is located on right hand side of machine behind black plastic panels.
Run machine with bowls removed and timer set to freeze to see of you have a good frost line. A good frost line means the evaporator is frosted on all of evaporator1.
Inspect scraper blades, replace if broken or cracked. Slush Machine Part Number 41809006.
Check light bulbs - replace if necessary Slush Machine Part Number 41809691.
Reassemble machine.

At times Cab Slush Puppie machine parts may need to be replaced depending on wear. These are usually easily replaced without the need to get an entirely new Slush machine.

Increase Profits While Making Cotton Candy

2009-09-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

How to Increase your Profits while making Cotton Candy! Making Cotton Candy is very easy with cotton candy machines. Many folks find it intimidating the first time they try to use a floss machine. There are just a few simple rules to follow.

Fill the spinner head of the cotton candy machine while it is turned off.
Wear eye protection.

There is no wrong way to make cotton candy; however, some methods are more profitable than others.

Below are the steps to putting the least amount of sugar on a cone while presenting it as a large value. Remember, cotton candy is fun and profitable. Don’t give away profits.

Most people think the correct way to make cotton candy in a cotton candy machine is to wind it on to the floss cones as the sugar is coming out of the machine. This method does work but you end up putting far more sugar on the cone. Follow the step listed below and increase your profits.

Pick a cotton candy cone; if it sticks in the stack of cones, twist it off the stack. Hold an inch or two of the pointed end of the cone between two fingers and a thumb. With a light flicking action, roll cone in the web of sugar floss building up in the pan. Lift the cone up with the ring of floss attached and rotate the cone to wrap the floss. DO NOT roll floss while the cone is inside the pan. This will pack the floss too tightly.

If the floss fails to stick to the cone, pass the cone near the spinner head to pick up a “starter” of melted sugar. Lift the cone out of the pan and wrap the floss with a “figure eight” movement of the hand. This leaves giant pockets and makes the final product appear larger. Make sure room humidity is not too high, or product will be “heavy”.

DO NOT put hands or objects in rotating spinner head.

Do not fill spinner head with sugar while it is rotating.

Operator should wear eye protection.

Do not put hands near rotating spinner head.

Use floss cone to collect cotton candy.

How to Set a Slush Puppie Machine Timer

2009-06-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

What does a Slush Machine Timer do?

The timer in a Slush Puppie Machine is very similar to a timer used to turn lights on or off in your home. Its function is to turn the compressor off, Defrost Time, for a period of time during the day or night so the product in the machine can melt down to a liquid state. It is important for your slush product to melt down to a liquid state everyday to ensure product quality. If your product doesn’t return to liquid state each day the ice crystals will get larger and larger resulting in the formation of ice “Beebe’s”. Most slush machines need 8 hours of uninterrupted defrost time each day.

How to set a timer?

Setting a Slush Puppie Machine timer is very easy. The first step is to determine when you want the machine to go into “Defrost”, or off position. Most locations have this happen in the late evening and early morning hours. For example, 11pm to 7am. The timer looks very much like a clock with pins that depending on the position allow the compressor to turn on or not. The pins can be pointed toward the center, “in” of the timer or toward the outside, “out” of the timer.

How to remember: “In” has two letters = ON; “Out” has three letters = OFF

The timer in the picture above is set to come on at 7am and go off at 11pm. The white triangle located just above the “3” should be pointed toward the current time.Remember, only turn the timer in a clockwise direction. A timer that doesn’t spin smoothly is an indication that it needs to be replaced. At Allen's we offer replacement slush puppie timers, P.N. 41809474.

2009-01-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

New to Allens! Multi Coffee Dispenser -
Serving Espresso, Cappuccino, and Lattes

Allen Associates, Inc., aka http://www.allenprograms.com/, is pleased to announce the addition of new product to their fun food equipment lineup. The Multi Coffee Dispenser from Cecilware in conjunction with Nectar offers 12 flavors of Espresso, Cappuccino and Lattes.

This compact space saving commercial coffee machine dispenses 4 flavors of Espresso, Cappuccino, and Lattes. What makes this machine unique, in addition to its compact size, is the flavor profiles used in this machine. The coffee and flavors, (Vanilla, Cinnamon, Caramel) are highly concentrated. These flavors and concentrated coffee are mixed with a dry milk (creamer), to offer 12 different types of specialty coffee drinks from one machine.

This machine is perfect for C-Store, Hospital cafeterias, or any location looking to offer Espresso, Cappuccino, and Lattes without the high cost of other coffee machines. The target market for this product is looking for something more sophisticated than sweet based cappuccino you find in Convenience stores. They are looking for an Americanized European Espresso experience. Learn more about the Multi Coffee Dispenser.

How Do I Mix Slush Puppie Base?

2008-11-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

We get this question all the time - "How do I mix my slush puppie base in order to get the best tasting slushie for my customers?" It's actually quite simple if you follow a few basic steps. It is important though to be accurate with your measurements for the best taste.

How to Mix Slush Puppie Base?

Read label on jug to determine if the mix ratio is 5 to 1 , or, 4 to 1.
5 to 1 ratio means you will be mixing 5 parts water to 1 part Syrup.
We do this by using an empty Slush Puppie Syrup Jug. Every jug has marking on them to help in mixing product correctly.
Fill empty mixing jug to the 5 to 1 line, making sure the jug is level and you have the correct amount in the jug.
Fill the jug with cold water up to the water line approximately 2 inches from the top. Do not fill the jug to the top, this will make the product to thin and the slush machine will over freeze.
Put lid on the jug and mix aggressively, pour into slush machine. Repeat until machine is full.

Why is accuracy of mixing product important?

Slush machines freeze product by cooling the inside of freezing chamber and scraper blades shaving the ice off the inside evaporator wall. If the product is mixed too thin, meaning the mixture has too much water in it, the machine will over freeze. The product will appear whiter than normal in color and be very thick. If it is too thin, the machine can freeze up and damage can occur to drive motors and gears. It is very important to mix your product correctly. Mixing product too rich, meaning too much syrup, will result in the product being unable to freeze because the sugar ratio is too high. Learn more about slush puppie equipment and supplies.

New Unique Item: Almond Popcorn.

2008-09-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

We developed a new unique gourmet type of popcorn that you can make at home or in a commercial popcorn popper. Quite simply by adding whole almonds to the popcorn popping process you end up with a totally unique product that is not commercially available today. Why is it so unique? It’s uniqueness is in its simplicity.
Instructions:

Heat up your popcorn kettle to full temperature
Add ¼ cup of Whole Almonds to your hot oil
Cook for 1 minute
Add your popcorn and salt and pop as usual.
Note: Almonds retain heat much longer than popcorn kernels
Enjoy with a movie or around a camp fire with a glass of wine.