News and Events Blog

Poppin’ Good News

What’s Poppin’?

Here’s the latest issue of Poppin’ Good News, the newsletter designed for the Fun Foods Industry.

Each Issue is full of useful ideas and information to help your business reach its highest possible profit goals. Have fun reading the articles, try to put at least one new idea to work, and keep us informed of your results!

As your dedicated Fun Food supplier, we will continue to send you, our valued customer, complementary issues of Poppin’ Good News as they are published.

Table of Contents (click the story’s name to navigate to that story):
1. NEW 2008 Catalog Available.
2. NEW Meister Bake Pretzels.
3. How to Find New Venues for Concession Stand Operators.
4. Kreative Korner.

The New 2008 Fun Food Catalog is NOW AVAILABLE!

The 2008 Fun Food catalog is bigger and better than ever with many new and exciting innovations and products!

This year we are creating a whole new line of Sno-Kone^® and Shaved Ice machines. These new machines use a brand new, state of the art shaving technology that makes the machines easier and safer to use. The SnoPro, #1800, is the first of its kind and has gone through rigorous testing to prove it is built to last. This is a great addition to your Fun Food line up and perfect for the upcoming season.

We also added a new Fruit Splash Smoothie line. We have two different kind of heavy duty blenders, made to endure continuous, long-term use. Plus, all three flavors we offer are made with real fruit! Freshen up your menu with this ripe new item!

We have highlighted just two items above but many more hot new items have been added to our catalog. Contact us today for a free copy! We are the one stop shop for all your concession needs.

Table of Contents

What New Snack should I Add?

A great new snack food we offer is the Meister Bake Pretzel. This pretzel is an authentic Bavarian recipe that was created by a third generation German trained master pretzel baker. The characteristic that sets this soft, hand twisted pretzel apart from other pretzels is its unique storage capabilities. This pretzel is NFR which means no freezer required. What a difference this makes!

The consistency now stays the same because it is never frozen. You will never serve another pretzel with a cold middle! The pretzels are always moist too which creates a feeling of freshness. Since this particular pretzel doesn’t require a freezer, it makes for fast transaction time. It requires no preparation time which means all you do is warm and serve! These pretzels are a great item to add to your concession stand that will be extremely successful!

Say goodbye to thawing, salting and packaging. We offer salted, unsalted,and cinnamon & sugar pre-made. Each pretzel comes in a self contained quality package which makes it very easy to sell. They are available 48 in a case.

We also offer many pretzel warmers to store the pretzels. These warmers are great because they keep the pretzel warm and ready to serve immediately. The most popular is the #5330P Meister Bake Pretzel Warmer. You can display pretzels on top while also warming them in the warmer. You can also use the bottom shelf for portion pak cheese. Now you can have your pretzels and cheese ready to go immediately without any hassle. Plus, clean up is easy because everything is self contained!

The Meister Bake Pretzel completely revolutionizes the pretzel industry! Don’t miss out on this incredible product that will make your life easier!

Table of Contents

Popcorn Storage Tips

Popcorn needs moisture in order to pop, so storing popcorn correctly is critical. If you leave your kernels uncovered on a hot day, an entire percentage of moisture could be lost. This could make your popcorn unpoppable.

The best way to store popcorn is to use an airtight container, either plastic or glass. When stored in a cool place like a cupboard or closet, this is the best way to avoid moisture loss. Although some say that the refrigerator makes popcorn taste better, this method can dry out kernels, as many refrigerators contain little moisture.

How to Find Venues for New Food Concession Operators

One of the most difficult challenges that new food concession operators face is how to find venues such as fairs, festivals, and other events and then how to convince the management of those venues that it is their best interests to have them attend.

Fairs and festivals are always looking for new and somewhat unique items to have at their venue, after all they want increased attendance and fairs and festivals that are always the same have a tendency to see attendance slowly drop from one year to next.

If you, as a new food concession operator, are providing nothing more than a “me to’ menu with nothing new, exciting or out of the ordinary you will definitely have an uphill challenge to obtain space. New and exciting does not have to mean some exotic food, although a new or unusual food concept is usually a fair management grabber, it can mean a well or uniquely decorated trailer, or unusual outfits for the staff. Always be careful if you are trying to promote anything that is audio oriented, theme music can be a negative as far as some fair managers are concerned.

I always suggest that food concessionaires produce a small but meaningful electronic brochure, showing what their food concession trailer looks like, inside and out, outlining the menu and prices, and how many customers can be served per hour. This gives the fair management a feeling that you are professional and that you take the food concession business seriously. A food concession operator must always remember that the quality of the food concessions are always viewed, by the attendees, as a major part of the total fair experience. Bad or poor food quality or poor health standards and the attendees will say that the fair was bad or poor. Highlight your commitment to cleanliness and quality and as time progresses add the fairs, festivals and any other events that you have attended as references.

Do not get frustrated, filling out concession forms for fairs and festivals can be likened to sending out resumes. In the beginning you have to send out a lot in order to get a response from a few and like a resume, you have to indicate why you should be chosen over another food concession.

If your food concession trailer/vehicle is self-contained, you do not need an external source of power or water, I suggest that the new food concessionaire consider parking near little league parks on weekends. It is an excellent method of learning the business and how to cook and serve efficiently.

This article was written by Robert Berman and appeared in the September 1, 2007 issue of the Food and Beverage Industries Community.

Table of Contents

Kreative Korner

Shape up your soft serve with our Fruit Splash Smoothie Mix. Our smoothie mix is made with real fruit so it adds nutritional value to the frozen sweet treats. Don’t have a soft serve machine but want a creamer smoothie? We have a recipe for you as well!

In the Soft Serve Machine

1/2 gallon Fruit Splash Smoothie Mix
2 gallons of Water
1 carton of Italian Ice Base (no dairy added)
OR
1/2 gallon Fruit Splash Smoothie Mix
7 quarts of Water
1 carton of Frosty Freeze
1 oz. Uncle Dave’s Imitation Vanilla

In the Blender

4 oz. Fruit Splash Smoothie Mix
4 oz. of Water
2 cups of Ice
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Frosty Freeze*

*If you would like a thicker consistency in the blender, refrigerate your Frosty Freeze mix over night.

We conducted taste tests for all three recipes and they all got rave reviews! And what is nice about these, is you can use different flavors with the same base recipe. We offer three flavors of the smoothie mix and vanilla and chocolate in the base flavors. These recipes are perfect for adding something new and healthier to your menu!

Table of Contents

Send It In!

This newsletter is for you! For this reason, we welcome any and all comments and suggestions. We want this publication to be useful to you in your day to day business.

In addition, please email us with topics that interest you because chances are, there are many others out there who would be interested in the same topic. Who knows, maybe you’ll be featured in the next issue! Email all topic ideas, Kreative Korner stories, and suggestions to kmoore@gmpopcorn.com. We’d love to hear from you! Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Bag in Box Connecter Tutorial Video

Having trouble with Bag Connectors on B.I.B. oil, or butter units? A new instructional movie is now available on our tutorial video section for help on proper bag connector operation. This helpful demo should clarify any questions or problems you might have. Click here to watch it now.

Gold Medal Products Profitability Guide - Your Roadmap to Fun Food Profits!!

The buck really starts here! We are your one stop shopping source for all your concession needs, from equipment to supplies - we have it all for you! Look to Gold Medal for EVERYTHING needed to implement a more profitable concession program. The following will help you plan your fundraising or profit-making foundation for your business, club, or organization.

Profitability Guide (PDF)

Poppin’ Good News

This e-newsletter is published for users of Fun Food Equipment in every industry! Whether you are a professional operator, or a volunteer fundraiser, we are here to help you make the most of your concession operation.

In this issue…
Cotton Candy – Fluff up Profits with the Can-Do Candy Alternative!
Pop Quiz – What Should You look for When Buying a Popper?
The Golden Crunch – Cash in with Caramel Corn!

Read the rest of this entry »

Service Bulletin: Pop Maxx

The Pop Maxx has been completely updated to increase strength, air filtration, and added a reversible lighted dome on new 2552LS and 2552LSX machines. Make sure to download and read our service bulletin for full details on the changes and refinements:

• Service Bulletin: Pop Maxx (Microsoft Word)

Kosher and Halal Certificates

Gold Medal’s religious documents are now available online for your viewing. Please check the appropriate certificate to see the products of interest. Gold Medal continuously adds products, and if the product of interest is not listed, please feel free to contact us and let us know.

• Kosher Certificate
• Halal Certificate

Concession Equipment Tutorial Videos

Gold Medal now has available on-line tutorial videos for the operation of several equipment items. These videos cover everything from initial set up and making product, to clean up and proper shut down. Thorough and yet concise, the demos are terrific training, particularly for new users. In addition to being available on our website, they can also be downloaded from the dealer support site, and burned onto a CD, to include with the machine’s operating manual. Product demos currently available include: Popcorn Machines, Cotton Candy Machines, Sno-Kone (Snow Cone) Machines, Frosted Nuts, Kettle Corn, and Caramel Corn.

Open House Factory Super Sale Events

Mark your calendar and bring your check book! At our 2007 Gold Medal Fun Food Factory Super Sale, you will be able to see and operate many of our new and proven fun food equipment items. Talk to experts on concession and snack bar planning to optimize profit! Come experience first hand why Caramel Corn is “the Snack of the Year” with a live demonstration. Register now for free and check for event dates at our Open House Registration page.

Caramel-Popcorn.com

Interested in more sweet profit ideas? Visit our Caramel-Popcorn.com site for details on how to succeed with a new business startup or by expanding your existing business. You can order our FREE Caramel Corn resources and find tips on what you’ll need to get started today!

Setups and Operations

Need help finding the right products for your operation? We have a list of suggested equipment and supplies for nearly every kind of setup:

• Park Facilities
• Rentals
• Festivals
• Restaurants
• Fundraisers
• Stadiums
• Schools
• Movie Theatres

Please contact us with any questions. You can also order our FREE 100+ page catalog for our full line of Fun Food Equipment and Supplies.