With customers looking for more customisation than ever before, a Hot Chocolate Station is a fantastic way to offer customer interaction, whilst bumping sales! Read on for some tips on how to make your Hot Choc Station a destination for customers…
First off, what you need to make your station:
– Mason jars (to add in different toppings and flavourings)
– Chalkboards (to direct people to your station, how about ‘Hot Chocolate Bar’ or ‘Hot Chocolate Station’?)
– Wooden boards/boxes or crates to display
– Plenty of spoons/ napkins
– Tags (to notify customers what each jar includes – we recommend Kraft paper or brown tags)
– Make it festive (add in some festive thread to your tags for the Christmas period)
– Laminated sign to highlight the allergens or product info.
What to include:
When it comes to your station, get creative – instead of the simple whipped cream and dusting – go big with various coloured choc drops, flavoured syrups, and even biscuits or pretzels.
What we included
– White and milk Chocolate drops (
– Chocolate M&Ms for a pop of colour (
– Wooden disposable spoons (
– Ground Cinnamon (
Top Tips
– Don’t forget allergens! Treat your food stations the same way you would a buffet, or serving hatch at your catering kitchen – with allergen info and a clear labelling system.
– Costing! Remember serve-yourself options can mean generous portions, make sure you account for this when setting a price point.
– Keep the drinks service to the experts! Marshmallows and cream additions are fine, but asking your customers to pour hot chocolate is asking for trouble. Serve simple hot chocolate as you normally would coffee/tea – and then direct customers to the station for serving.
– Make it a destination! The prettier your hot choc station, the more attractive a prospect it becomes. Use chalkboards and wooden boxes to give it a rustic and special feel.