Is a frozen margarita shortage looming? Bars are thirsty for frozen drink machines as summer heat waves spike demand.
Since the start of the pandemic, Americans have contended with shortages of everything from toilet paper to ketchup packets.Bars and restaurants across the country say they are having difficulty sourcing the machines — some of which cost well more than $5,000 — that make such beloved summertime sips as the frozen margarita and frosé.
“We are in limbo,” said a frustrated Morgan Nevans, director of food and beverage at Veranda, a trendy restaurant in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. Nevans has been searching for a quality frozen-drink machine since March, after going through two cheaper ones last year that both stopped working properly.
“You know when it snows and puddles up?” he said of the disappointing texture. “It’s not the best frozen drink.” Michael Neff, bar director of Bar Loretta, a San Antonio, Texas, establishment, said he gave up when he was in the process of opening the place in 2021 and couldn’t find what he wanted. He doesn’t have too many regrets a year later, pointing to the fact the maintenance on the machines “is legendary” and they take up a lot of space.
Companies that specialize in drink mixes for the machines are seeing much the same. Helena Tubis, a vice president of Kelvin Slush Co., a New York-based mix supplier, said orders are up 200% in the last two years.
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