I’ve been following you both recently and have learned a ton. I’m keeping notes. I can’t express how valuable these tips are. Honestly I am an introvert person so I worry about being out there having to interact with people to grow my business but at this point times are hard and I’m willing to give it a go. Good luck to everyone about to start this new exciting venture. Thank you both again for taking the time to share your tips and knowledge.
I've learned soooo much from both Ben and Ken. My kids earn thousands of dollars every summer vending lemonade based on education I bought from Ben. I've looked at Ken's setup so many times and learned so much. But PLEASE don't ask Ken for numbers on the fly! His numbers are so far off from what he actually uses. He said he needs 58-60 gallons of water needed for 140 lemonades served? You can't even fit that amount of water in 140 32 ounce cups, much less after you add any ice or lemons or syrup or fruit. 1 pound of ice per cup? No chance. So here are my real numbers per 32oz cup of lemonade: 1 lemon, 1/4 cup extra fine bakers sugar, 1 full 16oz scoop of ice (about 9oz of ice by weight), fill cup with water (about 22oz/cup). Here are my numbers based on a 140ct case of lemons / 140 lemonades served: 80 lbs of ice, 25 gal water, 16 lbs sugar, and 140 lemons. I love both of these guys so much, but Ken simply can't remember on the fly the amount of supplies he actually uses. Copy Ken's process, there's none better that I've seen. But don't listen to his numbers in this video for calculating supplies needed.
Yeah I was off on that answer. I was thinking off the top of my head. Now days I use 30 gallon tanks with an on demand pump. I wouldn't go less than 25 gallons for a 140 count case. If you are using a gravity feed system like a 10 gallon igloo, you always need to keep it above the 5 gallon mark so the water will feed out faster.
Excellent Ben and Ken. I learned more than I expected. You guys answered all the questions I had and answered some I didn't know I has. 😂 Thanks. Steve
I went to the FL State Fair yesterday. I'm new to researching the lemonade vendor thing so excuse my stupid. Since my youth days, this fair has morphed into something I no longer recognize. It looks like 99% of the food/bev vendors bring their operations in via tractor trailers, and erect these stands larger than my house. So, I walked up to a stand that appeared reputable and ordered a $10 large lemonade. After three sips I threw it in the trash. While I was paying for it I gave it back to the lemonista and said the sugar had not dissolved, so he took it back and shook it some more. No improvement. There was not a lemon rind within 10 miles of my cup, and because it was so sweet there should've been a warning label on it for diabetics. This was a pathetically bad drink and worse, it was from a vendor that brags about being in business for 75+ years. Clearly, the vending business seems to be divided into two camps--the national-sized ones that travel from fair to fair (or other venues), and cater to thousands of customers and gross 5-6 figures in a week, and those that concentrate on small events and do 3-4 figures over a weekend. There is obviously a significant inverse relationship here such that the larger and more production oriented the operation the less quality in the product. Conversely, the smaller the operation and the more hand-made the drink is the higher the quality and customer satisfaction. Of course, let's face it. One man's filet mignon is another man's ground beef, and so there'll always be a lot of folks who lack the interest in quality or possess discriminating taste buds as some others. I'm all ears for feedback to better understand this environment, and Ben if you see this please chime in.
Someday I might be a vendor. Either way, I have to say that I have loved watching these videos, recently, and learning about the process/business with Ben. He reminds me of a National talk show host that I loved to listen to that passed…but who had a unique way of articulating ideas well. Somehow, watching these videos, you start feeling like Ben is your buddy next door! Lol. Thanks Ben. Hope to do business sometime in the future maybe. And thanks to the other gentlemen for sharing his story and process!
To funny, I sent you a DM today Ken, asking how many ounces of simple syrup per cup of lemonade, and then I got a notice from Ben about this video being posted. How ironic lol. Great informative video guys, thanks !!!
www.amazon.com/s?k=2.5+gallon+water+container&hvadid=631491184992&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9010269&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2662467479800580784&hvtargid=kwd-321333996468&hydadcr=7467_13294127&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_6t2fx4awjj_e and pump.... I'm not 100% sure this one has the larger opening... www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWM1BN7W/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?pd_rd_i=B0BWM1BN7W&pd_rd_w=tANP4&content-id=amzn1.sym.386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf_rd_p=386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf_rd_r=DZRB6693PJYJKKMMAYAN&pd_rd_wg=0lKIt&pd_rd_r=c0249bd2-dc14-48d4-bb3c-db287b2ddcfd&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1
Like this? www.amazon.com/dp/B07D5KRQL7/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pd_rd_i=&pd_rd_i=B07D5KRQL7p13NParams&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM
Awesome info! So tempted to try a lemonade stand. Do you know of anyone in northern Canada? So many questions running through my head just to decide if it is worth trying seasonally up here.
So if you’re only using 16oz liquid (juice, sweetener, and water) and the rest of the 32oz is rind and ice - guessing it is best to use warm water to top it off so as to melt a bunch of ice so the drink is ice cold.
@@packersconcessions ideally you want it mostly melted right so the customer doesn’t feel like they got a big cup of ice? Or does that not really matter on a hot summer day?
