How do ice cream shops survive the winter months?

Ice cream is one of those fundamental treats that every person enjoys. Whether it is something as simple as vanilla or the ingredient-packed rocky road, ice cream has many forms to love. However, one of the biggest draws of ice cream in the summer time is the biggest downfall in the winter. It is for this reason that many ice cream shops have to think of clever ways to sell the icy treat in the winter months.
 The B & D Waterwheel Ice Cream in Killen has a fairly simple strategy for handling decline in customers.  For certain times during the year, the shop closes its doors altogether and reopens in more favorable weather.

 While big chain restaurants have by now developed a formula for operating in the cold weather, it is the local shops that suffer the most.  It is because of this that clever marketing strategies are devised in order to maintain customers and profit.

 Frostbite, which features frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, took a similar approach.  The shop shortened hours by opening one hour later and closing one hour earlier.  In addition, the shop runs special promotions in the winter time that are not offered in the warm months. 

 “In the summer there’s no need to run promotions, people just come in and get their yogurt. In the winter we offer discounts. We do 10 percent off to certain people, like if you like our Facebook. If you buy something at Montague’s you can get 10 percent off. We also do a double punch Tuesday to customer loyalty cards,” said Jamarkis Wess, Frostbite employee. 

 Many frozen novelty shops pull in customers with special limited time flavors. Cold Stone Creamery offers a flavor of the month every month. Frostbite too offers special seasonal flavors like pumpkin pie, eggnog and peppermint stick.

 Frostbite keeps customers up to date on their flavors of the day by posting regularly on their Facebook.  Fans of the page can even post suggestions for flavors and combinations. One fan of the page posted:

 “I made the most amazing combination tonight: apple pie with cinnamon toast crunch/caramel/Graham cracker crumbs, red velvet cake with Oreos, and mint chocolate with Ande's mints. Not all together, but separated. Delicious!”

 One thing many shops have in common is that very few of them offer any hot items on the menu to bring in customers.  Some like MaggieMoos in Huntsville and Cold Stone Creamery have introduced products other than ice cream like coffee, fruit smoothies, and milkshakes, but almost none of them have introduced hot items. It seems the frozen treats will sell well enough without help from warmer treats.

 “I love ice cream. I don’t care how cold it is outside. There is something about ice cream that just makes me happy,” said John Howard, UNA alumnus.

 Wess feels similarly about Frostbite’s product.

 “People are going to come in the winter because we offer a quality place, a quality product and it doesn’t hurt that the frozen yogurt is a little healthier too.”

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