Guides / Cafés
How much does a scoop of ice cream cost to serve?
Tub or mix cost by the litre, overrun, scoop size, then the cone or cup, topping and napkin. Cost per serving and the price at your target.
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Cost a scoopIce cream is sold by the scoop and bought by the tub, and air is part of the recipe. Overrun, the air whipped in, decides how many scoops a tub really gives. Then the cone, cup, topping and napkin, which are often half the cost.
The formula
Servings per tub = tub litres × (1 + overrun) ÷ scoop ml × 1000. Ice cream per serving = tub cost ÷ servings. Cost per serving = ice cream + cone or cup + topping + extras, × (1 + waste). Price at target = cost ÷ target %.
What a good number looks like
Where a scoop shop lives. Cones and cups included.
Usually the cup or the topping. Charge for toppings.
The scoop has grown or the price has not. Weigh three scoops.
What to do about it
- Buy cones and cups by the case: ChickenPieces sells JOY cones 800 to a case and paper cups 1,000 to a case.
- Weigh a scoop weekly. Scoops drift up in summer.
- Price toppings separately; they are the highest-margin thing in the shop.
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Cost a scoop