Ice Cream Shop Lighting

As a business owner, the matter of lighting is important to the success of your operation. When you own an ice cream shop, finding the right lighting is even more crucial due to the unique nature of the setting and products. Here are a few tips on achieving the right ice cream shop lighting.

1. Pay attention to color rendering

When considering the right ice cream shop lighting, you should look at color rendering. Color rendering indexes will determine how many colors can be picked up by the eye under the lighting which is important because ice cream shops tend to be colorful places. You also want to make sure customers can see the colors of the ice cream to add to the experience. Anything above an 80 color rendering index is ideal since it will pick up and distinguish more colors than a lower index.

2. Choose the right color temperature

Another element of ice cream shop lighting is to choose the right color temperature. Color temperature is how blue or white a light is based on where it falls on the Kelvin scale of warm to cool. A cool light that is too blue will add a blue tinge to everything while a too warm light will add a yellow tinge. It's a good idea to find something that falls more in the white range such as a 3500k to 4500k color temperature.

3. Choose low heat solutions

In an ice cream shop, heat is the enemy. You should avoid any type of lighting that causes a lot of heat loss or heat production during operation. For instance, incandescent or metal halide tend to produce a lot of heat whereas compact fluorescent and LED are low to no heat emitting options.

4. Invest in LED

When looking for an option to give your business the best return on investment in the department of lighting, LED is a smart solution for a few reasons. For starters, LED lasts longer than other options while also offering one of the lowest wattages for energy savings. LED also offers the best performance in terms of flicker-free illumination that is powerful. In fact, LED offers some of the highest lumen outputs while maintaining low wattage, impressive color rendering indexes, and the best scope of color temperature on the market today.

5. Light for ambiance

Too many businesses take an approach that brighter is inherently better, and while this helps to foster a sense of cleanliness customers expect from any food service establishment, there is something to be said for creating ambiance. Consider adding some ambiance lighting such as wall sconces, accent lights, or even a touch of neon signage to add to the ambiance of the space and delight customers.