Neil Williams – Founder
My Story
Hello. Neil Williams here. I founded TurnKeyParlor.com after realizing that choosing the right ice cream store equipment was confusing, especially to someone new to the business.
A little bit about me: During 20+ years in the ice cream business, I co-founded a distribution company with my brothers, owned and operated retail ice cream shops and worked as a national account executive for Dreyer’s/Edy’s Ice Cream. I’ve scooped ice cream, driven ice cream truck routes and managed million dollar retail accounts and acquired tons of positive feedback (below) . If you’re interested in details, you can read some of these stories on my BLOG
5 Good Reasons to Choose TurnKeyParlor.com
1) We take personal interest in each and every sale. I give customers my cell phone number so they can easily get in touch with me should they need to.
2) We understand the ice cream business. Unlike restaurant supply websites that sell tens of thousands of items, we only carry ice cream related equipment. We don’t sell other stuff. We are specialists and are constantly learning about the newest technology and best practices. Tell us what your plan is, and we will recommend what we think would work best. We won’t let you dump hard earned money into buying wrong equipment.
3) We constantly monitor pricing to ensure we are offering our customers the absolute lowest price and guarantee you can’t buy it for less, even direct from the manufacturer. Go ahead, challenge us.
4) TurnKeyParlor.com is a fully authorized dealer for all manufacturers we represent. Not everyone is. In fact, many websites offer unauthorized equipment at super low prices, only to use high pressure sales tactics to sell you something else when you call them. Be careful who you choose to do business with out there. It can get ugly.
5) FREE information. There is no better place to learn about the business. We offer blog posts, e-mails, audio files and webcasts to help you learn and avoid common mistakes. The willingness to share this knowledge has been rewarded by “students” who go on to become long term customers.
Corporate Clients & Testimonials with Verifiable Contact Information
Check out the testimonials below from customers who have been kind enough to let us list their contact information. Our corporate clients have asked that we do not list contact information, but should you want to formally contact any of these clients, please let us know and we will furnish it upon request.
Verifiable Testimonials
Unlike other dealer websites, you won’t see a “- Jim from Ohio” testimonial on TurnKeyParlor.com. We include contact information, so feel free to call any of these customers and see what they say!
“Hi Neil. Love the ice cream cart and sink! Incredible quality thanks!”
Ben Bally – Uncle Bob’s Homemade Ice Cream, Eureka, IL 61530 Ph: (309)360-2211 unclebob1980@hotmail.com
Uncle Bob’s – Ben Bally
Ben Bally with his Nelson Cart
The Franklin Fountain and Nelson BD12 Dipping Cabinet
Nelson BD12 Stainless Steel Dipping Cabinet Diner Style
“We bought a BD6-CE-OO cold plate cart to start with last year. We are looking at adding a second cart this year as our business continues to grow. Thanks for all your help.”
John and Valerie Pagano
Pagano’s Italian Ice
johnnyp180@yahoo.com
“The SP 9G gelato case has been the perfect catering unit for us. We use it at weddings and other events. Easy to transport, easy to set in place and it cools down fast after we plug it in. We’ve also recommended this unit to our wholesale customers as a quick and affordable way to add gelato to their offering.”
Chuck Incorvia – Owner, Sweet Melody’s Gelato
“I want to thank you for your excellent service and communication. Not if, but when I decide to purchase another ice cream cabinet I will look to Turn Key Parlor for my needs.”
Jaime Hirales – Super Snacker’s 5388 E. Skyline Dr. San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 (480)-709-1745
“Thanks so much! We look forward to working with you in the future-this is our first dipping freezer, but we anticipate needing more its exciting. From reading your literature, it sounds like you know what you’re doing. It’s been a pleasure!”
E-Mail: fuhrey1@bellsouth.net
“We were worried about the fact that we needed the dipping freezers shipped to Canada, and you were with us every step of the way, assuring us all would go well. It did!! We love our freezers and will definitely keep you in mind for future purchases!”
Holly & John Furness:
3711 Main St. West, Ontario, Canada
Phone: 905-382-3133
E-Mail: furness@iaw.on.ca
“Just got our SP 12H yesterday. Thanks for the timely service. We really appreciate how you handled the late notice address change and the follow up!”
Penny Crowley – Dry Run Party Store – 104
17 Mile Rd Cedar Springs, MI 49391
Phone: 616-696-3580
E-Mail: pscr@chartermi.net
“We got our freezer and are officially in the ice cream business! We really appreciate the great price. Thank You So Much!”Karen Brodrick
Wild Willy’s Mammoth Arcade and Ice Cream parlor
Mammoth Lakes, CA Phone: 760-924-1082
E-Mail: kabrodrick@msn.com
“It’s a perfect fit for our store. Thanks for helping us get it all the way to Juneau. Much Appreciated!”
Julie Patz – Southeast Waffle Company
Juneau, Alaska Phone: 907-209-1891
E-Mail: southeastwaffleco@yahoo.com
“I had not heard of TurnKeyParlor.com when I was directed to you by Google. I will certainly use you in the future.”
Faith Dentay – Brave Art Gallery and Cafe
Ontario, Canada – 905-472-5378
Website – www.braveart.ca
E-mail: Faith@braveart.ca
“The Edy’s graphics look great! Thanks for the discounted shipping rates. And thanks for getting them here in a hurry. The grand opening of our second store will take place as planned!”
Daniel DaCosta – Cafe de la Crème – St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
E-Mail – dacosta@viaccess.net
At TurnKeyParlor.com, our goal is to listen to what our customers are planning and the ideas they have, then try to recommend what will work best for them.
Outside of franchises, few programs exist to help people succeed in the ice cream business.
TurnKeyParlor.com can help you:
a) operate an ice cream parlor
b) manufacture and distribute your own brand to hotels, convenience stores and grocery stores
c) operate a fleet of ice cream carts for special events and high traffic areas Independently owned and operated ice cream parlors struggle more than franchises during the first few years due to trial and error, so a franchise can be a safer bet. That said, sometimes it is difficult to qualify for a franchise, or the contract for your area is already taken. Other reasons you might want go the independent route are listed below.1) On-going royalty payments. These cut into your profit
2) Limitations on what you can sell – not a lot of room to be creative
3) If you don’t have X net worth, the franchises may not even return a phone call
Again, I’m not saying that a franchise is the wrong way to go. We sell equipment to plenty of franchises that are very successful, but if you have a concept in your mind that you believe in, then go for it as an independent!
If you make the decision to move forward as an independent business, the first step for most is to contact a major ice cream manufacturer or supplier/distributor. These suppliers generally have reps who are knowledgeable when it comes to the actual product, but they simply don’t know the best places to buy freezer equipment, what freezer equipment is actually needed, how to train employees, etc. They also don’t necessarily have the time to help you. They basically want you to get your parlor open, then call them when you need ice cream.
The lack of good information leaves most fledgling ice cream parlor owners to learn by trial and error, seriously hurting their chances for success.
In an effort to help prospective parlor owners avoid common pitfalls, I created TurnKeyParlor.com.
My goal is to provide a one stop shop by gathering information and neatly packing it into a convenient website.
Customers can see what they need, buy what they need and get the consulting necessary to help get their ice cream business running efficiently and with the right systems firmly in place.
If you’re interested in learning more, please take a look at our consulting offers to help you get started on the right foot. But don’t feel like you have to buy our consulting….really.
We have a ton of valuable information that is completely free, and we promise not to spam you with irrelevant e-mail’s. Start with our free stuff and get a feel for the business before you spend a dime.
We look forward to helping you reach your goals!
