Flower Cups are a hit

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mrjosco

Sun May 06, 2018 1:45 pm

We switched over to flower cups and our customers are loving it!

We were using styrofoam cups and charging $2 (8oz) $3 (12oz) and $4 (16oz). We changed to the small/med/large and now charge $3/4/5. Not only has no one complained about the price change, but they have loved the cups.

Image

I will say this: The large is TOO large for most people - and it really isn't very fun to make. We hardly sell any - but keeping it on the menu helps sell the medium.
Betablues2
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:01 am

Mon May 07, 2018 12:31 pm

Awesome. That size down here in Texas, we charge $5.00 for that size and a dollar more for cream and dollar for ice cream scoop. We went back to foam cups however. We ran into a problem with people wanting to drive up and get one to go. You can't drive with those things and they melt fast in 100 degree weather. Can't order multiple orders with them either. No to go containers. We called ours the Works Sno cone.
mrjosco

Mon May 07, 2018 1:15 pm

I am in South Texas and the picture is a medium ($4). I have found the small and medium flower cups fit in the grocery cart cup holder and in most car cup holders. The Large don't fit in anything. We have found (like you did) that traditional cup carriers are useless with these cups though.

I have been worried about how people will react when they get in their car to drive home - but so far the reaction has been positive.

We are at the entrance of a grocery store though - so no drive-thru. With a drive-thru we might have to rethink things again.

Maybe HTK can create a flower cup carrier!
ShaveIce
Posts: 517
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:53 am
Location: Honolulu,HI
Contact:

Mon May 07, 2018 5:07 pm

You are correct! We wish shave ice was not so easy to melt. We actually had a paper carry out tray back then, it was not popular. It seems the general consensus was that shave ice is a eat-on-the-spot item. It didn't sell well and we felt it wasn't eco friendly to sell a item that would only be used for maybe 5 minutes tops.
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Hawaiian Delight

Tue Jun 12, 2018 9:10 am

WE love the flower cups, but do find that the ice melts way too fast. We tried putting a paper sno-cone insert in the bottom of our Large flower cups before we shave the ice in them and that works really well. Haven't found a solution for the Med and small cups yet as the paper sno-cones do not fit well in those sizes. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hawaiian Delight

Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:04 am

As to price, when we are at a fair or festival we charge $4-6-8 for sm. med. lrg flower cups and people don't bat an eye. About 25% go for the large! I almost want to start at $5 but 5-7-9 sounds like a lot for shaved ice don't you think? Last little city festival I was at there was another shaved ice truck selling their small cups,(maybe a 4 or 5 oz cup) for $5 and they had a line.
mrjosco

Wed Jun 13, 2018 11:46 am

It has been 100 degrees nearly every day here - and we have had some complaints about the ice melting too fast in the flower cups. I don't know how much a styrofoam cup can reduce that though.

I will order the paper cones for use in the large cups - we don't sell many large and we actually kind of discourage them from buying large. Really the large is on the menu to sell the medium.

If you pile the flower cups high I can see getting away with selling for $5. In fact, I would be tempted to just offer one size (medium) and sell for $5 each if I were at a large event. Keep it simple? The mediums display really well when made right and i think it could draw a pretty good crowd.

Overall I think they have been a huge boost to our business. They do have downsides though. They don't fit in car cup holders quite as easy, its hard to use a cup carrier for them, and it does seem the ice melts faster.
Loopdan
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2016 8:51 am

Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:41 am

mrjosco wrote:It has been 100 degrees nearly every day here - and we have had some complaints about the ice melting too fast in the flower cups. I don't know how much a styrofoam cup can reduce that though
A lot. Styrofoam is an excellent insulator.
ShaveIce
Posts: 517
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:53 am
Location: Honolulu,HI
Contact:

Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:12 pm

We recently did a fair in Carson City that was around 90 degrees, flower cups worked quite well! Never tried when it's over 100 degrees.
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Mulan

Sat Aug 11, 2018 12:09 pm

I really like the shape of the blossom cup but it's only available in small. The flower cup is the best option for continuity across sizes and the easier for little hands to hold!
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