To round off a hotel breakfast, choose a mini ice cream stick if you want to offer a small treat; save a standard size or a recipe with added ingredients for a menu where frozen dessert plays a bigger part. Before choosing a product, compare its volume or weight per stick with how you plan to serve it, then check the allergens, storage requirements and availability with your supplier.
For a breakfast manager who wants to offer a distinctive frozen dessert, flavours and inclusions matter just as much as presentation. Magnum, for example, describes its Signature recipes as featuring pistachio or peach. This brand positioning doesn’t remove the need to check each individual product.
A hotel adding a little treat to the buffet can compare mini sizes with standard ice cream sticks. Magnum lists each Mini Classic at 55 mL, for example. The volume per stick can help you decide how much space the ice cream should take up in your offering.
When you offer several recipes, staff need to be able to match each ice cream stick to its ingredients and label. Products containing milk or nuts need particular attention before they’re made available.
First decide whether the ice lolly will be a little treat or a dessert in its own right. Then compare the recipes, taking presentation, information requirements and storage into account together.
| Criteria | What to check | Customers concerned |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation and recipe | Flavour, coating and inclusions for the exact product; number of sticks per box. | If I wanted to give frozen dessert a prominent place, I’d look for a distinctive recipe while checking that it suits the guests staying at the hotel. Around 40% of the customers concerned would put this indulgent appeal first. |
| Portion and service | Volume per stick in mL, or weight in g if stated, and number of sticks; don’t compare g and mL directly. | If the ice cream is an addition to a breakfast that’s already been served, I’d want to know the size of each portion before choosing between a mini and a standard stick. Portion control would be the priority for around 30% of the customers concerned. |
| Allergens and storage | Batch label, information available to staff and storage instructions for each product. | If the buffet offers several flavours, I’d want to be able to give customers information about each product and store the ice cream sticks as instructed. For around 30% of the customers concerned, this would be the first thing to consider. |
Magnum describes its Signature range as a collection inspired by haute couture. This description alone doesn’t tell you how large the ice cream sticks are or whether they’re suitable for breakfast service.
Compare the recipe, size and labelling of the product you’re considering, then assess how it will look in your serving setup.
Recipes containing almond or macadamia can’t be reliably identified by appearance alone. Other ingredients to check, including milk and soya, vary from one product to another.
Keep the batch label accessible to staff and clearly identify each product offered to customers.
Magnum lists its Mini Classic sticks at 55 mL, while Carrefour lists standard Magnum sticks at 95 or 100 mL, depending on the product. These sizes won’t necessarily serve the same purpose after breakfast.
Decide what role dessert will play in your offering, then compare the portion size and number of sticks per box.
An assortment that may change makes it harder to maintain the same presentation and product information. Ice cream also needs to be stored in accordance with the requirements for each product.
Confirm availability with your supplier, have an alternative product in mind and check the instructions on the items you receive.
These brands offer examples of different recipes and serving styles; their inclusion here doesn’t mean that every range is suitable for a hotel buffet.
The brand offers mini sticks, standard sizes and a Signature range with distinctive flavours.
Carrefour lists this brand in several frozen dessert formats, including ice cream sticks.
ALDI’s brand includes an assortment of 12 mini sticks in chocolate, white chocolate, almond and Classic recipes.
This Marque Repère frozen dessert brand is listed by E.Leclerc, including in tubs and ice cream ranges.
These products let you compare ice cream sticks with different recipes and portion information, as well as a sorbet stick. Choose according to the role you want dessert to play, and check the information on the product you receive before serving it.
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Worth considering if you’d like to offer a pistachio ice cream stick with a white chocolate coating.
The box contains four sticks, weighing 312 g in total. Check the size of each stick to decide on the portion to serve; also check the batch label, particularly for milk, pistachio and soya.
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The individual format works well when each portion needs to be easy to identify and count.
Five 70 mL ice cream sticks are listed. Check the batch information for milk and pistachio before offering them to customers.
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Consider this option when the ice cream stick is intended as a dessert rather than a small treat added to the buffet.
The listed pack contains four 100 mL sticks. Check that this portion suits your offering and consult the batch label for milk and nuts.
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This coconut sorbet stick offers a different recipe; it isn’t an ice cream.
The box contains four 70 g portions, 280 g in total. Weight doesn’t directly indicate volume in mL. Check the batch label for any possible allergen traces before serving.
No: Signature is a positioning used by Magnum, not an independent measure of quality. Its flavours and inclusions may suit the presentation you’re looking for, as long as the portion, allergens and serving arrangements work for the hotel.
Choose according to the role ice cream will play in your offering: a mini stick works well as a small treat, while a standard size is more suited to a dessert in its own right. Magnum lists Mini Classic at 55 mL; Carrefour lists some standard Magnum products at 95 or 100 mL.
Identify each product and check the label on the batch received before serving. The recipes featured here may require you to check for milk, soya or nuts. The DGCCRF stresses the importance of clear labelling to inform consumers.
Check the storage instructions for each product and make sure the hotel can follow them until service. For relevant businesses in France, the Ministry of Agriculture and the order of 8 October 2013 set out requirements for controlling food storage temperatures.
Yes, if your supplier can meet the hotel’s needs and every delivery allows you to maintain the planned presentation and customer information. Confirm what’s available locally and decide how you’ll replace a product if it changes.