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Q.
Why does Swirled Ice carry so many
different styles and brands of frozen drink machines?
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A.
We carry several
different frozen drink machines so that we can offer our customers the
best machine for their specific type of use. Some machines
perform better in bars and restaurants than they do for a
party rental company. Home usage can demand another style
of machine. We have researched all of the different types
of frozen drink equipment and have selected to represent the
best of the best. We always suggest the units to our
customers that will perform the best for their individual
needs. Every model of frozen drink equipment that we
carry has some of its own unique features, however there are
two basic groups of machines; the original "box style"
machine (Frosty Factory, Grindmaster/Cratcho 3311, and
Parrot-Ice machines) and the newer "bowl style" machine
(Faby and Bunn machines). |
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Q. How
does the "Box style" frozen drink machine work? |
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A.
The "Box style" is usually
a stainless steel machine that has a freezing cylinder and a
larger insulated retaining tank. This machine is top loaded,
which means that you pour the premixed drink solution into
the retaining tank on the top of the machine. Some of the
drink mix will travel directly into the freezing cylinder
and the rest will stay in the hopper. The freezing cylinder
size varies from machine to machine but most hold from 1 to
2 gallons. This area freezes the mix by spinning it around
and scraping it off the sides of the cylinder as it freezes.
It will freeze the liquid fairly fast because of the small
amount that it holds. Once the mix in the cylinder is all
frozen, the liquid being stored in the retaining hopper will
be continually pre-chilled. As each frozen drink is
dispensed, it is immediately replaced by the same amount of
liquid from the hopper. This liquid blends in with the rest
of the frozen mixture and freezes quickly. As the level of
liquid being held in the retaining tank becomes lower, the
machine usually has a low mix light which alerts you to add
more mix into the hopper. This style of machine works great
for restaurants and places where they need a steady flow of
drinks. This is the "original" style of frozen drink
machine which was developed about 30 years ago. It was the
only type of frozen drink machine available, until the "bowl
style" machines were developed approximately 9 years ago. |
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Q.
How does the "Bowl style" frozen drink
machine work? |
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A.
The "Bowl style" is
usually a machine that has the compressor(s) housed in the
base and 1, 2, or 3 clear bowls above for freezing, holding,
and dispensing the frozen drinks. The freezing cylinder(s)
are within each bowl. When the premixed drink solution is
poured into the bowl, an auger blade spins around the
freezing cylinder, shaving off the frozen mixture while also
stirring the drinks. This type of machine freezes all of
the drink mix that is placed into the bowl, so that the
entire amount is frozen and ready to dispense. This
style of machine will take longer to freeze simply because
it is freezing a much larger quantity. The entire amount
(6-7 gallons) is all being frozen at the same time. The
"bowl style" (Faby, Carpiganni, Donper or Bunn) units will have more servings
ready at the start of a timed event such as a wedding
reception or party, when demand is the highest and where the
initial freeze time is not an issue. This equipment can
give you more than a one flavor option (Faby offers a 1, 2,
or 3 bowl model). This is great for home use where both
adults and children would like enjoy a frozen drink. Party
rental companies also like the versatility of this style of
equipment. For larger events all bowls can be filled with
the same flavor. The "bowl style" machines have been
around for about 10 years now and have gone through several
changes over the years. The models that were first
manufactured had some problems with leaking and other basic
engineering concerns, which gave this style of machine a
negative reputation early on. After several years of
perfecting and re-engineering, these machines are now very
dependable. They have proven to be a huge asset in the
world of frozen beverages and have filled the needs for
several applications. Although there is still some
resistance to change, this style of equipment is now earning
a much bigger share of the market. |
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Q. How
do I know which frozen drink machine is the best one for me
or my business? |
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A.
There are several
differences between all of the various frozen drink machines
that we carry. We recommend that you give us a call to
discuss your specific needs. Let us share our expertise and
suggest the machine(s) that will best suit your demands.
1-800-848-0358 |
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Q. I
was told by someone that the Bowl style machines are not
margarita machines. Is this true? |
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A.
Absolutely NOT True. This type of machine is actually
more versatile than the other style of equipment. (In
fact, the other style tends to over-freeze slush drinks.)
Even though the price of the bowl style machines makes
them a popular convenience store slush machine, they can be
used for any type of frozen beverage. They will make a
perfect margarita, smoothie, or slushy. You can adjust the
drink density control on the back of the machine to achieve
the proper consistency and the perfect drink. Your favorite
adult alcohol-based drink or your kids' slushy, these
machines will do it all. |
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Q. Why
does your Rental Business Package contain the clear bowl type
of machines and not
the metal box style machines? |
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A.
Our years of experience have led us to use and promote the
clear bowl type of equipment over the other style in rental
situations, for many reasons:
1. Performance - Our experience has
shown that the machines with large clear bowls can simply
outperform the others. The bowl style machine will produce
more servings than the metal box type of machine for the
start of your party. You will have close to 100 - 8 oz
servings frozen and ready to drink at the start of your
event; compared to the 25 - 8 oz servings that the metal box
type of machine will have ready. The start of any event is
the time for the highest demand that your equipment will
have. It is also the most important time for good first
impressions which will help to generate referrals. It is
definitely not the time to run out of frozen drinks or to
serve a watery drink. If you treat the 2-bowl machine as a
single flavor unit and put the same flavor in both sides,
you can produce an unending supply of frozen beverages.
Simply serve only from 1 bowl first, refilling it as it
empties. Then you switch and serve from the second bowl
while the first is refreezing, making a third batch. When
the second bowl is empty you can refill it to make a fourth
batch and go back to serve from the first bowl. Based on
the size of the crowd and the length of the event, you can
continue in this manner. By using the 2-bowl machine in
this way, it will outperform any machine on the
market.
2. Price - you can have two Faby-2
machines for a little more than the price of a single flavor
Crathco 3311. This will allow you to expand your fleet of
equipment at a much faster rate. Dollar for dollar you can
have two double bowl machines sitting at a party for about
the same amount of money that someone else would have
invested in a single flavor box type machine. Wow! Talk
about a great value for your dollar.
3. Weight - One person can move the
Faby-2 or the Bunn machine which weigh 125 lbs, versus
needing a second person to help carry the almost 200 lbs of
the metal box style units. You lose money if you have to
pay a second person to deliver and set up a machine.
4. Cleaning - The machine's clear
bowls completely detach from the base and the tap easily
comes apart. This makes for easy cleaning and storing. You
can simply clean the parts by hand or place them in your
dishwasher at home. You can touch and clean everywhere that
the drink mix has gone. This equipment does not require any
use of chemical sanitizers, which are necessary for cleaning
the box style of machine. |
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Q. How
long does it take to freeze margaritas with the Faby or Bunn? |
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A.
If you are using 1 bottle of our mix you will be making 5
gallons of margarita and that is 2.5 gallons per bowl. It
will take about an hour to freeze that amount of drinks, a
little longer in the heat of summer or if using outside.
You can shorten the freeze time by either premixing and
cooling the drink mix or starting with cold water. Keep in
mind if the liquid going into the machine is chilled at 40
degrees it will take half the time to freeze than if 80
degrees when starting. |
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Q. Will the Bowl machines work outside
in the heat of the summer? |
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A.
Yes. These machines, as all brands, are air cooled
and therefore high temperatures will have an adverse effect
on them. However, as long as you keep any machine out of
the direct sunlight it will work fine. |
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Q. I
was told that the box type of machines can freeze drinks in 30
minutes. Is this true? |
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A.
ANY style of frozen drink machine can freeze 1.5 gallons of
drink mix in about 30 minutes. Even though you are filling
most metal box style machines with 5 or more gallons of liquid,
these machines are only freezing 1.5 gallons in the
freezing chamber. The remainder of the drink mix sits up in
the holding tank. The concept of this style machine is that
when you serve a frozen drink, it is replaced with liquid
mix from the retaining tank. Each drink dispensed is
replaced by equal amounts of liquid that will then mix with
the frozen beverage in the freezing cylinder. These
machines have worked well for years in restaurants, bars,
and places where they sell drinks at a slow, steady
pace. The problem that we have had with this style of
machine has been at the parties, events, and weddings where
there are a large number of people trying to get a drink at
the same time. If a party or event starts at 7:00 and you
have 30-50 or more guests wanting a drink... PROBLEM!
The metal box style machine will have about 25 - 8 oz
drinks frozen and ready to serve. Working at its best, the
faster that you dispense the drinks, the less frozen each
one will progressively become. Usually by around the 15th
serving, people will be only getting chilled liquid. They
may start dumping or abandoning the drinks (wasting
expensive alcohol) until someone puts a sign on the machine
to come back in 30 minutes or they may simply turn it off
thinking that it is broken. Either way, refunding money or
losing referrals for future bookings is not good for
business and the main reason that we no longer use or
endorse this style machine for party rentals. |
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Q. Can
I purchase your
Business Manual
separately? |
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A.
No. We are sorry but the business manual we have written is
specific to our business plan using the Bowl style frozen beverage equipment. It has information,
methods, and systems that are developed for this type of
machine. We only offer the manual to our new dealers who
purchase our rental business package. Even though the
frozen drink rental business is not rocket science, the data
presented in our manual is designed to keep you from making
costly mistakes and to benefit you with a business plan that
will create an ongoing stream of referrals and get you off
to a fast start in developing a very successful business. |
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Q. What if I have more
questions? |
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A.
Great! If you still have more questions or concerns, please
feel free to give us a call at 1-800-848-0358 and we will do
out best to answer them.
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