The National Dipper May/June 2021

Dipper Vol. 37 No. 3

The National ®

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS

May/June 2021 $5.00

Reader Service #101

®

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS Published by United States Exposition Corp.

Vol. 37, No. 3 • May/June 2021

Features Customer Service Tips Every Retailer Should Try.........12

by Joseph Heller

The American Rescue Plan of 2021................................16

by Mark E. Battersby

Page 5 - James T. Aglamesis, Aglamesis Brothers, Cincinnati, Ohio passed away at age 93.

Writing A Policy Manual for Your Store.........................22

by Lynda Utterback

Departments Advertisers’ Index ......................26 Calendar .............................26 Editorial ..............................4 News .....................................5

Reader Service Card ....................19 Regional Yellow Pages ..............25 Subscription Card ........................9 Yellow Pages ............................25

Page 8 - Pearl Giordano, Limpert Brothers, Vineland, New Jersey passed away unexpectedly on March 9th.

In The Next Issue • July is National Ice Cream Month • July 18 is National Ice Cream Day • Promotion of the Year Contest Opens The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Page 11 - Culver Franchising named Enrique “Rick” Silva as CEO. 3

Editorial

Important Announcement As I begin the 37th year of publishing The National Dipper I have decided to take the magazine totally virtual.

As you may know, I have been posting the current issue on the The National Dipper’s web site since March 2020 as well as mailing a printed copy. This issue, the May/June 2021 issue will be the last printed issue of the magazine.

All future copies will be virtual.

The decision was not easy but one that was necessary. With paper, printing and postage prices increasing yearly, coupled with the poor rate of delivery of the printed version, I had to decide if I was going to raise advertising rates and/or start charging for subscriptions. Neither answer seemed right to me.

The open rate of the virtual magazine is well above average, as well as visits to the web site, so it was time to stop printing and go totally virtual.

If you received the Constant Contact email telling you that this issue was available online, you don’t need to do anything. If you did not get the Constant Contact email, you need to fill out the subscription card in this issue and include your email address in order to continue your subscription to the magazine. You must give me permission to add your email address to the Constant Contact mailing list.

I promise I will not clog your inbox with emails. You will only receive an email when the issue is posted on the web site, six times a year.

Also of note is that during the beginning of the pandemic, I was working from home. I realized it was not only doable, but possible and I don’t really need a 1,500 sq.ft. office for myself.

So during the next few weeks I will be downsizing and moving my office into my home. As a result I have two pieces of art that will not fit in my home and am offering them here for sale.

The first is an approximately 3-foot chocolate ice cream cone and 4

the second is an approximately 5-foot sundae, both are free standing and will need to be picked up in my office in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. They cannot be shipped.

I am asking $300 for the chocolate ice cream cone and $450 for the sundae. Prices are firm. Pictures are below. Please email me at lynda@nationaldipper.com if you are interested.

THE MAGAZINE FOR FROZEN DESSERT RETAILERS

LYNDA UTTERBACK Publisher/Editor Editorial and Sales Office 1030 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-7226 Phone: 847/301-8400 Fax: 847/301-8402 e-mail:lynda@nationaldipper.com Web: www.nationaldipper.com

This publication is a member of: • New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association • National Ice Cream Mix Association • Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Association • The Ice Screamers The National Dipper (USPS 0001-374) (ISSN #0895-9722) is published six times a year, (Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/June; Jul/Aug: Sep/Oct; Nov/Dec) by United States Exposition Corp., 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. 847/301-8400. The National Dipper serves ice cream retailers in the United States and Canada.

COPYRIGHT © 2021 UNITED STATES EXPOSITION CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The National Dipper Magazine and The National Dipper Source Books (the “Works”) contain proprietary information and are licensed, not sold. In consideration for the original subscriber of this copy of this work substantially completing and returning the subscription form to the publisher, which act shall be deemed sufficient evidence of said subscriber's acceptance of this non-exclusive, non-transferable, license, the publisher (a) grants the original subscriber only the limited right to use these works in that subscriber's business, provided that said subscriber does not sell, resell, reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means, (by way of example and not limitation, photocopying or recording by or in an information storage retrieval system) these Works, either in part or in their entirety, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Without advance written permission from the copyright owner, no part of these publications may be sold, resold, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, without limitation, electronic, optical, or mechanical means (by way of example and not limitation, photocopying, or recording by or in an information storage retrieval system).

For information on permission to copy material exceeding fair use from the National Dipper Source Book or other copies of The National Dipper, please contact: Lynda Utterback, Publisher/Editor, The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007; Telephone (847) 301-8400. The “NATIONAL DIPPER” and the “ICE CREAM CONE DESIGN” are registered trademarks of JLM Unlimited, Inc. In new product items and trade news this publication acts only as a news reporting service and assumes no responsibility for the validity of claims or statements. Unsolicited material should be accompanied by return postage. The publisher assumes no responsibility for such material. All letters/e-mails sent to The National Dipper will be considered the property of The National Dipper.

Subscriptions are free to qualified recipients.

Periodicals postage rates paid at Palatine, IL and additional mailing offices.

Lynda Utterback Publisher/Editor

POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007.

The National Dipper May/June 2021

News THE GREAT LAKES Ice Cream and Fast Food Association has announced the dates for the 55th Anniversary Convention and Trade Show, February 10 – 12, 2022 to be held at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The convention will offer a ServSafe Certification Class, full day of educational seminars and workshops, show floor breakout sessions, and hands-on demonstrations. Returning is the Friends First Program to assist new members and firsttime members navigate the convention.

Highlights of the convention include the Meet n Greet, Welcome Reception, Store Operator Networking Luncheon, Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast-Breakfast, the Founder’s Banquet Dinner which will honor the 2022 Ward J Anderson Scholarship Winners and live entertainment by Empty Canvas. Empty Canvas artist Mike McMath sings while painting on canvas and is accompanied on guitar by his twin, Scott.

Members are invited to add their own strokes to the painting, too! The painting will be auctioned with proceeds benefiting the Ward J Anderson Scholarship Program.

The 2-day Trade Show, held Friday and Saturday, is one of the industry’s most cost-effective methods of finding the latest products, services, trends, and solutions for your business with online pre-registration for the convention and trade show to be available.

For more information on exhibiting and attending visit www.glicffa.com or call 810-618-0605. The Great Lakes Ice Cream + Fast Food Association was founded in 1967 in Chesaning, Michigan.

WE ARE SAD to announce that James T. Aglamesis (Jim) passed away Jan 23rd at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, Jayne, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He took over Aglamesis Bros.’ when he came back from military service in 1953. His father, Thomas along with his brother Nicholas, moved from Greece to Cincinnati, Ohio and opened the business in 1908. They grew the business that became a Cincinnati icon. Nicholas passed in the 1950s and Thomas became ill shortly afterwards and passed in 1961. Jim stepped into business and ran it until he turned the business over to his stepson Randy and daughter Dianne in 2016, but remained active in the business. He served customers into his 90s. Today, Dianne Lytle (CFO) and Randy Young (President) represent the 3rd generation, and Randy’s daughter, Kristi Weissman, general manager is representing the 4th generation. We honor him at Aglamesis Bros.’ going forward by continuing in the traditions of quality in all of our ice creams and deluxe chocolates handed down to him by his dad and uncle.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Reader Service #102

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Tips for Costing Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Cakes & Pies How to Cost:

• Mix • Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Soft Frozen Yogurt • Hard Frozen Yogurt • Crunch • Cake • Manufacturing • Preparation • Decoration • Packaging • Labor • Pricing

Tips for Costing Cones, Sundaes, Shakes & Other Goodies Using Soft or Hard Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt How to Cost:

• Mix • Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Soft Frozen Yogurt • Hard Frozen Yogurt • Cones • Sundaes • Shakes • Mix-Ins • Sodas • Floats • and more

Learn from Cliff Freund, Cliff's Dairy Maid, an expert and store owner for over 40 years!

$15.99 each

SAVE–Order Both for $30. plus shipping & handling

Description

ORDER FORM

Total

Costing Cakes & Pies, $15.99, plus $2.00 s&h Costing Cones, Sundaes, $15.99, plus $2.00 s&h Both Manuals, $30.00 plus $4.00 s&h Illinois Residents add 9.5% sales tax Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Sorry, no phone or credit card orders.

TOTAL

Name

Company Address City

State

Zip

Make check payable to JLM Unlimited, Inc., 1030 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 • Phone: 847-301-8400

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News JULY IS RIGHT around the corner and at Leopold’s Ice Cream that means two things – National Ice Cream Month and the start of the I Pledge for Ice Cream Project!

As a sweet way to say, “Thanks for Your Patriotism,” on July 1st from 4-7PM, Leopold’s Ice Cream will give any child (age 12 and under, accompanied by an adult) who can recite the Pledge of Allegiance a free child’s scoop in a cake cone, cup or sugar cone! Patriotic participants should come to 212 East Broughton Street on July 1st from 4-7PM for the I Pledge for Ice Cream kick-off event.

After the kick-off, Leopold’s Ice Cream on Broughton Street will hold additional I Pledge for Ice Cream events each Monday in July from 4-7pm. The 2021 dates are as follows: July 1, 5, 12, 19 & 26. That’s five, I Pledge events this year!

Ice cream entrepreneur and Hollywood movie producer, Stratton Leopold and his wife Mary, launched the I Pledge for Ice Cream Project in Savannah, GA on July 1, 2010 to underscore the importance of teaching patriotism to young children. This simple yet effective project has been wildly successful, spreading all over the United States with 40 states and 153 frozen dessert shops participating! All participating stores are listed on the program website, www.IPledgeFor IceCream.com ALI GROUP, announced that it has successfully closed on its agreement to acquire KOLD-DRAFT® International from The Legacy Companies based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Filippo Berti, Ali Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “We are very pleased to welcome KOLDDRAFT into the Ali Group. The KOLD-DRAFT acquisition is strategically important to our Group as it strengthens our position as a leader in the global commercial foodservice industry. This latest acquisition provides us with one of the industry’s most unique and well-known ice shapes and further enhances our portfolio in the ice machine segment. The addition of very strong and well-recognized brands to those of the Group increases Ali’s global presence and visibility.”

The Ali Group was founded in 1963 by Luciano Berti, the Ali Group is an Italian corporation with headquarters located in Milan, Italy and North American operations based in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiaries, the company designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of commercial and institutional foodservice equipment used by major restaurant and hotel chains, independent restaurants, hospitals, schools, airports, correctional institutions and canteens.

The Ali Group and its 80 global brands employ approximately 10,000 people in 30 countries and, in terms of sales, is one of the world’s largest groups in this industry. It has 58 manufacturing facilities in 15 countries and sales and service subsidiaries throughout Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Since 1955, KOLD-DRAFT has been manufacturing ice machines that make the only true “square cube,” utilizing their exclusive “upside-down” horizontal evaporator icemaking system.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

News IN CELEBRATION OF National Library Week, renowned ice cream maker and Hollywood film producer Stratton Leopold and his wife, Mary, presented Live Oak Public Libraries with copies of their award-winning centennial book, “Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories” at the Bull Street Library location.

The centennial book chronicles the lives and storied history of the Leopold brothers and their family in Savannah, Georgia. Featuring a foreword by former President Jimmy Carter, the extensive, coffee-table work commemorates one of Savannah’s favorite success stories. It offers an intimate look at the making of a humble fruit and homemade ice cream stand that became a cornerstone of the community and later an iconic parlor in the heart of what is now one of the world’s top travel destinations.

Personal stories from original Leopold’s customers, which read like love letters to the family business and Savannah, are offset with vintage photos, celebrity quotes and classic recipes. The book also illustrates Savannah’s growth and Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar film industry, kickstarted

by Stratton Leopold and a group of his peers in the 1970s.

All 17 branches of Live Oak Public Libraries, including a mobile library, received copies of the book. Each year, the Live Oak Public Library typically hosts more than 1.1 million visitors, checks out over 1.1 million items, answers in excess of 485,000 questions, registers more than 555,000 computer sessions, and presents programs to nearly 125,000 patrons in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty Counties.

“We recognize the important role local libraries play in communities, as they provide a place for lifelong learning and access to opportunities,” said Leopold. “Through the donation of these books, we hope to share a unique look into the history of Savannah and tell the story of our ice cream parlor along with it.”

Leopold’s Ice Cream and Live Oak Public Libraries partnered to host the 11th Annual Creative Writing Challenge, where local school children are invited to submit poems for a chance to win an ice cream social. The challenge and this donation underscores Leopold’s Ice Cream’s commitment to literacy, art, education and fostering creativity and expression in young people.

“Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories” was written by best-selling author Melanie Bowden Simón. Wes Johnson is the talented graphic designer behind the iconic cover, depicting a perfect double scoop cone of Leopold’s super-premium, homemade ice cream overlaid with their classic logo.

The book was named a finalist for the 2020 International Book Awards in four categories: Biography, General Business, General History and United States History. It was also named one of the Best Cover Design finalists in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards non-fiction category.

The book is available for purchase at E Shaver Booksellers, Leopold’s Ice Cream’s flagship location on Broughton St. and online at Leopold’s Ice Cream’s website, with proceeds benefiting local education initiatives in Savannah.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Reader Service #104

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News A LIGHT WAS DIMMED in Vineland, NJ for our own Pearl Giordano, well known activist for local politics and CEO for Limpert Brothers for many years until its closing last year.

Pearl (Emerson) Giordano, 78 years young of Vineland, passed away unexpectedly on March 9, 2021 after a brief illness.

Her husband Gerry and close friend Marie were by her side. Born and raised in Millville, NJ, she graduated from Millville High School Class of 1961.

She was a dedicated volunteer at the Padre Pio Shrine in Landisville, NJ. This became her second mission in life, praying weekly with those stopping to visit the shrine and needing prayer.

She became a radio host on Saturday mornings for WLT92.1. Rain, snow, sleet or hail she never disappointed her audience that tuned in from many states. Her fans will miss her hometown venues, her positive thoughts and beautiful prayers. An active member of the Women’s Republican Club,

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The Landis Sewage Authority and she was on the board at Rutger Food Division.

She is survived by her husband Gerald Giordano Sr.; granddaughter Heather Giordano and one great-granddaughter Gabrielle of Florida. She will be dearly missed by her many friends.

Pearl is predeceased by her only son Gerald Jr eight years ago; her mother Pearl Walsh; her half brother Tom Emerson who passed nine weeks ago; and her mother-in-law Louise Giordano.

At the families request in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Pearl may be made to: Pennies in Action, 3100 Dutton Mill Road, Aston, PA 19014 (Breast cancer research).

A church visitation was held on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 9:30am to 11:30am followed by a funeral mass at 11:30 am from Saint Padre Pio Parish - Church Of Our Lady Of Pompeii, 4680 Dante Avenue, Vineland. Interment followed in the church cemetery.

BRUSTER’S REAL Ice Cream launched its mobile Sweet Rewards loyalty program in February 2018. Since then, it’s undergone several iterations – all of which provided sweet benefits to customers including reward points for every purchase and birthday perks – and customers are showing their appreciation. Just last month, Bruster’s was chosen as one of only three Catering, Restaurants and Leisure: Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt brands recognized by Newsweek as part of its Americas Best Loyalty Programs award.

Alongside other national players, Bruster’s inclusion was based upon customer feedback and alignment with standards set by Newsweek. And with a strong final rating, Sweet Rewards has established itself as a go-to for those looking to earn perks and rewards for purchasing Bruster’s ice cream.

“We want our customers to be rewarded for visiting us regularly and Sweet Rewards provides a way for them to stay continuously engaged with Bruster’s throughout the year,” said Vice President, Marketing, Jennifer Brinker. “With a variety of benefits, including a $3 reward for signing up, customers earn one point per dollar spent and receive a $5 reward for every $50 spent in addition to surprise offers.”

And on the heels of Newsweek, Bruster’s also just announced the completion of new franchise agreements in expansion markets including: Indianapolis, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois and Port St. Lucie, Florida. “We continue to experience great interest in the Bruster’s brand as we produce pandemic-proof results,” said Jim Sahene, CEO. “With these new agreements we’re on pace for a record-setting year, building upon our same store sales which is up 38% through the end of February, and look forward to expanding the Bruster’s family one great store at a time.”

Bruster’s has been busy in the kitchen with cookie inspired treats this month both of which are A Scoop Above the Rest: new Caramel Coconut Cookie ice cream is made with vanilla wafers, caramel ripples, coconut and chocolate flakes along with a Warm Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae topped with Mint ice cream made with Oreo Cookies.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Subscription Card The National Dipper Magazine and The National Dipper Source Books are provided, subject to the limited license, stated below, only to qualified subscribers. If you have not filled out a subscription card within the last year, please fill out the card below to receive your complimentary subscription to THE publication for frozen dessert retailers. The subscription is for a one year period only and requires you to re-apply each year in order to continue to receive a complimentary subscription, subject to the limited license. The publisher reserves the right to restrict complimentary subscriptions to qualified subscribers only. All information must be provided or we cannot process your complimentary subscription request. Thank you.

May/June 2021 Subscription Card

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Type of Firm (Check All That Apply) Your Title (Check All That Apply) ❏ Ice Cream Dipping Store-1 ❏ Owner-1 ❏ Soft Serve-2 ❏ Partner-2 ❏ Frozen Yogurt-3 ❏ President-3 ❏ Frozen Custard-4 ❏ Vice President-4 ❏ Gelato-5 ❏ Secretary/Treasurer-5 ❏ Italian Ice -6 ❏ Manager-6 ❏ Vending Vehicle/Catering-7 ❏ Buyer-7 ❏ Concession Stand-8 ❏ Salesperson-8 ❏ Dairy and Convenience-9 ❏ Representative-9 ❏ Supplier of Goods & Services-11 ❏ Other-10 ❏ Distributor-12 Do you make your own frozen desserts using a batch or ❏ Supplier/Dist Rep-13 continuous freezer? ❏Yes ❏ No ❏ Broker-14 Average gallons of frozen desserts sold per week ❏ Other-15 ❏ 151 to 200 gallons-3 ❏ Up to 100 gallons-1 Do you sell food? ❏ 201 plus gallons-4 ❏ 101 to 150 gallons-2 ❏ Yes ❏ No

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News ALLEN MERRILL, from Parker, South Dakota, was reelected chairman of Midwest Dairy during the organization’s annual meeting recently held in Des Moines, Iowa.

Elections for the Corporate board officer team also were held. Charles Krause, Buffalo, Minnesota, was re-elected first vice chairman; Dan Hotvedt, Decorah, Iowa, was re-elected second vice chairman; Lowell Mueller, Hooper, Nebraska, was re-elected secretary and Barb Liebenstein, Dundas, Minnesota, was re-elected treasurer.

New members elected by their Divisions to the Midwest Dairy Corporate board include: Brent Mueller, Garden Prairie, Illinois; Pam Bolin, Clarksville, Iowa; Megan Herberg, St. Peter, Minnesota; Kate McAndrews, Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Division board officers and new members were also elected in each of the 10-state regions.

Midwest Dairy® represents 5,800 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices.

CULVER FRANCHISING System LLC has named Enrique “Rick” Silva as CEO. Silva assumed the new post on March 29. Silva succeeds Joe Koss, who retired at the end of 2020 after 23 years.

Silva most recently served as president and CEO at Tampa, Fla.based Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants Inc., a position he held for 13 years. Prior to Checkers, Silva worked with Burger King.

“As we searched for Culver’s next leader, we were looking for several key characteristics,” said company co-founder Craig Culver, in a statement, “ a true culture and values fit, the ability to support and expand the successful growth of our current and future franchisees and a drive to genuinely deliver on our Culver’s mission: We genuinely care, so every guest who chooses Culver’s leaves happy.”

Culver’s has a system of 792 restaurants in 25 states, with 496 owner-operators and 31,000 team members.

ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD will unveil the paint scheme for the No. 3 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon as part of a 35th anniversary partnership between Andy’s, Richard Childress Racing and Texas Motor Speedway.

As part of the partnership, Andy’s will be sponsoring the Austin Dillon-driven No. 3 Chevrolet in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series, which will debut at the June 13 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Fans of Andy’s and racing alike will also delight in a new “Three-Crete Concrete” frozen custard treat, created with Dillon’s favorite toppings. It will debut April 21 at participating Andy’s locations.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Reader Service #106

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Customer Service Tips Every Retailer Should Try

by Joseph Heller Do you remember the last time you had a truly fantastic customer service experience?

Maybe a cashier complimented your earrings, or maybe the person at the drive-thru unexpectedly threw something extra in for free. Or maybe you were just really vibin’ with the enthusiasm you could hear at the other end of the customer support line. Whatever it was, chances are it made you more excited to return and support that company with your business in the future.

Now… think back to the last time you had an awful customer service experience.

Was someone being unnecessarily difficult while you were trying to decide what flavor of ice cream to purchase?

Or did someone leave you on hold for hours and hours? Or maybe someone just would NOT honor your coupon, even though you received it in an email yesterday?

Whatever that bad experience was… I’d be willing to bet it made you a whole lot less likely to go back anytime soon.

As Vince Lombardi famously said, “It takes months to find a customer and seconds to lose one.” One poor customer service experience could cause you to lose all of a valuable customer’s future business.

Offering better customer service skills often doesn’t cost a dime, but it can make a world of a difference for your

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profits. Studies show that acquiring a new customer can cost five times as much as retaining an existing customer. Plus, the success rate of marketing to a customer you already have is 60-70%, while it’s only 5-20% when marketing to a new customer.

If you haven’t been making great customer service a major priority in your shop lately, now is the time to change that.

Read on to learn 25 powerful (but easy!) customer service tips every retailer should try implementing in their business.

Top 25 Customer Service Tips

Focus on the Customer in Front of You As a store owner, you’ve constantly got about a zillion and one things that need your time and attention. But when it’s a customer you’re dealing with, zero in on them and their needs.

Nobody likes feeling unimportant – make sure you give them your undivided attention while they’re talking to you, whether it’s over the phone, in person, or in your site’s live chat.

Be Empathetic Chances are, you’ve been in the exact same situation your customer’s in right now – whether they’re trying to figure out whether to purchase a sundae or a banana split. Do your best to see the situation from their perspective. You’ll be able to provide a better customer experience if you’re in touch with their needs and emotions.

Make an Extra Effort Work tirelessly to solve your customer’s problems. If a customer wants a certain flavor that’s out of stock, doublecheck your inventory, let them know when they can expect that item to come back, offer them alternatives, or give them a discount code for their trouble. Your customers will appreciate you going the extra mile for them.

Improve Systems Customer service isn’t just about making your customer feel valued while you’re speaking to them – it’s also about providing a great all-around customer experience. Do a quick audit of your website and make sure it’s user-friendly. Is it easy to check out? Browse new arrivals? Search for specific items? Purchase using the payment method they prefer? If not, set aside some time to make some adjustments.

Identify Their Needs There might be all sorts of things you could be doing to provide a better customer experience that you don’t even realize yet. Put together a short survey to send out to your customers about the checkout process and their past customer service experiences. It’ll show you what’s going well and what you could improve.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Use Their Name Simple, but effective. Whenever a customer reaches out to you, take note of their name and use it. It’ll give your communications a more personal touch. Don’t forget to introduce yourself by name, too! Bonus points if you remember other personal details about them for next time.

Smile Yes, even if you’re not talking to the customer in person! Make an effort to be friendly and positive, even if you’re just sitting at your desk at home – you can totally hear a smile through the phone, and it makes a difference.

Be Generous If you could spend $5 to secure a customer who’s loyal to you for life… would you do it? Sometimes, that’s all it takes. When a customer reaches out to you, your priority is to make them happy – offering to accept a competitor’s coupon. And that’s not just common sense – research shows that accepting someone’s generosity makes you feel indebted to them, which can translate to return business.

Don’t Say “I Don’t Know” Sure, you’re not gonna immediately have the answers to every single one of your customers’ questions… but it’s kinda your job to know. So when you tell a customer “I don’t know,” what they hear is “I don’t care.” Not exactly the message you’d like to get across when you’re on the phone with a customer! Practice saying “Let me check on that for you” instead.

Celebrate Birthdays Acknowledging your customer’s birthdays is a surefire way to make them feel valued and appreciated. Ask your customers for their birthday as they sign up for your mailing list, then send them an email with a promo code for a free gift or a discount right before their special day.

Be Clear About Your Policies Your customers aren’t mind-readers – if you don’t let them know, they have no idea about how long shipping should take, where you ship to, or under what circumstances you accept The National Dipper

May/June 2021

returns. Be sure your shipping and returns policies are clearly stated on your website to avoid confusion. It’ll answer some questions before they’re ever even asked!

Honor Your Promises Your customers need to know that they can trust your store to deliver the value it promises. Stick to the shipping and return policies you have listed on your website, unless you choose to go above and beyond them, of course!

Honor coupons and discount codes for as long as you said you would. Post any giveaway winners publicly in your stories. Trust is key!

Acknowledge Frequent Customers Let your return customers know how much you appreciate them!

Whether you throw a quick handwritten thank-you note into their next order or you offer a discount code that’s good for their next purchase, it’ll definitely make them want to keep coming back.

But Make Sure New Customers Feel the Love, Too! It’s a big leap to order from a company you’ve never purchased anything from before – make sure new customers feel super welcome. Acknowledge new customers by sending a promo code when they sign up for your mailing list, or even sending a quick thank-

you email for taking a chance on your shop.

Be Transparent Running a business is tough, and sometimes extenuating circumstances make it even tougher. Be open with your customers about the hurdles you’re currently going through, especially if it will affect restock dates.

Sincerely Apologize We all make mistakes – especially when we’re doing huge, crazy difficult things like running a business. If you’ve made a mistake on a customer’s order, own your error, sincerely apologize, and do whatever it takes to make things right. It’s much more professional than shrugging off responsibility or blaming someone else. Bonus points if you reach out and own up to it before the customer even notices!

Make it Easy to Get in Touch Have you ever sent an email to a company’s customer service team… and then never heard anything back?

Yeah, that’s the worst. Don’t be that company. Let your customers know the best way to reach you, whether it’s through Instagram DMs, email, or over the phone. If you want to go the extra mile, include a live chat feature on your website that’s available 24/7.

Also, word of advice: if you have a

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contact form on your website, make sure to check it every so often!

Offer Self-Help Customer Service If your customers can find their own answers to their questions, it makes their lives easier AND your life easier. Include a comprehensive FAQ page on your website that answers common questions about shipping, sales, returns, and more. For more complicated questions, you might want to write up an entire blog post to give your customers more information. Just be sure your customers know that they can reach out to you with any questions they can’t find the answers to.

Plan for the Holidays Here’s a hot tip: over the holidays, things get BUSY. Even if you usually don’t have very many people blowing up your inbox about shipping questions, there’s a very good chance you will during the holidays. Make sure you’re prepared with multiple customer service reps helping respond to questions (if need be) and detailed holiday shipping info displayed on your website and social media pages.

Respond Quickly Make it a goal to respond to all customer emails within 48 hours whenever possible. No matter how busy you are, customers want to feel like their concerns and questions are a top priority. As for Instagram DMs, Facebook messages, and comments, try and get in a habit of responding to those right when you see them. Your customers will like that and so will the algorithm!

Hire the Right People If you’ve only recently opened your business, you might be the only person your customers ever interact with. But as you grow and add more people to your team, make sure they’re people who are kind, friendly, and pleasant to interact with. Nobody’s perfect, but a positive attitude can make all the difference.

Be Polite Pretend you’re at the dinner table with your strict aunt – say lots of pleases and thank yous. Not only is it common courtesy, but it’s also good business. It’ll also help you still sound friendly and polite even when you’re communicating via messenger or text.

Set Clear Expectations Sorry, but you’re not superwoman. When your customers approach you asking when they can buy a flavor you aren’t planning on restocking, sometimes you just can’t give them the answer they were hoping for. Be realistic in your responses and don’t make promises you can’t keep. Setting clear expectations is also helpful in responding to emails – sending an automated email letting a customer know when they can expect a response is also helpful, even if they were initially hoping for a reply right away.

Be Human There isn’t a robot at the other end of all of those incoming customer emails – it’s bright, bubbly, sparkly you! Don’t be afraid to infuse your communications with your genuine personality. Strike up a conversation with a customer on the phone, ask about their day, say “top of the morning to ya” instead of “hello” when you feel like it. It’ll help forge a relationship with your customers!

Offer Suggestions Have you ever asked a waiter what you should order, only for them to respond, “I love everything on the menu equally!” Yeah, that’s not helpful – don’t be like that guy. When your customers ask for your opinion, politely give it. You’re the real expert on the products you carry – use your insider knowledge to guide your customers to the right decision for them. v About the Author Joseph Heller is the CEO & Founder of The/Studio Technologies, which operates TheStudio.com and SuppliedShop.com. Joseph founded The/Studio based on his experience of living in China and working in the consumer products manufacturing sector. The/Studio is a Silicon Valley venture backed startup that is focused on democratizing manufacturing and supply chain for SMBs. TheStudio. com makes it easy for companies to make custom manufactured products and SuppliedShop.com helps small retail stores buy inventory directly from factories.

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The American Rescue Plan of 2021

by Mark E. Battersby The American Rescue Plan (ARP), the controversial $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill is now a reality. Included in the new bill were the much-publicized provisions that are sending $1,400 payments to individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 based on either 2019 or 2020 tax returns.

The new bill’s provision on unemployment insurance contained a $300 weekly boost in benefits into September with the first $10,200 tax-free for workers in households earning up to $150,000 a year. Best of all, the new bill continued to extend benefits for the self-employed and “gig” workers.

In addition to the self-employed, hard-hit ice cream and frozen dessert businesses will reap their share of benefits from a number of programs including more, much needed funding.

Funding, We’ve Got Funds The ARP allocated a whopping $350 billion in new Coronavirus Relief Funds for states, localities, the U.S. Territories

and the Tribal Governments to help keep critical workers on the job. Although the bill provided no information about how a frozen dessert business can tap these funds, other funding programs appear more accessible.

A whopping $10 billion has been allocated to help states assist their small businesses. The State Small Business Credit Initiative, with $2.5 billion set aside for businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including minority-owned businesses, will enable state governments to make low-interest loans and other investments to help their small business economies recover.

Under the ARP, another small business financing program has been created to leverage $35 billion in government funds into $175 billion in additional small business lending and investment. The funds will be invested in successful state, local, tribal and non-profit small business financing programs.

The goal is to provide low interest loans and venture capital to help entrepreneurs -– including those in the clean energy sector -– innovate, create and maintain jobs and provide the essential goods and services that communities depend on.

The PPP Business Rescue The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was created to help borrowers meet their payroll and operating costs with the potential of being forgiven. Already taking applications for second-round loans the PPP got an additional $7.25 billion in funding.

Seasonal businesses are eligible for program loans even if the business was dormant or not fully operating on February 15, the primary PPP loan eligibility date. Instead, if the business was operating for any 12-week (up from the previous 8-week) period between February 15, 2019, and February 15, 2020, it is eligible for a PPP loan.

For the record, seasonal employers and businesses are ones that don’t operate for more than 7-months in any calendar year or during the previous year had gross receipts for any 6-months that were not more than 33.33% of the gross receipts for the other six months of that year.

As with earlier versions of the PPP, loans will be fully forgiven if at least 60% of the money is used to support payroll expenses with the remainder going to mortgage interest, rent, utilities, personal protective equipment or certain other business expenses. Loan payments will be deferred for six months and no collateral or personal guarantees are required.

Nor, will either the government or lenders charge small businesses any fees.

Businesses that receive PPP loans may have the loan forgiven if they meet certain criteria, including not laying off employees during an eight-week period covered by the loan. If they are not forgiven, the loans have a maturity of 2

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years and carry an interest rate of 1%.

And, while the PPP loan application process is slated to soon end, Congress is pressing for an extension because of the large amount of unexpended funds, giving the operators of ice cream businesses until the end of May to apply.

Although a forgiven PPP loan is not taxable income for federal tax purposes and associated expenses are deductible, that might not be the case when it comes to state taxes. At least five states include loan forgiveness as income with at least one state treating loan forgiveness as income for partnerships, S corporations and sole proprietors -– but not for corporations.

EIDL for More Rescue The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program was originally created to provide economic relief to businesses that are experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to the pandemic. The EIDL helps ice cream

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May/June 2021

and frozen dessert retailers meet their financial obligations and operating expenses.

The ARP is providing $15 billion to the EIDL for long-term, low-interest loans to be made by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Severely impacted small businesses with fewer than 10 workers are, reportedly, being given priority for a portion of this funding.

In fact, under the ARP, so-called “Targeted EIDL Advances” for small business funding of up to $10,000 may be converted to grants if used to cover a business’s operating expenses.

An interest rate of 3.75% is required for loans under $25,000 while, for the record, EIDL grants are exempt from federal tax.

Restaurant Revitalization Fund The ARP also provided $25 billion for a new grant program specifically for bars and restaurants. While it may

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be difficult for many ice cream and frozen dessert businesses to qualify as: “restaurants, food stands or trucks, food carts, caterer, saloon, inn, tavern, bar, lounge, brewpub and more where patrons assemble for the primary purpose of being served food or drink,” it deserves investigation.

After all, eligible businesses can receive up to $10 million to be used for a variety of expenses including payroll, mortgage and rent, utilities and, of course, food and beverages. Remember, however, not everyone is eligible.

Rescuing the Payroll To encourage employers to keep workers on their payroll, last year’s CARES Act created the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The purpose of the ERC was to encourage employers to keep employees on the payroll, even if they were not working during the covered period due to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Under the new ARP, the ERC allows 70% (up from 50%) of an ice cream business’s qualified wages to be immediately refundable via reductions in the required employment tax deposits. The ARP also extended the increased ERC through the end of 2021.

The credit is, as mentioned, 70% of qualified wages (including amounts paid towards health insurance) per fulltime employee up to a cap of $10,000 of wages per employee. In other words, the employer can get a credit of up to $7,000 per employee, per calendar quarter. Plus, the ERC now can be used to offset an employer’s Medicare tax liability in addition to the Social Security tax.

Employer-Provided Sick Pay and Family Leave Pay One of the first relief measures provided by our lawmakers to lessen the financial impact of the pandemic was the payroll tax credit for employers that provide paid sick and family leave. There was also a similar credit for the self-employed.

The ARP extended the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that originally required employers to provide sick pay and emergency family and medical leave pay through the third quarter of 2021. While the plan does not reinstate the mandatory requirement, it allows employers who voluntarily choose to offer the benefit through September 30, 2021 to claim the credit.

Although employers are no longer required to pay employees forced to miss work due to COVID-19, payments voluntarily made to a qualified employee, subject to a maximum of $1,400 per week are refundable, dollar-for-dollar as a federal payroll tax credit by employers with fewer than 300 employees. The bill also increases the limit on applicable wages for which the credit can be claimed to $12,000 from $10,000, effective after March 31, 2021.

The plan also eliminates FFCRA exemptions provided earlier for employers with more than 500 employees or less than 50 employees. For self-

When you join NEICRA, you are family!

As part of our family, here are some of the benefits you will enjoy

• Network with your peers • Great Newsletter • Consult with your suppliers • Improve profits • Enhance shop operations • Learn about new products • Improve employer-employee relations

For information contact: Margaret Anderson New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association P. O. Box 1039, Westwood, MA 02090 E-mail: mca319@gmail.com Web Site: www.neicra.com 18

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employed individuals attempting to claim the credit, the number of days for which the credit can be claimed has been increased to 60 days (from 50 days) -– retroactive after December 31, 2020.

No Rescue Without Taxes Since no rescue plan is complete without taxes, ARP included a number of tax provisions, including the already-mentioned payroll tax credits for employers and changes related to retirement plan funding.

On the plus side, the ARP allowed Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Restaurant Revitalization Grants received from the SBA to be ignored for federal tax purposes.

Nor will the exclusion result in the denial of a tax deduction, reduction of tax attributes or denial of increases in basis or book value.

Help To guide ice cream and other business owners or operators through this maze of new rules and benefits the socalled Community Navigator Services has been funded to the tune of $100 million to provide outreach, education and technical assistance with the SBA’s programs.

Although Community Navigators, the SBA, banks and other financial institutions continue to provide invaluable services, professional guidance may be necessary in order to reap the maximum benefits available under the American Rescue Plan for the ice cream and frozen dessert business and/ or its owner. v About the Author Mark Battersby’s columns, currently serving readers in a variety of fields, provide a wealth of topical information on a regular basis. Mr. Battersby writes and sells more than 200 features for trade magazines and journals every year in addition to writing and syndicating a column of general business tax information to over 45 business journals each week, newspapers and periodicals. Mr. Battersby also writes three topical columns every week and 13 trade magazine columns every month.

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PLEASE ATTACH BUSINESS CARD HERE ❏ YES, I want to receive, subject to the license stated below, THE NATIONAL DIPPER Magazine. ❏No, please remove my name from your mailing list.

101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110

111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130

131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140

141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Average gallons of frozen desserts sold per week ❏ Up to 100 gallons-1 ❏ 101 to 150 gallons-2 ❏ 151 to 200 gallons-3 ❏ 201 plus gallons-4

151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160

161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

171 172 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208

209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218

219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228

229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238

Do you make your own frozen desserts using a batch or continuous freezer? ❏ Yes ❏ No

Do you sell food? ❏Yes ❏ No

Type of Firm (Check All That Apply) ❏ Ice Cream Dipping Store-1 ❏ Soft Serve-2 ❏ Frozen Yogurt-3 ❏ Frozen Custard-4 ❏ Gelato-5 ❏ Italian Ice -6 ❏ Vending Vehicle/Catering-7 ❏ Concession Stand-8 ❏ Dairy and Convenience-9 ❏ Supplier of Goods & Services-11 ❏ Distributor-12 ❏ Supplier/Dist Rep-13 ❏ Broker-14 ❏ Other-15 Your Title (Check All That Apply) ❏ Manager-6 ❏ Owner-1 ❏ Buyer-7 ❏ Partner-2 ❏ Salesperson-8 ❏ President-3 ❏ RepresenTtative-9 ❏ Vice President-4 ❏ Secretary/Treas.-5 ❏ Other-10

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Writing a Policy Manual for Your Store

by Lynda Utterback Over the years, I have seen many policy manuals for ice cream shops. Many of these manuals are simple, some are more elaborate, but some stores do not even have a policy manual. Since many of your employees are new to the workforce, it is a good idea to give each one of them a policy manual. Call it what you want, a policy manual, operations guide, employee manual, rules and regulations, etc. It is a guideline, what you as the owner of the business, expect from your employees, anything from how to greet customers to how to mop the floor.

Your manual should be updated every year. If you have a computer, this will be easy to do. If you don’t have a computer, talk to a local printer or copy center that does and arrange for them to put the manual on its computer to update next year. Be sure to get a back up of the original file of the manual. If this company is not around next year, you at least have the back up that you can take to another company to make the necessary changes.

At the beginning of each season start a list of things to be covered in next year’s manual. Day by day you will encounter new experiences. For example, many stores have been adding rules about cell phone use and texting. These are

things you did not worry about a few years ago. Or you may want to add an addendum for employees this year. Your manual should be an ongoing project. And don’t forget to have your attorney read your manual. You don’t want to violate any state or Federal laws.

What should you include in your manual?

In what form should it be presented? That’s really up to you. You can use a three ring binder, of just have copies made and stapled together or made into a little booklet.

A local printer or copy center can help if you don’t have a copy machine. If you are using a computer, you can just print copies yourself. Put your logo on the front cover, along with your contact information. Remember, this is your manual; the presentation should reflect your business philosophy.

Use positive words whenever possible. For example, instead of saying, “No Smoking”, you could say, “This is a smoke free environment”. Or, “Please refrain from smoking while you are on the premises”. Remember, this is a first time job experience for many of your employees and you want them to have a positive experience so they will make a positive impression on your customers.

The first thing you want to do is welcome your new employee. Tell them that ice cream is a happy business and they were hired because you thought they have a great personality, or whatever quality you liked about them during the interview, and they will help make your customers happy.

Personalize each manual, if possible. Let them know what kind of skills they will learn while working in the ice cream shop, i.e. teamwork, salesmanship, interacting with customers, leadership, etc.

If you want, you can give a brief history of your business. Make it brief; don’t overwhelm them with a lot of details. Tell them what days of the week you are open for business and your hours of operation each day.

Mission Statement Tell them your mission statement, why you are in business. Again, it doesn’t have to be long. If you don’t have a mission statement, you should. You can start with the following statement and customize it to your operation: “Our purpose is to provide our customers with quality products and the best service possible, in a clean and pleasant atmosphere.

When we give our best to our customers, they will return and tell their friends about their good experience. This will allow us to make a profit and provide jobs for our employees.”

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Let’s Get Started The following categories will help you get started writing your own store manual. These are suggestions. You can include as much or as little of this information as you see fit.

You may also have other items you want to include in your manual. Once again, this is your manual, the presentation should reflect your business philosophy.

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Arrival When do you want your employees to arrive for their assigned shift? If you want them in the store five or ten minutes before starting time so they are ready to work at their appointed time, state that in your manual. This will allow time for them to wash their hands and be ready to start serving customers. Explain that the person they are relieving wants to leave on time and it is important that they be on time and ready to go to work at the appointed time.

Appearance If you have uniforms, describe them in your manual, even if you provide shirts, hats or aprons. Each person must arrive at the store dressed in, for example, a clean, neat Tshirt with our store logo, which is provided, tan slacks, a clean neat apron, cap with store logo and clean comfortable gym shoes and socks. Also state your policy on hair, jewelry, gum chewing, nail polish, perfume or cologne, tattoos, etc.

If you want your employees to wear only tan colored slacks; make a statement in your manual that no other color of slacks are acceptable. If shorts or skirts are acceptable, be sure to mention an acceptable length, for example, “shorts and skirts must be knee length”. Tell employees that any clothing cannot be tight fitting, torn or discolored or have any designs printed on them. Be as specific as you can be. Someone will always try to test the policies.

If you allow jewelry, for example, pierced earrings, expect the boys as well as the girls to be wearing earrings. Fingernails must be clean at all times. Employees will be handling a food product and you don’t want dirty fingernails or fingernails that are too long. Nail polish may chip and flake off while scooping ice cream, you may want to disallow the use of nail polish for anyone dipping ice cream, or make sure they are wearing gloves. Again, be very specific. If you want uniformity, tell them exactly what you want.

It may take a few re-writes to get what you want, but it is worth it when the first employee shows up in torn jeans, spiked hair and nose ring and you can point to the manual and tell them they are dressed inappropriately to work in your store.

retail establishment before, they may have learned a different procedure, one that may not reflect your philosophy of greeting customers. Spell it out. You can suggest several phrases or greetings to use. Your employees will find one they are most comfortable using.

The Phone First of all, let employees know that the telephone is your business phone. It is not to be used for personal phone calls, unless there is an emergency.

Teach them how to properly answer the phone. A good example is: “Good afternoon, June’s Ice Cream Shop. This is Jennifer, how can I help you?”

Since everyone has a cell phone today, you should include a section on whether or not they can have their cell phones turned on while they are waiting on customers. And whether or not they can send or receive text messages.

During the recent shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, employees were not allowed to have their phones with them during work hours. When the shooting started, they were not able to call for help.

If you do not let employees have their phones while they are working, be sure they have access to a phone in every room of your store, in case of emergency. And make sure you have an exit plan if they need to get out of the store quickly.

Work Schedules Obviously, you told your new employees that evenings

Greeting Customers Explain to your employees that they will be the first impression a customer gets of the business and they must always wear a smile to work. You expect prompt, courteous service at all times.

Include in your manual how you expect them to greet each customer, take the order, confirm the order, fill the order, collect the money, count back the change, say thank you and come again. I have noticed in recent years that not many employees count back the change. I made a comment in a store that does count back the change, telling the owner she was one of only a few that still does count back the change. Most employees just put the bills in your hand and put the change on top of the bills. The owner said all of her employees count back the change and her cash drawer balances perfectly every night!

Even though this seems like second nature to you, it is not to first time employees. If they have worked in another The National Dipper May/June 2021

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and weekends are the busiest times in an ice cream store. And they can expect to be scheduled for those times.

Let them know when the schedule is set up. If they want a particular day off, tell them how and when the request must be submitted. Are they responsible for finding a replacement if they call in sick? Do you allow the employees to switch shifts with each other?

Tell them how long each shift will be and whether they are entitled to a break, and the length of the break. This is an area where you should consult your attorney. Laws vary from state to state and it is important to know the law in your state.

Rain Day Do you have a rain day policy where employees have the option of going home if it’s raining and you are not busy?

If you do have a rain day policy, who gets to go home first?

Many store owners have told me that rain days are cleaning days because as soon as someone goes home, it stops raining and the store gets busy.

Pay Day How long is the pay period, a week, two weeks? What day of the week is pay day? What time can checks be picked up? Who is responsible for handing out checks? Do employees have to sign a sheet when they pick up their check? Explain what deductions will be made for taxes, both state and federal, social security and any other deductions that will be made, etc.

This section can also explain your policy on raises. Tell them when raises are given and the criteria on which raises are based. If you have a bonus program, explain that as well.

Training Period Your training manual should be separate from your policy manual. As mentioned before, each employee should be given a policy manual for his or her own use. Your training manual should be for internal use only.

Tell your employees what you expect them to know and how long you expect it to take them to learn everything. If you have a probationary period, let them know how long it is.

Give them deadlines. For example, after the first training sessions, they should know how to greet customers, know all of the flavors available, be able to scoop the right amount of ice cream in a cone, know the prices of the different size cones,

know how to use the cash register and make change.

Portion Control In any foodservice business, portion control is critical.

You cannot impress this upon your employees enough. You can state in your policy manual that the first several cones made by an employee starting work for the day must be weighed. Throughout the shift, cones should be weighed periodically.

Explain your policy on mistakes. Do you replace dropped cones? Give this information to your employees to help them better serve your customers. If they have to find you every time a mistake is made, that means the customer has to wait longer to be served. Empower them to correct mistakes, the way you would correct them.

Cleaning A clean store is another critical area of the foodservice business. Let them know up front that they will be washing windows and mopping floors as well as cleaning bathrooms.

Set up a closing routine that must be strictly followed. List items that must be cleaned and restocked each evening before any one can go home. Let them know that cleaning will take a half-hour to an hour after closing the store.

Don’t forget the outside of the store. Tables and chairs need to be cleaned periodically and at the end of the day.

It is a good idea to assign each person a cleaning task and have them sign off on a sheet after the task has been completed. If the job is not done properly, you know who did it and you can go over the correct procedure with that person.

Here are some other items you may want to cover in your policy manual: • Friends and/or family visiting working employees • Up-selling • Unhappy customers • Cleaning outside the store • Unacceptable job performance • Terminations • Safety - What to do in case of a robbery • Overtime • Employee discounts • Benefits • Eating during working hours • Accepting personal checks and/or large bills • Health - What to do if they are sick • Music/Radio in the store As I mentioned, every store should have a policy manual. It may seem like an overwhelming task to write one, but it will save you countless headaches in the future. Don’t make your manual a 600-page book. Employees won’t read it. Several typed pages should cover the information you want to include. If you have time, go through the manual with new employees, or at least have them sign a statement that they have read it.

Remember your employees are one of the first impressions a customer gets of your business. If they are winners at their job, you will be a winner too. v

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Yellow Pages The National Dipper Yellow pages is a complete resource guide for tthe frozen dessert retail industry and will appear in every issue.

Listings are sold on an annual basis and rates are for six issues.

Yellow pages are not commissionable and payment must accompany order. Send your order to: The National Dipper, 1030 West Devon Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-7226. 847/301-8400.

Regular Listing: 1st line $395. year, additional lines, $280. year.

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ASSOCIATIONS Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Assn. ..................810/618-0605 New England Ice Cream Restaurant Assn. .........mca319@gmail.com BATCH FREEZERS Carpigiani…………www.carpigiani,com/us……………800-648-4389 Emery Thompson......www.emerythompson.com……..718-588-7300 BOOKS Tips for Costing Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Cakes & Pies, plus: Tips for Costing Ice Cream Cones, Sundaes, Shakes & Other

Goodies……........…………………..JLM Unlimited...847-301-8400

ICE CREAM MIX A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com….........................….800-Ice-Cream

PHOTOGRAPHY Stella Lorens Gallery…www.stellalorens.com...............630/730-8297 POINT OF SALE POSTERS JLM Unlimited, Inc., ........Elk Grove Village, IL ..............847/301-8400 Ice Cream Banana Split and Sundaes Posters SODA FOUNTAINS AMERICAN SODA FOUNATIN, INC............................312/733-5000 455 N. Oakley Bl...Chgo, IL 60612...www.americansodafountain.com Parts-Sales-Service-Mixers-Pumps-DraftArms-SodaFount.Bev.Equip SOFT SERVE MACHINES Carpigiani…………www.carpigiani,com/us………….…800-648-4389 TOPPINGS TR Toppers …….....…..800-748-4635….....…..... www.trtoppers.com VANILLA Prova Gourmet…......www.provagourmet.com…...........978/739-9055

BULK ICE CREAM CONTAINERS Negus Packaging Solutions 3220 Kingsley Way, Madison, WI 53713 CAKE DECORATING www.cakedeco.com…Candles & Everything!...........718/545-4600 COCOA POWDER Forbes Chocolate………………...........…..www.forbeschocolate.com CONES Joy Cone Co. Cake, Sugar, Waffle Cones & Bowls.......800-242-2663 PDI Cone-Dutch Treat…Sugar Cones & Toppings….....866-277-3084 DIPPING CABINETS Carpigiani…………www.carpigiani.com/us…….………800-648-4389 FLAVORS Green Mountain Flavors, Inc. ……………..…………..800-639-8653 FROZEN CUSTARD Classic Mix Partners...www.classicmixpartners.com.....800-722-8903 Award Winning Frozen Custard Mixes FROZEN YOGURT MIX A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com…………………….800-Ice-Cream ICE CREAM CARTS & FREEZERS AllStarCarts-IceCreamCarts-Tricycles-TrucksTrailers...800/831-3166 Carpigiani…………www.carpigiani,com/us………….…800-648-4389 ICE CREAM CONTAINERS Visstun Cups………..www.visstuncups.com…….….702/251-8809 Custom printed quarts, pints, 1/2 pints and 5 oz. cups Flexible order volume - Single case to millions

The National Dipper May/June 2021

Regional Yellow Pages Regional Yellow Pages are available to companies that distribute products and/or services in a limited area of the country. Companies are listed in the state in which they are located. Regional Yellow Pages will appear in all six issues of The National Dipper and rates shown are for six issues. Regular Listing: 1st line, $295. per year, additional lines $165. per year. Maximum 40 characters per line.

Boldface Listing: 1st line, $395. per year, additional lines $295. per year. Maximum 30 characters per line. ALL CAP Listing: additional $75. a line per year, regular or boldface. Maximum 30 characters per line. Payment must accompany order. Regional Yellow Pages are non-commissionable.

CALIFORNIA Taylor Freezers of Calif..800-927-7704..www.taylorfreezers.com FLORIDA Seacoast Sales…………............…...www.seacoastsalesflorida.com 904/334-4489………...…...Batch Freezers…..........….Display Cases NEW JERSEY A. Panza & Sons, Ltd., Mixes & Ingredients www.icecreamproducts.com…….........................800-Ice-Cream Dingman’s Dairy....www.dingmansdairy.biz..............800-958-6838 SOUTH JERSEY PAPER PRODUCTS/SUPPLYITALL OHIO Peck Food Service..www.peckfoodservice.com…..800-732-7325

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This issue of The National Dipper is now available online at: www. national dipper.com

NEGUS PACKAGING SOLUTIONS

Calendar JUNE National Candy Month National Dairy Month 2 – National Rocky Road Day 7 – Chocolate Ice Cream Day 8 – Jelly–Filled Donut Day 10 – National Iced Tea Day 12 – Peanut Butter Cookie Day 13 – Cupcake Lover’s Day 14 – Strawberry Shortcake Day 14 – Flag Day 16 – National Fudge Day 20 – National Ice Cream Soda Day 20 – Vanilla Milkshake Day 20 – Fathers’ Day 20 – Beginning of Summer 21 – Peaches & Cream Day 21 – National Smoothie Day 22 – Chocolate Éclair Day 23 – Pecan Sandy Day 24 – Pralines Day 25 – National Strawberry Parfait Day 30 – National Bomb Pop Day 9 – Make It Fresh Seminar. Emery Thompson Machine, Brooksville, FL. Contact: Steve Thompson, Emery Thompson Machine, 15350 Flight Path Dr., Brooksville, FL 34604.

718/588–7300. Fax: 352/796–0720.

E–mail: steve@emerythompson.com June 27–29 – Summer Fancy Food Show, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York, NY. Contact: National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT), 120 Wall St., 27th Fl., New York, NY 10005. 212/482–6440. Fax: 212/482–6459.

JULY National Ice Cream Month National Hot Dog Month 3 – National Chocolate Wafer Day 4 – Independence Day 7 – Strawberry Sundae Day 9 – National Sugar Cookie Day 11 – National Blueberry Muffin Day 12 – National Pecan Pie Day 15 – National Gummy Worm Day 17 – National Peach Ice Cream Day 18 – National Ice Cream Day 20 – National Ice Cream Sundae Day 23 – National Vanilla Ice Cream Day 25 – National Hot Fudge Sundae Day 26 – National Coffee Milkshake Day 28 – National Milk Chocolate Day 30 – National Cheesecake Day 31 – National Cotton Candy Day July – National Blueberry Month.

Contact: Tom Payne, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, 865 Woodside Way, San Mateo, CA 94401. 650/340– 8311. Fax: 650/340–8568. E–mail: jferrary@tjpmd.com AUGUST National Peach Month 2 – National Ice Cream Sandwich Day 3 – National Watermelon Day 4 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Day 4 – Friendship Day 6 – National Root Beer Float Day 8 – National Frozen Custard Day 10 – National S’mores Day 10 – National Banana Split Day 14 – National Creamsicle Day 17 – National Vanilla Custard Day

Advertisers’ Index

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NEGUS

3220 Kingsley Way Madison, WI 53713

888-241-7482

negus.info@negusboxnbag.com www.negusboxnbag.com

Distributor Inquiries Welcome 26

Reader Service #119

Carpigiani............................3rd Cover Chicago Vegan.................................23 Costing Manuals.................................6 The Cone Guys……………………..13 Dingman’s Dairy................................5 Dipwell Techware.............................11 Great Lakes Ice Cream & Fast Food Association................................14 Green Mountain Flavors…………...12 Hershey Foodservice......15, 4th Cover Hill & Markes……………………....8 Joy Cone Co.....................................17 Stella Lorens Photography ..............21 Negus Packaging Solutions..............26

New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association.................................18 A.Panza & Sons, Ltd...........2nd Cover Prova Gourmet...................................7 Rite Temp.........................................22 T. D. Sawvel Co., Inc........................16 Temptation Vegan Soft Serve.............23 Visstun.............................................24 This Advertisers’ Index is published as a service to you, the reader. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.

The National Dipper

May/June 2021

Rteader Service #120

Reader Service #121