An ice cream robot sells Italian-style ice cream with no staff: the customer orders on a touch screen, pays by card, and a robotic arm prepares their cup behind a window. Investing in an ice cream robot therefore means buying a complete point of sale. Before you start, you need to know the real budget, beyond the purchase price, the monthly costs and the method for estimating the margin and profitability of your venue, taking into account a variable that weighs far more than for coffee: the season.
The machine's price, what it includes and the options are on the investment page: they are not repeated here, so that they stay up to date.
Purchase budget and what it includes
The price of a ROBOKAFÉ ice cream robot is a turnkey price. It includes:
- the complete machine: robotic arm, ordering terminal and display screen, with card payment;
- delivery, anywhere in France;
- installation, commissioning and tests with you, on site;
- training in Paris, before installation;
- the management app: sales, stock, prices, alerts for stock-outs and breakdowns.
3 options can be added: finding a location, invoiced only if a lease is signed; sales support at launch (strategy, finding suppliers, recipes for your menu, menu photos); and a custom livery in your colours. For an ice cream robot, the choice of suppliers matters more than you think: it sets your cost per ice cream, and therefore your margin.
On top of the purchase budget come the start-up costs: the first stock of ingredients and cups, insurance, and electrical work if the venue needs to be equipped.
Space and installation
An ice cream robot installs without major works, but not just anywhere. Before signing with a venue, check:
- the area: the machine's footprint, plus the space in front of the hatch where the customer picks up their ice cream;
- access and flooring: the machine weighs several hundred kilos, so it needs a route and a floor that can take it;
- electricity: a supply suited to its power rating, to be validated by an electrician;
- the connection, essential for card payment and remote monitoring;
- the written agreement of the venue owner, with the terms of the fee.
The dimensions, weight and power are on the technical sheet on the ice cream robot page. The machine is mounted on castors: it can move to another venue if the first one doesn't work out.
Monthly costs to plan for
The ice cream robot sells with no staff on site, but it has its costs:
- ingredients and consumables: ice cream mix, sauces, toppings and cups;
- the location: a fixed rent or a share of sales paid to the venue owner;
- internet connection, electricity and insurance;
- card payment fees;
- support, optional, on a monthly subscription;
- maintenance: transport of parts under warranty, the parts themselves afterwards, and an on-site call-out if needed, on quotation;
- your time: a regular visit for restocking and cleaning, whose duration is given on the investment page.
An ice cream is a perishable food: food hygiene rules apply, from storing ingredients to cleaning the machine. Our article on coffee robot regulations sets out the steps to check; most of them also apply to ice cream.
Estimating the margin of an ice cream robot
The method is the same as for a coffee robot, detailed in our article on profitability calculation:
- Revenue excl. VAT = retail price incl. VAT ÷ (1 + VAT rate) × number of ice creams sold.
- Margin per ice cream = price excl. VAT − cost of ingredients, cup and card payment fee.
- Monthly margin = margin per ice cream × sales for the month − fixed costs for the month.
- Payback period = purchase price excl. VAT ÷ average monthly margin over the year.
Two points need more attention than with coffee. First, the cost per ice cream: it depends on your suppliers and on the sauces and toppings you choose. The calculator on the investment page is shared by both machines, but its raw-material cost assumption is that of a coffee: for an ice cream, redo the calculation with your suppliers' prices. Second, the VAT rate, which depends on the product and on how it is consumed: have it confirmed by your chartered accountant, as our article on coffee robot taxation notes.
No machine is yet operated by a ROBOKAFÉ customer: we do not publish any "observed" margin, and we do the calculation with you, for your venue, at quotation stage.
Ice cream season: the real variable
Ice cream sells more in fine weather and in the afternoon. A forecast built on a July month overstates the year; one done in January understates it. For an ice cream robot, therefore, calculate month by month, over 12 months, then take the average: that is what you use to estimate the payback period.
The venue changes the curve a great deal. A shopping centre, station or campus, covered and heated, can sell ice cream all year round, with a gentler winter dip. A park or outdoor tourist site sells well in season and little out of season. Our article on the risks of investing in a vending machine shows how to build these low months into a prudent scenario.
Installing a coffee robot next to the ice cream robot is another way to balance the year: we discuss this in our article on the ice cream robot as a complement to coffee.
Suitable locations
The ice cream robot sells where people stroll, wait and come as families:
- shopping centres: galleries, food courts;
- stations and airports;
- parks, leisure areas and tourist sites;
- hotels, campuses and gyms.
The criteria for judging a site (footfall, opening hours, competition, visibility) are the same as for coffee: our article on choosing the location details them, and the one on the location contract covers the clauses to negotiate. For ice cream, add one criterion: the presence of an ice cream parlour or ice cream seller nearby.
Time and day-to-day operation
The machine takes orders, takes payment and serves on its own, day and night if the venue stays accessible. Your part: restocking ingredients and cups, cleaning the preparation and serving areas, and watching the app alerts. Sales and stock are tracked remotely.
Ice cream requires particular rigour in cleaning and storing ingredients: that is what guarantees the quality served and the safety of the customer. Also plan for the busy summer weeks, when the machine empties faster and needs more frequent visits.
Questions to ask before investing
- Does the targeted venue sell ice cream all year round, or only in season?
- Do I have supplier quotes to know my cost per ice cream?
- Does the project remain profitable over 12 months, low months included?
- Do the space, floor, electricity and connection suit the machine?
- How many visits per week can I manage, especially in summer?
- Will the ice cream robot work on its own, or next to a coffee robot?
To discover the machine, see the ice cream robot page and our article on its benefits at the point of sale. An ice cream robot and a coffee robot from ROBOKAFÉ serve passers-by at the Galerie des Champs, on the Champs-Élysées: you can book a demonstration. And if you have a venue in mind, describe it to us: we will do the calculation with you, on your assumptions.
