Drinks Dispenser - CreativeWare 1.5 & 2.5 Gallon
A drink dispenser is a great option for serving lemonade at a stand and is much less prone to spills than pouring from a container or pitcher. Look for one that can hold ice in a separate compartment to keep the lemonade cold. This Acrylic, 2.5 gallon version from CreativeWare on Amazon is highly rated and priced reasonably relative to other options. There is also a 1.5 gallon option which might be good if you are serving more than one variety or expecting fewer customers. Consider purchasing a drip mat for below the spigot. You can find the CreativeWare drinks dispenser on Amazon here.
Drinks Dispenser - Buddeez 3.5 Gallon
This 3.5 gallon drink dispenser from Buddeez on Amazon has a feature that allows changing/refilling the ice and drink compartments separately without stopping drink service. The dispenser is made from a material that Buddeez claims is as clear as glass but shatter-proof and BPA-free. Consider purchasing a drip mat for below the spigot. You can view the listing by Buddeez on Amazon here.
Straw Dispensers
There are a lot of great options for straw dispensers on Amazon. We usually just keep our straws in a spare cup but a dispenser may help customers feel a little more confident about the cleanliness of the straw going into their drink. If you are opting for decorated paper straws it might be nice to have them in an acrylic dispenser so the straws are visible. We recommend avoiding glass-based dispensers for safety reasons. You can view the listings for straw dispensers on Amazon here.
Lemon Juicers
If you are going to be making homemade lemonade for a lemonade stand more than one time, you will be wanting a juicer - trust us! There are plenty of highly-rated options from $20 up to $300+. We like this Cuisinart CCJ-500P1 juicer that has a 4.5 star rating with nearly 20k reviews. You can view the listings for all citrus juicers on Amazon here.
Cooler - Ice Chest
You will likely need to have at least one cooler for storing ice that will be used for serving in drinks. We actually use two coolers, one for storing ice and another for storing containers of lemonade with ice-packs. There are more variations and price points for coolers than you can imagine but we have been pretty happy with our hard-sided Coleman brand cooler. You will go through ice quickly when serving lemonade so we would recommend a large cooler if you won't be able to easily restock your ice from a nearby freezer. You can view the listings for all coolers on Amazon here.
Cash Management
Managing cash and making change are part of the business of running a lemonade stand. We usually make-do with a small box or food storage container, which works fine but isn't particularly well organized or secure. There are plenty of other options to chose from for managing your cash, but no matter which way you go be sure to have some change on hand when you open for business!
If you plan to offer multiple products or have different sizes that results in more change making complexity, you may want to go with a cash box.
Older kids that can manage making change from co-mingled bills and coins can probably get by with a zipper bag or fanny pack.
