Gelateria designed with expansion in mind
Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, July 21, 2004

When I graduated from university, my girlfriend and I backpacked through Europe. Our guide was a book called Europe on $15 a Day. As we travelled, we ate our way so many countries we used to joke we could write a companion guide, Europe on our Stomachs.

My fondest food memories are of fresh baklava in Greece and gelato in Italy. Back home, I found I could buy excellent baklava in most of the cities I have subsequently lived in.

Not so with gelato - until now. Whole Lot-a Gelata, a gelateria, recently opened at 120 King Street South in downtown Waterloo.

Gelato is Italian for ice cream. However, there are important differences. Gelato has a more intense, concentrated flavour because it contains less "overrun" - the air that is beaten into North American ice cream during the freezing process.

And, the fat content of ice cream is considerably higher, ranging between 16-3 per cent, whereas gelato has only 3-10 per cent fat.

Canada has strict regulations about what may be called ice cream. The critical rule is that it must contain at least 10 per cent fat. Whole Lot-a Gelata co-owners, Chris and Kristine Parent, say their gelato has a maximum of 6 per cent fat.

Chris got the idea for a gelateria from a neighbour who visited one in Ottawa that had line-ups out on to the street. He spent a year researching everything he could find out about gelato and knew he was onto something when Forbes Magazine declared gelaterias the Starbucks of the new millennium.

Once convinced of the market potential, Chris turned his attention to researching equipment. He spoke to gelateria owners across North America to find out what equipment they bought and why, gleaning their insights into the business.

Some aspects of starting a new business were made easier because the Parents are retail veterans. They own a Nutrition House outlet in Brantford and, until recently, owned a second one in Kitchener.

They knew the three most important things in retail are: location, location, location! In fact, they spent over two years searching for the right location, seriously considering eight different options, half of them in downtown Waterloo.

Kristine says originally they started out with plans for "a very simple store, nothing fancy, one that would require about 1,000 square feet."

However, in the backs of their minds, was the thought of having multiple locations, possibly franchises. The solid growth of gelaterias supported this thinking and made them realize they needed to think bigger and focus on the brand image they were trying to build.

Their gut instincts told them that, like Starbucks, their gelateria would all be about the experience. And indeed, immediately on entering the Waterloo store, you get a sense you are entering another world. The design is fun, funky and distinctive.

"From the very beginning we were concerned about making the gelateria look different, wanting to ensure the concept would be unique and couldn't easily be copied," Kristine says.

The design includes a long stand-up counter with shiny red tiles and round edges. All of the light fixtures, wall sconces, and even the wallpaper were designed with swirling images from the Whole Lot-a Gelata logo.

My 13-year old son, whose fashion sense hasn't advanced to determining if clothes match, was wowed and declared the gelateria high class.

Chris says they spent much more on the design than they originally anticipated because "we felt ultimately it would contribute to the brand and future marketability." Even staff uniforms were given considerable thought because the Parents realized professionalism needed to come across with every customer touchpoint.

Every business decision was forward-looking with a view to having multiple locations. That meant picking suppliers big enough to handle not only today's volumes, but future growth as well.

The Parents took the time to develop an in-depth product mix that features gelato and sorbetto (a non-dairy treat) both made from scratch on the premises, as well as panini (Italian sandwiches), gourmet and specialty coffee, cold drinks, pastries, cookies, chocolate, and other candy.

They also offer gelato cakes for special events such as birthdays, Valentines' Day, and other festive occasions.

In addition to a small eat-in area and the stand up counter on the main floor, Whole Lot-a Gelata also has an upstairs mezzanine that seats 20 and is suitable for small parties or business meetings.

When my son saw the mezzanine, he immediately exclaimed that he wanted to have his next birthday party there. It's an option the Parents haven't developed yet, but are considering.

In spite of cooler than normal weather this summer, customer response has been extremely positive.

My son is champing at the bit to return. And knowing that gelato is much lower in fat than ice cream makes me feel better about rediscovering this old favourite so close to home.

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