Cold Refreshments That Are Perfect for Summer

As a warm front once again brings temperatures to record-highs throughout the northeast and midwest, people rush to take comfort in swimming pools, air conditioning, and refreshing frozen treats. If your restaurant or foodservice is located in an area that will experience more sweltering summer heat, then be sure to offer your customers frozen foods and drinks that they won’t be able to resist. The following includes just a few of the many frozen items you can carry:

Ice Cream

The classic go-to frozen refreshment, ice cream offers the ultimate reprieve from a hot and/or humid summer day. Cold and delicious, ice cream can help your customers escape even the most oppressive conditions and enter the realm of ice cream-induced bliss. Whether you want to carry soft serve or hard ice cream, your patrons will be eternally grateful for the sweet escape from the summer heat.

If you want to offer soft serve, you’ll need to invest in a commercial soft serve machine. Depending on the machine you want, you can be looking to spend anywhere from a few thousand dollars to something in the five figure range. But for the best in ice cream refreshment, accept no substitute. While some machines only have one handle that distributes a single flavor, others have three handles that feature two unique flavors and a twist flavor.

For a less costly alternative, consider outfitting your foodservice with a commercial ice cream dipping cabinet. Capable of storing multiple large ice cream containers, these cabinets are ideal for foodservices that want to offer a variety of flavors. If you own an Italian restaurant that’s looking to complement traditional Italian food, a gelato dipping cabinet is perfect for you.

If you want to carry more low-key ice cream offerings, a commercial chest freezer might be your best bet. Capable of storing frozen novelty items like ice cream sandwiches, cones, bars, fudge pops, ice pops, Italian ices, and more, chest freezers are great options for convenience stores, delis, and pizzerias.

Milkshakes

For those who prefer to drink their ice cream-based refreshments, milkshakes are the perfect choice. Commercial milkshake machines are relatively inexpensive and enable you to offer milkshakes in addition to traditional hard ice cream. Whether you want to make just one milkshake at a time or as many as three, there’s a milkshake mixer for you.

Frozen Cocktails

For restaurants and bars that want to offer the ultimate in adult frozen beverage refreshment, there is no substitute for a frozen cocktail machine. Enabling you to craft delicious margaritas, daiquiris, and piña coladas, frozen cocktail machines are ideal for establishments like bars and pubs that are expecting a high volume of customers.

Frozen Smoothies

Some patrons might prefer to consume vitamin- and nutrient-dense smoothies rather than indulge in ice cream treats. To satisfy these customers, be sure to equip your foodservice with a commercial blender that is capable of frequently blending frozen fruit. For detailed information related to making all types of smoothies, check out this comprehensive smoothie guide.

Lemonade and Iced Tea

Classic old time beverages like lemonade and iced tea offer unparalleled refreshment to customers of all ages. Equip your restaurant, café, or concession stand with a refrigerated beverage dispenser that will ensure your drinks are always ice cold and served at peak refreshment. Several types of beverage dispensers are available. While some only hold one type of beverage, larger dispensers have as many as four distinct bowls. This allows you to offer a variety of lemonades—diet, pink, or yellow—and several different flavors of iced tea.

For equipment that’s specifically designed to brew and serve iced tea, outfit your operation with a commercial iced tea brewer and a commercial ice tea dispenser. Available in an assortment of sizes, iced tea dispensers hold as few as two gallons and as many as ten.

Sushi

For customers who want a cold meal that won’t weigh them down in the summer heat, sushi is the perfect solution. Cool and light, the Japanese specialty is available in a variety of forms. Whether your foodservice offers seafood, vegetables, or tropical fruits, there is a delicious type of sushi that will satisfy your customers. If you decide to offer sushi, make sure to invest in a quality refrigerated sushi case. These pieces of equipment take up minimal space and help ensure your sushi offerings remain fresh, cold, and delicious.

Ice

For many people, all that’s necessary to escape the heat is cold ice—either cubed or crushed. Keeping your foodservice stocked with plenty of ice will also enable you to serve drinks that are sufficiently cold. To make ice distribution easy and efficient, utilize commercial ice machines, ice bins, and ice dispensers. If you also have ice flavoring, you can make delicious frozen treats like classic snow cones and shaved ice.

Slushies

Especially if a large portion of your clientele is made of children, offering slushies is a great way to bring customers in on hot days. Slushy machines can carry anywhere from one to three unique flavors. Just a few of the popular flavors include banana, coconut, lime, raspberry, strawberry, bubble gum, cherry, cotton candy, and watermelon. By alternating what flavors your operation offers, you can help ensure customers keeping coming back for more.

Salad

A classic snack or meal for diners who prefer something light, salads are always popular options when the temperature rises and people crave refreshment. Whether you want to offer bean salad, Caesar salad, chicken salad, egg salad, fruit salad, garden salad, Israeli salad, pasta salad, or potato salad, a reliable refrigerated deli case will keep your offerings cool and well-preserved. These cases are available in a wide range of sizes. So whether you want to feature many kinds of salad or just offer a type or two, there is a deli case that will suit your needs.  

There are plenty of summer food and drink options that can entice customers to use your foodservice as an oasis from the summer heat. There’s no need to offer everything, but by providing patrons with a temporary escape from oppressive weather, you won’t be soon forgotten.