Popcorn Machine Information

Your popcorn machine, beverage dispenser, hot dog machine (roller grill or rotisserie) -- and any other type of "action" concession equipment should be on the front counter wherever possible - certainly, your highest profit margin items should be "up-front." There's a difference of 30% to 50% in sales of may impulse snacks which come when you take the machine off the back bar and put it on the front counter.

The best possible way to increase sales is by selling the best product. Be certain to use the finest quality corn. Other ingredients can also boost sales - use the right amount of popping oil. For the best expansion, always use between 24-30 percent of the corn weight in popping oil per batch (and for best flavor always use coconut oil). Use coconut oil for a cleaner kettle - coconut oil is a "fully saturated" popping oil, and will not form a black varnish inside and outside your kettle. Coconut oil will never turn rancid as will virtually every "liquid" oil. It is also recommended that no more than 4 percent salt to corn should be used in your popcorn popper. 

Illumination: Always select equipment which has illumination - you pay for that once—the lights under the popper dome attract customers to your snack bar forever.

"Profit Pairing": Place your popcorn machine next to the item that is most logical to be sold as a companion snack. Customers see both, and buy both. (This is also a way to improve worker productivity when you happen to promote "popcorn and cold drinks" for example.) Keep the profit mates together.

Spend the money to get the machine which says, "Popcorn" in a manner which is as visible as possible from as far away as is possible. Or, if you're selecting Antique equipment get your Antique equipment out where people can see it - usually Antique equipment helps attract more attention, create more impulses, and therefore more impulse sales.

POPPER APPEARANCE

The next part in the outline is the "In-Store Popcorn Machine Check List' which mentions several points — each of which actually helps improve popcorn sales. For your type operation each of these checkpoints may not be 100% appropriate — so, modify the in-store popcorn machine checklist with checkpoints that are significant. In addition, the following points help improve popcorn sales.

Clean it - every evening at the close of business, pack all of the popped popcorn into polybags, tie it tightly with a twist-em, and then thoroughly clean the machine.

Fill it during working hours. Always keep a moderate display of popped popcorn - never get down to the absolute bottom - likewise, don't fill it all the way up - give room to start popping in advance of an anticipated rush so that the aroma is there.

Keep it hot - when you are popping, you may keep the door of the machine open so that steam given off will escape and not fog up the windows. Once you have finished popping, keep the machine doors closed so that the corn stays "kettle crisp" all the time.

Light it up - make sure you have the light bulbs in the dome working - this point is on the checklist

Careful with the scoop: Do not "jab" the scoop into the tender kernels - rather, try to scoop form the bottom with the metal of the scoop in touch with metal on the "floor" (or deck) of the popcorn machine. This will cut back on breakage.

Check the "old maid" drawer - too many old maids can mean your corn has dried out, or you have bought poor corn, or possibly your kettle is not getting to the proper popping temperature. That means your selling tough popcorn - they will never come back for seconds. If you have too many little white "butterfly ears" which have been broken off of kernels and now are in the old maid drawer, re-educate the operator on proper use of the popcorn scoop. Teach them how to develop a light soft touch - metal to metal contact.