Tips to Running a Successful Ice Cream Truck Business
Everyone loves ice creams, from small kids to adults. Frozen treats have proven to be so profitable, especially during the hot months of the year. You can never go wrong with this business.
There are numerous ways to make money with the ice cream truck business; you don’t have to work it all by yourself either. You can do a combination of management and employees or hire someone to do everything for you.
Here are some success tips if you’re planning to start an ice cream airstream business.
Find the Perfect Ice Cream Truck
If you’re planning to sell your ice cream on the move, the first thing you’re going to have to look for is an ice-cream trailer. They are easier to maintain and handle, especially if you’re not used to this line of business.
The basic idea is to make sure that the truck looks good, sounds good, runs well, and, most importantly, makes delicious ice cream treats. You may purchase already made trucks or build your own, depending on your budget and level of expertise.
Make sure the mainstream trailer for your ice cream can keep the creams frozen and is tailor-made for your business needs.
Choose the Ice Cream Type to Sell
You can decide to sell either soft serve ice cream or go for the hard ice cream kind. The choice will depend on the availability of a product, storage space, and especially your equipment to create such treats.
Of course, generally, there’s no problem in selling both, even if it means you need to double the cost of operation and purchase more ingredients for your ice cream recipes.
Decide on Your Route
Since you’re going to sell your ice cream on the move, you need to plan carefully for this. If you drive on a long route without customers, you’ll find yourself using too much fuel that will eat up your profit. Choose a well-populated route that has heavy traffic even in the evening.
Prepare the Right Equipment and Supplies
When you drive around selling ice cream, you must be prepared to deal with long lines of customers when you stop at lights, for example. Having too much equipment inside your vehicle will take up much space and may even cause accidents.
When you choose equipment, you must consider the space available to accommodate them inside your airstream trailer. Here’s a list of things that will help you:
- An ice cream scoop
- Popsicle molds
- Straws and sticks
- Paper cups and lids
- Paper plates
- Fork and spoon
- Chocolate sauce or toppings
- Napkins
You can also consider buying an ice cream maker. However, it would take up too much space, so you might want to leave it home unless your business is doing great and needs extra equipment.
Get a License
Before you hit the road, make sure to visit your city hall and apply for a license to sell ice cream from an airstream trailer. When applying, present the local health department with a copy of your business plan and a list of ingredients you will be using in your products.