Top reasons to recommend soft serve over hard pack for both dairy and plant based products. When working with clients who have a desire to open a retail shop, usually the first question, what are you planning to feature on the menu? After that, are you planning to serve soft serve or scoop hard product?
When soft serve is suggested, the client says, tell me.
Soft Serve v Hard Pack:
Both product bases start at 40 degree F, but then split off into separate manufacturing directions.
Soft Serve:
At the store level, the pasteurized base is added in a bin typically located at the top of a soft serve freezer, churned and frozen to a thickened state, dispensing at 23 degrees F or lower and served in a cup or cone.
Hard Pack:
At the manufacturer, pasteurized base is churned and frozen in a batch or continuous freezer, dispensed at around 27 degrees F into a container for retail or food service purposes.
The container is sealed and lidded and sent directly to a hardening or “blast freezer” maintained at -30 degrees F.
Dispensing Soft Serve:
As earlier mentioned, using a soft serve freezer. Machines are available in 1 – 3 head dispensers, single and twin head are the most popular. Note, machines are air or water cooled, powered by 110 v – 220 v and set on a counter or positioned on the floor.
Serving Hard Pack:
Typically product is presented in a round 3 gallon tub that fits in a standard dipping cabinet and made from plastic or paperboard. The tubs are placed into and scooped from a display dipping cabinet freezer with glass shield in the front allowing customers to look through and see the variety of flavors.
A dipping cabinet is typically a “cold wall freezer” system and come in 4 ft or 8 ft lengths, respectively holding 8 – 16, 9 in round tubs.
Soft Serve Advantages:
Fresh product, smooth creamy texture at just about any fat level, low investment in back stock inventory, additional potential for higher gross margin.
Soft Serve Disadvantages:
Unless you decide to add flavor on the fly, the more flavors you want to offer, the more machines are required. Breakdown to clean the freezing barrel and dasher every other day and the dispensing valve every day.
Hard Pack Advantages:
The ability to display and serve up to 16 tub flavors in a single dipping cabinet.
Hard Pack Disadvantages:
An increase in temperature fluctuation can cause products to discolor or become icy and gooey over a two – three day period, increased waste from scraping away unsightly product in the tub, hundreds of dollars in backup inventory, dipping case requires continuous cleaning to eliminate frost build-up on the freezer interior wall making less eye appeal and a dipper well to hold the ice cream scooper is required.
Top Reasons to Serve Soft Serve over Hard Pack:
- Delivers a fresh product that smooth & creamy
- Offers a higher gross profit margin
- Less equipment required
- Reduces product inventory
- Less overall space required
- Add flavoring on the fly
- Can be more visually appealing
- Lower order requirements from supplier
Or, if you seek the best of both worlds, then feature both hard pack and soft serve in your shop. Your customers will not only thank you, but appreciate the diversity.
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