Coke Dispensing Machine?

I purchased a used concession trailer with a 5 head dispensing machine installed. Bottom line is it doesn't work. I have a Restaurant Supply company locally and also beverage bottlers. Don't really know how much it will cost me to get everything fixed but would be interested in anyones thoughts as to the difference in profit margins with fountain drinks versus canned.
 
I will be using the trailer at a fixed location.
 
Bill

I am usually the advocate for doing everything yourself from point A.
 
Soda is one of those things that I would say...sell the bottles. The profit can be better on a fountain system but you will find yourself tinkering...always. It is not just tinkering and tweaking but when mobile and if/when something goes VERY wrong...no drinks (unless you carry back-ups but soda has a shelf-life) until you have time to fix it or have it fixed,
 
In a bar you have to have a gun and many people will chime in too sweet not sweet enough too flat perfect leave it alone etc...all at the same time. Especially for name brands like Coke Pepsi etc. Unless you have some fantastic custom soda offering...I say do yourself a favor and take the path that provide the least headaches. Still have to carry ice with fountain drinks. Too much ice not enough ice yada yada. People can be like Goldilocks about fountain drinks and expect you to "fix it" to their personal specifications...and sometimes it is them...not anything wrong in your opinion.

Thanks CC. I have lurked here long enough to know which opinion to pay attention to and yours certainly falls in that catagory. I just didn't want to go to the trouble of going to Sam's and getting the cans/bottles, putting them in my limited storage building, icing down in coolers, and then finding space for them in the trailer.

Ice is not a problem as I have my own ice machine in storage building right beside trailer.

Thank you!
 
There is profit on fountain drinks on large levels. Depends on the source and the system. Your system is broke at the moment so I would get someone to look at  how much on an investment it will be  to get it going keep it going and how much "life" it has left in it.  If you like to tweak and get good and quick at it or charming enough to convince those certain customers to take the soda as it is ok... have a nice day or tinker it back and forth when people insist and stand there until you do...it may be fun. Some people love to be under the hood. I don't. The woman in me goes for the charming route...first. My what a lovely jacket you are wearing.   The  soda it is fine.
 
 
 
 
 

Is your soda system set up for one particular kind of soft drink? Coke / Pepsi ? If so contact them and see if they will fix it. Some local companies (Coke-Pepsi) will and some won't. By the way I'm more and more runing into events that are selling a sponsorship to one or the other Coke or Pepsi, and that is the only product you can sell and you must buy it on sight with a jacked up price or you don't get to come back to the event. It sucks and is just another way of taking more money from the food vendor.

Jack

I don't have a problem with an event being sponsored by coke or pepsi, doing cans, we can easily switch to either. I have a big problem with having to buy it on sight. That's as bad as having to pay a percentage of the gross. We try and avoid both.

That's exactly right. The Coke or Pepsi distributor pays the event company a sponsorship fee, and then gets it all back by raising prices to the vendors.

And of course the vendor makes less per drink, all the while paying a percentage of drink sales to the event company.

So in the end it all (the expense) falls on the food and drink vendor.

Of course the soft drink distributor gets his brand name spread in signage all over a 3 day event, and included in all the event advertising.

Jack


 

I just installed a "wunderbar" system in my trailer. So as far as profitability I'll just have to see. I do know one thing, I lose drink sales out on the street because I didn't offer it. My customers would place their order then drive down the street for drinks and come back to pick up and the secret of the restaurant business is selling water at a profit. I searched for months to find a reasonably priced system and finally got one on eBay. 
Out here in West Texas it gets hot and people love large vats of cold beverages and when you are the only guy at a event that has that you make great money.

I am in East Texas and it gets hot here also. Normally much higher humidity also so drinks are a big consideration to me.
If you decided not to sell canned drinks that tells me something.

Fountain Drinks is where the $$$$ is at.

Try
Mel's Classic Soda MacHines
624 Pine Hill Rd
Shreveport, LA 71107-1948 (318) 929-3711

porkchopexpress


Fountain Drinks is where the $$$$ is at.

Try
Mel's Classic Soda MacHines
624 Pine Hill Rd
Shreveport, LA 71107-1948 (318) 929-3711

Fountain drinks is not the moneymaker it use to be.  We run a concession trailer and sell either cans or bottles. 
 
There are 2 types of machines.  The older style is the pre-mix type that uses the metal cannisters and CO2.  The other type is the newer post-mix or bag-in-a- box.  The post mix doesn't work as well in a trailer because you have to have a large water source, the pressure gauges get bounced around and they are always needing adjustment or repalcement of the pumps and carbonators.  The post mix is a lot cheaper than cans or bottles by more than half.  The old style cannister holds about the same amount of pop as 1 case of 20oz bottles and the cost per oz is about the same.  A lot of the distributors have been told both Coke and Pepsi are going to stop supporting the older Premix cannisters sometime in the next year or so.
 
The big problem with cans and bottles is the cost of ice in real hot weather.  Last year we were going thru 20 to 30 bags a day at $2.00 a bag.  Ice is our biggest problem and last year took most all of the profit out of soda sales.  Next year we are thinking about putting an ice machine in the trailer and serving out of 2 liters in cups filled with ice.  I have never liked 2 liters but vendors I have talked to at several shows have gone to them and say you can't tell the difference between them and the old pre-mix.  If you catch them on sale the cost per oz of 2 liters will be less than in the premix cannister. 
 
Just thought I would pass on my opinion.
 
Mike S. 

just to let you know that your soda supply company will fix your system for free as long as you keep buying there product.