Marcus Purtzki, owner of the Alberta-based Made by Marcus ice cream shop, originally started out his business making macarons. But when he saw all the egg yolks wasted while crafting the colorful French cookies, he came up with a whole new business idea. “We thought of making ice cream out of the discarded yolks, and I guess the rest is history,” he says.
Today, Made by Marcus is about to open its seventh location in Edmonton. It’s no coincidence or stroke of luck that Purtzki’s ice cream shop became a local favourite. “We are a fun ice cream place that always comes up with really, really fun ingredients,” says Purtzki. “And we’re always trying to find something creative and [offer] a different experience that you probably can’t get at other ice cream shops.”
From signature picks like Malted Chocolate Honeycomb to limited-edition creations like Lavender Peach Tea Pie, coming up with unique ice cream flavours is both an art and a science —and Purtzki happens to have several food science degrees.
Using the Square ecosystem allows Purtzki to continue doing what he loves, but with the added peace of mind of knowing his POS is efficient for employees and customers alike – and, most importantly, equipped to grow while keeping Made by Marcus true to its fun, innovative spirit.
Growing with a seasonal business strategy
To maintain regular foot traffic throughout the year and keep customers excited to come back to the store, Made by Marcus relies on exclusive seasonal flavours and monthly themes. “People know that every February, we do Raspberry Rose Lychee. They come back just for that one flavour. If it was around year-round, it wouldn’t have the same [effect]. It’s more exclusive that way,” notes Purtzki.
But, like any other ice cream shop, the business sees a noticeable uptick in clientele come summertime. Building smart systems is essential to manage this seasonal rush, with staffing becoming more intricate as Purtzki opens more shops. Managing labour costs and preventing over- and under-scheduling is key. And so is maintaining the customer experience and community-feel that made the business popular in the first place.
Streamlining operations with Square’s integrated tools
Enhancing the customer experience
Square Online allows Made by Marcus to create buzz and enhance customer experience during seasonal peaks. Take, for example, a holiday like Valentine’s Day. Since the online store is easy to customize, Made by Marcus can highlight its seasonal ice cream cakes and limited-edition flavours so they are front and centre on its website.
Customers can pre-order online, which is especially helpful when products are in high demand or available for a limited time only. The platform provides real-time availability, which increases buyer confidence. “People want to secure that product and make sure they have it,” says Purtzki. The pickup system is fully integrated, with orders automatically printing for fulfillment. This streamlines the pickup process for the Made by Marcus team while reducing the risk of delays or issues with orders.
Optimizing team management and labour costs
Square’s integrated tools help to keep operations simple and allow Purtzki to manage everything in one place, from team scheduling to online pickup orders. “It’s nice that we have one program that can do all those things. We like to minimize [tools] as much as possible,” he says.
Square Shifts allows Purtzki to adjust team scheduling based on demand, which prevents over- and under-scheduling. And since it integrates with Square POS and Square Dashboard, it provides an opportunity to optimize labour costs. “I think this scheduling program really helps us, especially since we do budgeted hours per week,” Purtzki explains. “We can see those targets with the budgeted hours and what the hours per day are and look at the labour costs.”
As a busy entrepreneur, Purtzki often analyzes data and looks at trends directly from his phone. This helps him optimize shift scheduling in real-time. “It’s nice to look at the reporting of what we did last year or last week, and then we can see where those trends are. We can adjust schedules and cut shifts on a whim if we had to. So it makes us react a little bit faster,” he says.
Square Online
Efficiently manage in-store, online, social and mobile sales with Square Online.
Sustainable growth and seamless year-round operations
Made by Marcus’ stores are able to stay open all year round, which is no small feat for an ice cream business in a cold climate. Looking ahead, Purtzki plans to open one new shop per year. “We have to build out Edmonton a little bit more probably in the next couple years, and then maybe make a splash to a different city, like Vancouver or Toronto.”
As the business expands, the Made by Marcus team have to consider the logistics for any new store very carefully. Unlike a product like coffee, ice cream needs to stay cold through all stages of production and distribution. This very involved and complex set-up process needs to be balanced with the right store location. “We really like neighbourhoods,” says Purtzki. “[They] typically do pretty well for ice cream. It’s kind of like church, as there is always one in every neighbourhood, and you always need to be able to walk to it.”
And it is clear the Made by Marcus team takes its role in any community seriously. Every month, the store runs events that aim to raise money for local charities such as the YCMA or raise the profile of local artists and businesses just getting started.
Anyone we work with gets featured in the store and on our social channels so hopefully that will jumpstart their careers a bit. So passing the torch a little bit is what we try to do.
– Marcus Purtzki → owner, Made by Marcus