Smoothie Article:
How to pick the best equipment for your smoothie juice bar
Resource: RonnieB
added - Feb 15, 2008 printable
Smoothie Bar Equipment and Hardware
There are only a few basic components that you will need in order to get your smoothie juice bar up and running. The foundation for any smoothie bar is water, power and drains. This is of course a given in any restaurant/food prep area. That being said we can begin talking about the hardware. As you will see the hardware items are pretty basic. I will suggest certain pieces and you will probably interpret my suggestions to mean any piece of hardware within the category. While this will work most of the time it is prudent to adhere to my suggestions. If you skimp and cut corners your smoothies will be less than 100% and the customers will know it.
The first necessary pieces of hardware for your smoothie juice bar are the blenders. We prefer Blendtec blenders to all others. Why? Simply because to date their customer service has been unprecedented. Blendtec is more concerned with you getting your job done than any other companies we have dealt with to date. This isn’t to say other blender companies don’t care, just that we have seen the greatest demonstration of customer service from Blendtec. They have excellent warranties on their equipment and will bend over backwards for you if there’s a problem. Blendtec has some of the most expensive equipment our there, but it’s worth it if your machines ever break and you need help. And guess what…. If you are doing smoothie volume (which you better be doing, or there’s no reason to be in business) you will have a breakdown at some point. We promote both the Blendtec automated blenders and dispensers as well as the traditional blenders for free pour smoothie bars. Whichever way you decide is best for you, you can’t go wrong with a Blendtec blender.
Blendtec Website
Then there’s the ice machine. Most people don’t think about ice when you are talking about smoothies, but it’s the base for most. There is no better ice for a smoothie than flaked ice. Our preferred machine is the Scotsman AFE 400 series ice flaker. Yes it will cost you more than an ice cuber, but this is truly one area you don’t want to cut corners. I have eaten smoothies all over the US and you will definitely know when your smoothie is made with cubed ice versus flaked ice. Flaked ice delivers the perfect consistency and allows for your smoothie to stay a smoothie for a longer duration without melting, unlike cubed ice which seems to begin separating almost instantly. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I just know the right ice makes a world of difference and the right ice for your smoothies is flaked ice.
Scotsman Website
Refrigeration starts to get a little sticky. First off, how much refrigeration space are you going to need? Will you have a small true under-counter unit up front and a large walk-in unit in back-stock? This is where you need to do some math. You don’t want to have thousands of dollars in refrigeration equipment if you are not going to use it, but on the other hand you definitely don’t want to have too little. For health clubs we encourage them to go with the automated systems. This pretty much eliminates the need for refrigeration unless you will need it for something outside the smoothie process. If you are going to have a free pour smoothie solution then you will most definitely need refrigeration. If you are blending under 50 smoothies per day, then you will probably be able to get away with an under counter True 48 refrigerator up front. When your smoothie numbers go north of 100 per day you will need the True 48 plus a back stock refrigerator. You will probably never need more than a standard double door at most.
Freezers are only necessary if you are using a free pour smoothie solution. When you are buying frozen goods (i.e. Frozen Fruit, yogurts, sherbet, etc.)you will be buying in bulk and will therefore need more storage space. Typically if you are going to be selling under 200 smoothies on your busiest day you can get away with a double door freezer in back-stock and a dipping cabinet freezer up front.
True Website
Beverage Air Website
Master-Bilt Website
Outside of these major hardware pieces there is really only one other item you may need, and that could be a sump pump. If you are building your smoothie juice bar area as an after thought and don’t have the necessary drainage in place, a sump pump is a very inexpensive way to meet the Health Department requirements. Little Giant has some great solutions for satisfying drainage requirements.
Littel Giant Website
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