More than twenty thousand visitors per month trust us to share valuable information on how best to enter the Ice Cream, Gelato and Italian Ice business.
There's no better place to find high quality, reasonably priced equipment. Scroll down to take a look at the comments by customers who have been kind enough to let us list their contact information.
Our corporate clients have asked that we do not publish specific contact information. If you would like to contact any of our clients, please let us know and we will furnish references upon request.
The testimonials below are fully verifiable - feel free to contact them!
"Thanks so much! We look forward to working with you in the future-this is our first dipping freezer, but we anticipate needing more…it’s exciting. From reading your literature, it sounds like you know what you're doing. It's been a pleasure!"
"We were worried about the fact that we needed the dipping freezers shipped to Canada, and you were with us every step of the way, assuring us all would go well. It did!! We love our freezers and will definitely keep you in mind for future purchases!"
Holly & John Furness: 3711 Main St. West, Ontario, Canada, LOS 1SO - Phone: 905-382-3133
"I received my 3 dipping cabinets and they are beautiful! Of course, if you could have seen the "dinosaurs" I was replacing you would have gotten a good laugh! Anyway, thank you again for all your help, and if you are ever in Honolulu, stop in and say hi."
Vickie McLaughlin - Dave's Ice Cream - Honolulu, Hawaii
"The Edy's graphics look great! Thanks for the discounted shipping rates. And thanks for getting them here in a hurry. The grand opening of our second store will take place as planned!
Daniel DaCosta - Cafe de la Crème - St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
A message from Neil Williams - President of TurnKey Parlor
I founded Turn KeyParlor when I realized that finding the right ice cream equipment can be confusing, especially to someone starting out. There are many choices out there, so understanding what you need and what a fair price is is not easy.
At TurnKeyParlor.com, we listen to what our potential customers are planning and try to recommend what will work best.
Outside of franchises, few programs exist to help people succeed in the ice cream business. TurnKeyParlor.com can help you:
a) operate an ice cream parlor
b) manufacture and distribute your own brand to hotels, convenience stores and grocery stores
c) operate a fleet of ice cream carts for special events and high traffic areas
Independently owned and operated ice cream parlors struggle more than franchises during the first few years due to trial and error. That said, there are many negatives to going the franchise route:
1) Franchisee fees and on-going royalty payments. These can seriously cut down your net profit as an owner.
2) Limitations on what you can sell - not a whole lot of room to be creative and fill demand gaps that are obvious once you begin to better understand your customer base.
3) The franchise controls the equipment you buy, and sometimes where you buy it (a major conflict of interest if you ask us).
4) The franchise controls pricing and where you purchase many of the products that you sell (another conflict of interest).
5) If you don't have X net worth, the franchises may not even return a phone call.
Once you make the decision to move forward as an independent business, the first step for most is to contact a major ice cream manufacturer. These suppliers generally have reps who are knowledgeable when it comes to the actual product, but they simply don't know the best places to buy freezer equipment, what freezer equipment is actually needed, how to train employees, etc. They also don't necessarily have the time to help you. They basically want you to get your parlor open, then call them when you need ice cream.
The lack of information in this field leaves most fledgling ice cream parlor owners to learn by trial and error, seriously hurting their chances for success.
In an effort to help prospective parlor owners avoid common pitfalls, I created TurnKeyParlor.com. My goal is to provide a one stop shop by gathering information and neatly packing it into a convenient website.
Prospective parlor owners can see what they need, buy what they need and get the consulting necessary to help get their ice cream business running efficiently and with the right systems firmly in place.
If you're interested in learning more, please take a look at our consulting offers to help you get started on the right foot. We look forward to helping you reach your goals!
