Frozen Beverage Machines 101: Solutions, Maintenance & More

When you have a small space to work with but a regular flow of customers you'd like to entice with frozen drinks, the FBD 37X Series is the ideal place to begin. A width of just 16 inches in a 2-barrel configuration offers pour rates up to 1,800 ounces per hour. Don't let the small footprint fool you: this versatile machine built using patented technology yields a more durable and reliable dispenser.

There are many places where the 37X Series works best to expand your menu offerings or open new revenue streams. Convenience stores, a long-time favorite provider of frozen drinks, can maximize profitability without a big impact on counter space by choosing this series. Snack bars and movie theater concession stands also benefit from the 37X Series, which uses Optifreeze and RapidFreeze™ technology to continue dispensing high-quality drinks even with a steady sales volume. Likewise, these units also benefit restaurants where space comes at a premium.

The 37X Series includes units with two and three barrels alongside new multi-flavor units. Opt for expanded capacity for higher-volume locations with a three-barrel unit. Whether you only want to offer a couple of fan-favorite flavors or invite customers to create their unique combinations, there is an FBD machine configuration for you.

For a machine that can stand up to the high volumes of busy restaurant bars, large movie theaters, and bustling convenience stores, the FBD 77X Series offers the best solution for keeping the sales coming during peak hours. Within the 77X Series are units with 2, 3, and even 4 barrels for dispensing different flavors. A massive pouring capacity of up to 5,160 ounces per hour places it at the top of the industry. Combine that with rapid recovery times, and you miss fewer sales due to downtime and fill more cups. Multi-flavor variants in the 77X Series let you dramatically expand flavor offerings without any increase in the machine's footprint or operational reliability.

As with other FBD units, the 77X Series features an advanced electronic control system that capably manages cooling cycles and, when used, precise carbonation levels. Similarly, you can continue taking advantage of BIB technology and the convenience of the highly reliable closed, sealed system.

Explore more about the 77x series to see how you can satisfy even the largest crowds.

What are the multi-flavor machines we've mentioned? The 37X and 77X Series have the option for multi-flavor units. These machines offer customers something unique: the opportunity to customize their drinks to suit their personal taste preferences. A multi-flavor machine uses one or two base flavors to begin, such as a lemonade flavor. A customer can then use a touchscreen interface to choose from "flavor shots" that offer unique combinations, such as a frozen cherry lemonade.

FBD multi-flavor machines come in multiple configurations, including one base flavor and four flavor shots, or two base flavors and eight flavor shots. These options offer up to 16 and 32 different ways to combine tastes.

For restaurants, these units offer an incredible way to expand menu offerings and cater to a broader range of tastes than is possible with a traditional frozen slush machine. The same is true for movie theaters, which benefit from playing to the preferences of a very demographically diverse customer base. In convenience stores, the interactivity and unique nature of the machine helps drive sales. 

Across all these settings, the unique nature of a multi-flavor machine helps set you apart from the competition. Due to their smaller footprint, multi-flavor machines require less counter space because they let you expand your offerings without increasing your space. Each unit represents more value, especially when changing flavors and combinations quickly.

You can transform your frozen beverage space with minimal impacts on available counter space in-store. It's all possible using the best of FBD's technology. 

What if you could offer adult customers in a wide range of settings the familiar enjoyment of a frozen beverage but with an added edge?

Frozen cocktails are widely popular but often require tedious mixing and blending by hand. That creates opportunities for human error and inconsistency in quality. Meanwhile, manual preparation increases ticket times and lengthens lines. The FBD 77X FC dispenser is the solution to capturing the profitability of frozen cocktails for your business.

In just 26 inches of counter space, you can offer up to 16 flavor variations from one base cocktail type, such as margaritas or a daiquiri. The 77X FC uses the same closed-sealed system as our other units and uses premixed BIB products that deliver highly reliable consistency in both flavor and alcohol content.

These units are perfect for bars and restaurants looking to add variety to beverage offerings without increasing bartender workloads. Movie theaters, which increasingly embrace beer, wine, and cocktail offerings to moviegoers, also benefit from the versatility of a machine that offers so many variations from a base cocktail. The high capacity and powerful hardware are also ideal for sports and entertainment venues where alcohol sales contribute to profitability.

Leave the manual mixing of frozen cocktails behind when you explore these innovative frozen cocktails units.

We've simplified cleaning and maintenance across our entire product line to streamline your operational processes. Unlike many other styles of frozen beverage dispensers, FBD units rely on an entirely closed and sealed system to produce and serve drinks.  A closed loop system means no need to disassemble the unit daily to sanitize and clean the equipment.  Your staff only needs to empty and clean the drip trays while giving the machine a basic wipe-down on a daily basis. Annually, a certified technician should inspect the machine, replace any worn-down parts, and conduct a thorough sanitization process.

A sealed system that relies on bag-in-box (BIB) technology helps keep your machine up and running around the clock without downtime for intensive cleaning. Once or twice per year, we suggest ordering a preventative maintenance visit. These visits involve checking major components of the machine and re-sealing the unit for another year of reliable, food-safe operation. Whether you require this preventative maintenance or a more in-depth service call for a repair or parts replacement, you can rely on our nationwide network of third-party service providers.

Our customer support team is here to help you keep your units in excellent operating condition, too. We can offer guidance and insight into the best practices for the daily cleaning of your unit and explain how maintenance of the closed-loop system works. Friendly and knowledgeable troubleshooting help from technical support may also help you avoid needing a maintenance visit by offering a more immediate solution.

Between our support teams, third-party technicians, and our comprehensive parts inventory, we offer you everything you need to maintain a unit throughout the life of your investment.

From time to time, you may encounter issues that require additional assistance from a trained technician. As mentioned, we can help you connect with a certified third-party technician in your area. These technicians receive in-depth training on FBD units to equip them with the skills necessary to quickly and expertly troubleshoot any issues you may have.

Upon arrival at your site, a technician examines your machine and provides a prompt diagnosis and a detailed breakdown of the problem in question. This transparent report also details the steps required to address the issue. Using high-quality replacement parts, state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and a knowledge of best practices, your technician will restore your unit to proper working order as quickly as possible.

You'll be able to return to serving your customers without lengthy periods of unprofitable downtime.

From low-footprint machines for small spaces to cutting-edge frozen cocktail dispensers, there are many paths you can take to start offering customers something new and exciting. Closed seal systems, BIB technology, easy cleaning, and annual preventive maintenance all add up to equal a highly versatile and reliable investment that ultimately helps pay for itself. The only question that remains is which unit you should choose.

Selecting the machine best suited to your space and business needs requires balancing multiple factors. With so many ways to customize and tailor your approach to frozen beverage dispensers, however, our team can help you identify the best solution.

Connect with us today to learn more about our hardware and for friendly help in identifying the machine that's right for you.