Scoop-Shop Survival Kit — Which day-to-day problems hurt your margins and what fixed them?

Calling owners/managers of small ice cream shops: I’m collecting short, actionable peer case studies about the 2–3 operational problems that cost you the most time or money (seasonality, spoilage, staffing, equipment, compliance, tech gaps, etc.). For each problem please share concrete details so others can reuse what worked.

Please reply using this quick format for each problem you list:
1) Problem (1–2 words + 1-line description)
2) What you tried first (tools/processes/promotions/vendors)
3) What actually worked and what didn’t (be specific)
4) Metrics you tracked (waste %, hours of downtime, revenue swing by season, staff turnover %, cost saved, etc.)
5) Vendors/tools that helped (POS, inventory, scheduling, preventive maintenance, suppliers — name & short note)
6) SOPs/templates you’ll share (paste, link, or say “DM me”)

Examples of high-value shares people are looking for: seasonal promo playbooks, waste-reduction SOPs, hiring/onboarding templates, preventative-maintenance checklists, vetted supplier/vendor lists, POS↔delivery integration notes.

A few quick requests: please include store size and location (city/state) and whether you run scooped, soft-serve, or both. If you’re open to a quick follow-up question or joining a short workshop to co-create templates, say so.

Thanks — looking for real, replicable fixes (not theory).