Keep your display looking fresh
Treat your gelato display like any other display case.
If you left a muffin in the muffin display case day  after day of course the public would be turned off. Just like the pasty case, refresh your gelato every morning. Never leave the last bit of gelato in a pan on display. No one wants to buy the last bit thinking it must be old. Replace  the pan with a fresh one and scoop the last bit of gelato on top of the new pan.

Rotate your flavors
You should always keep multiple flavors in stock.  If your display holds 12 pans have at least 15 flavors in stock. Then every couple of days switch out the slow moving flavor. Put the slow moving flavor back after a few days and the public is more willing to try it. By rotating your flavors this will help with the perception that you sell gelato. The public  seems to favor the flavors that seem to be selling. Never leave the same flavor in the case for more than 15 days if it’s not selling. Get in the habit of  rotating your flavors every few days.

The basic 6
Vanilla-Chocolate-Nutty-Caramel-Fruity-Coffee
The rule of the basic 6 is so anyone that comes into your cafe will find a flavor that’s appealing to them. The basic 6 hits each flavor note with out being to fancy. Its important that your display is not just chocolate flavors or a majority of one flavor. By covering the basic 6, then the remaining pans can be the creative flavors  without turning off the person that just wants a simple flavor. These flavors should be kept simple, the chocolate to not have nuts, the vanilla to be a clean  vanilla.

How many flavors should I display
In a to-go area of a sit down  restaurant a simple 6 flavor display is adequate. In this application the restaurant should have 10 flavors on hand for rotation. In a fine restaurant the rules of the basic 6 are not as important as the Gelateria or Cafe. In the cafe  setting its important to have at least 10 flavors on display, this will allow you to have the basic 6 and 4 more pans to get creative. Our cafes that display  24 flavors do better than the ones with 10 flavors. We have found the more flavors you can offer the better the success of your gelato business.

Psychology of your gelato  display

PGI of Saugatuck Inc., IDC of Saugatuck Inc. 413 Third St, Fennville, MI 49408 1-800-4GELATO, 269-561-2000