The Everest Blog

Your average concession stand will have many of the same items as others you might find. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries are just a few examples of some of the most common food products at these types of locations. However, there’s one thing that all concession stands will have, no matter what: ice.

All concession stands rely on ice, whether it’s for a snow cone machine or to cool down a customer’s drink on a hot summer’s day. If your machine isn’t cutting it anymore, it might be time for a replacement. Here are some common signs that your concession stand needs a new ice vending machine.

It Keeps Breaking Down

The most obvious sign to look for is constant breakdowns. An ice machine that doesn’t want to work consistently won’t be very useful for your concession stand in the long run. We still wanted to point out this problem, though, because it can be easy to overlook it.

Most older machines don’t keep breaking down constantly. It’s a process that takes hold over a long period, making it harder to identify. That’s why you must track the number of times you’ve had to fix your ice machine or replace a part. Once you’ve noticed a trend, it might be time to cut your losses and buy a new one.

The Ice Quality Won’t Improve

If your older machine isn’t breaking down, the next likely issue for you is that the quality of ice it produces probably isn’t as good as it used to be. Fortunately, you can usually remedy this issue by cleaning your machine more often. However, like with the breakdown issue, the more you have to clean it, the clearer replacing it becomes—which is likely the better option for your business.

It Uses Too Much Energy

Even if your machine works well and produces high-quality ice, it could still be outdated and in need of replacement. This is because old ice vending machines use a lot of energy to produce ice. Machines these days have found ways to be much more energy efficient. If your electricity bills are through the roof, replacing your old machine with an updated model will almost certainly fix this issue.

You Need More Room

The final reason to get a new ice vending machine for your concession stand is if you’ve simply run out of room for it. Most concession stands are quite small, and older ice machines aren’t. Modern technologies have become much smaller, leading to ice machines that work much better but in smaller spaces.

However, if you find a self-serve ice vending machine for sale, you can save even more room in your small concession stand by putting the machine outside. With a self-serve machine, you won’t have to worry about people stealing ice from you. In fact, you can actually increase your profit margins by doing so. There are likely families with coolers nearby who need ice or homeowners who would rather come to your nearby location than go all the way to the convenience store to buy ice, depending on your location. Either way, your new ice vending machine could be quite the money-maker for your concession business.