by Tyler Allison, VP of Operations at FrozenDessertSupplies.com/ Sierra Madre Supplies and IFYA Packaging and Branding Expert
Running a frozen yogurt shop means juggling a hundred things at once—from managing flavors and toppings to training staff and serving customers. One area that often gets overlooked until it’s too late? Disposable supplies. Cups, spoons, and lids are seemingly small details that can make or break the customer experience and your bottom line.
In today’s fast-paced market, shop owners need fast, affordable, and high-quality solutions. But too often, businesses feel like they have to compromise by either sacrificing speed for quality, quality for price, or price for branding. Over the years, I’ve seen many businesses feel as though they can only have one or the other, and I believe that’s a false choice. With the right strategy, you can have all three.
Enter the BUS Strategy: Branded, Unique, and Standard
At Frozen Dessert Supplies, we’ve coined a term called “The BUS Strategy.” It’s a simple concept to help froyo shops streamline their supplies. And it works as follows:
- Branded – These are cups with your logo, tagline, or design. Branded elements turn a plain cup into a mini billboard. If you’re investing in your product and your location, investing in your brand just makes sense. Branded custom cups build recognition, create a memorable experience, and encourage social sharing.
- Unique – Think outside the box to find unique supplies. A pink polka dot cup or color-changing spoons are eye-catching and fun. Unique products create memorable moments. They’re conversation starters and give your shop personality. They are especially useful during seasonal promotions or grand openings. These products can be unique without being custom.
- Standard – Your dependable go-to products could include plain white cups, clear spoons, and basic lids. Basic supplies are cost-effective, easy to stock in bulk, and always good to have on hand when things get unexpectedly busy or you need to bridge the gap during reorders of your specialty supplies.
There’s a time and season for each of these options. The thing to keep in mind is that it’s important to set a brand strategy for your shop to guide your choice of options. For example, when you are first starting out, it makes sense to go the “standard” route if your marketing budget is limited. Some shops go straight for the branded cup, allocating marketing budget for their branded cups. For seasonal promotions and special events, unique cups may make more sense because of the lower minimum order quantity.
How to Streamline Without Sacrificing Quality
- Forecast Inventory Together: One of the biggest sources of stress for business owners is not knowing when supplies will run out. By forecasting usage with your supplier, you can avoid both over-ordering and costly last-minute rush shipping. We’ve helped hundreds of shops plan around seasonality, new store openings, and growth projections.
- Use Hybrid Ordering: Many shops don’t realize they can blend branded and standard products in their ordering strategy. For example, some shops will order branded cups for their higher volume sizes and unique or standard products for their lower volume sizes. If you want to continue to have your logo on the lower volume stuff, use stickers or rubber stamps.
- Look for Turnkey Service: Choose suppliers who offer short lead times, warehouse inventory in the U.S., provide complimentary in-house design, and have dedicated support teams. You don’t have time to chase down your order or wait six weeks for a shipment to clear customs. Speed matters, but so does consistency.
- Audit Your Supply Chain Costs: The cost of a spoon isn’t just the unit price—it’s the shipping, storage, and replacement cost if you run out. By working with a supplier who understands your business and helps you optimize freight, lead times, and packing configurations, you’ll see the savings stack up.
Don’t Cut Corners
Running lean doesn’t mean running cheap. It means making strategic decisions. When you streamline your disposable supplies using the BUS method, you’re not just saving time and money, you’re also reinforcing your brand and elevating the customer experience.
Whether you’re just getting started or are looking to scale up your operations, your disposables shouldn’t be an afterthought. After all, you are putting your hard work and your actual product in the cups. They’re part of your story, and with the right approach, they can help you stand out without slowing you down.
If you want to talk about streamlining your supplies, reach out to me. No charge to you, just two people talking business. (480) 428-1999 – Ask for Tyler or email me at tyler@frozendessertsupplies.com. I would love to be of help.
