Improve Efficiency at Your Concessions

Whether you're running a local aquatic center or a popular ballpark, providing concessions can give you an opportunity to increase your revenues. But planning your concession area requires a bit of thought.

Your Concession Area

First, you need to carefully plan your concession area. Beyond the concession stand itself, there are several considerations. A range of picnic tables, including some that are ADA-compliant, is available to help you find the perfect fit for your area. Shade can also be an important consideration, so if your concession area is not naturally shady, consider investing in shade canopies.

Be sure to include waste receptacles, as well as recycling receptacles where appropriate. These should be placed within view of the seating area so patrons will know exactly where to discard their trash. Be sure receptacles are clearly marked to keep waste and recycling streams separate.

Stop Congestion

In order to maximize your concession sales, you'll want to minimize congestion. If you offer concession items that include condiments, such as hot dogs with mustard and ketchup, or fries with salt and pepper, customers could be holding up the line at your serving window as they pause to add condiments to the food they've just ordered. Solve this problem by installing a condiment serving table near your concession window. This will keep the traffic flowing as you direct customers away from the serving window and to the condiment area to prepare their order to their own taste. Your condiment serving table can hold condiments like ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, as well as napkins and utensils. A variety of lengths, from 4 feet to 10 feet, is available, allowing you to customize your concession area to your exact needs. More customers? Choose a longer table and set up two to three condiment stations.

The placement of your picnic tables and waste receptacles can also have an impact on your concession's efficiency. Be sure to place tables so that lines to the concession window are separate, allowing visitors to enjoy their purchases away from those waiting to order. Place waste receptacles so that customers can easily discard trash as they walk away from the concession area, keeping traffic flowing.