6 years ago, I couldn't make enough regular and decaf coffee on a HS home football game night. Now I'm not even selling ONE pot, I get one maybe 3 orders on a cool Cincinnati evening. Everyone has their Starbucks (or like) cups in their hands. Any suggestions on how to renew our coffee sales? I don't have a problem with hot chocolate sales.
The frozen pickle juice is a great seller just like the sour candy. Another use for the pickle juice is that it helps to relieve muscle cramps for the players, cheerleaders and even coaches.
We started using a SQUARE reader for debit/credit cards about a year ago. Sales increased by as much as 30% some days. The more out of town soccer teams we have visiting, the more our sales increase. Parents are so grateful for this service. Service fees are low as well.
I run a concession stand at our soccer field. We have a strong return crowd. Often, several children in the same family have games throughout the day so we see the same people all day long. And things get even better when kids have more than one game a day! It sometimes for 12+ hour Saturday's, but it is worth the effort. All our proceeds go to a scholarship fund.
We grill our hot dogs on a George Forman grill (actually two of them). We grill hamburgers on a propane grill. We also serve grilled chicken sandwiches that are grilled (we buy them from Sam's - boneless, skinless mesquite chicken breasts). We want to offer something other than pork or beef. We sell them for $3 each and our profit margin is not great. But when parents realize we've gone the extra mile for the variety, they are quick to buy other drinks and snacks and they always return week after week - all high profit items.
Try sausage biscuits for the early morning hours. It is sometimes hard for parents to get those little ones out for 8 am games and as soon as those first games begin, parents flock to us for coffee and muffins or Danish. Even buying frozen Pillsbury biscuits that bake while I am getting ready early Saturday morning and using Jimmy Dean Sausage, we sell them for $1.50 and are making about $1 profit on each sausage biscuit. It is a welcome convenience.
We make popcorn (the aroma draws in the kids) and son-cones as well. However, it takes a volunteer full-time to run each machine (adults only on these). These profit margins are HUGE, as long as you have the volunteers. Profit on son-cones is incredible - especially since I make my own syrup (using traditional and bizarre Kool-Aid favors I buy in bulk from Amazon). We sell bags of popcorn for $1 each and each bag probably costs us less than 10 cents each.
Love everyone's great ideas. I continue to get request for pickles (ewww!), but thought the requests were a little "odd". AFter reading comments here, starting next Saturday, we will try the pickles. May also try the warm pretzels - sounds like a bargain.
Finally, another soccer mom from a visiting soccer team yesterday told me that she buys the gallon cans of boiled peanuts from Sam's, then puts them in the crockpot to warm. Said she would go through 4-5 gallons a night (one soccer game!) at her daughter's high school games. Cannot imagine how many we would go through during an entire day at the soccer fields. Boiled peanuts are HUGE in the south. I 've been thinking I needed to buy a bushel of green peanuts at the farmer's market and boil them myself. She said kids absolutely love these peanuts.
