Refrigeration is essential in pretty much every foodservice operation, as it's a primary method of storing the ingredients that lead to profits. From preserving quality foods and reducing food waste to keeping beverages cold, the industry couldn't operate without refrigeration, which is especially important in convenience stores.
C-stores are one industry segment that utilizes refrigeration as part of the merchandising process, as customers go to convenience stores because they want to purchase products quickly. It's crucial to reduce the time the customer takes to find what they want. Refrigeration can help facilitate the c-store experience because it lets customers quickly buy items cold items.
While merchandising is part of the refrigeration equation in c-stores, itisn't the only use case. Let's take a look at a few more.
One thing customers commonly do at convenience stores is buy ice on its own or as part of a chilled beverage.
C-stores often sell bags of ice, which can be a primary draw for many customers. For c-store operators, it's important to remember that ice needs to be stored safely. Packaged ice is considered food by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, which shows how vital clean ice is to people's health, but it's not only packaged ice that needs to be considered by convenience store operators.
Ice is also distributed in fountain drink machines. The ice dispensers in these machines can get scale buildup, mold, and bacteria buildup inside machines if they aren't maintained. This affects the way ice tastes and can make customers ill. At the very least, it can make beverages taste bad. By following ice machine manufacturers' cleaning schedules, the customer experience is improved, which means customers are more likely to return to purchase items.
Convenience stores should avoid this and help provide a positive experience by cleaning and sanitizing ice machines at least monthly, if not weekly. This allows the convenience store meet the proper cleanliness standards for their ice machines. Additionally, since it improves the experience at convenience stores and other foodservice facilities, a clean ice machine means it's more likely that customers will return to the store.
As important as offering clean ice is providing the right kind of ice in fountain drink machines that appeals to customers. Yes, there are different types of ice. And for fountain drinks, customers prefer nugget ice.
Light, airy, and easy to chew, nugget ice holds its shape longer than traditional shaved ice. This means it keeps drinks colder for longer with less watering down. The Original Chewable Ice®, Scotsman nugget ice also absorbs the flavor of the drink that it's in, giving the ice extra dimension and helping to lower syrup costs for stores. Used in c-stores around the country, providing Scotsman's nugget ice satisfies customers while helping the business save money.
Refrigerated and frozen food serves as a crucial part of a convenience store's sales. As a result, these stores require high-quality reach-in freezers and refrigerators to keep these food items fresh. Continental Refrigerators offers quality freezers and refrigerators for commercial use.
These freezers and refrigerators provide convenience stores with fantastic food safety, ideal product temperatures, and excellent value. Buying frozen and refrigerated food items at a convenience store is part of the convenience store experience. Continental Refrigerator's reach-in refrigerators and freezers help ensure this part of the convenience store experience remains intact. Undercounter refrigerators also help maintain this part of the c-store experience.