Tips For Creating A Profitable Ice Cream Truck Business
Posted on: 25 April 2022
Plenty of people want to open an ice cream truck. A good number of those people do follow through with their dreams, but sadly, many ice cream trucks struggle to be profitable. This does not have to be the case for you. By focusing on profitability from day one and following the tips below, you can increase your chances of success.
Buy a fuel-efficient ice cream truck.
Remember, ice cream is not your only expense. You also need to maintain and fuel the truck. While an older, used truck may be the cheapest option up-front, older trucks burn a lot of gas, which will cost you in the long term. If needed, it's often best to spend a little more for a newer, more fuel-efficient ice cream truck. The fuel savings will make up for the higher price tag before long, considering how much an ice cream truck gets driven.
Serve a lot of low-prep items.
Sure, your customers might love smoothies and milkshakes, but they take so long to make that they'll slow you down on filling other orders. In an ice cream truck where you have room for two people at most, you really want to keep things simple. Premade ice cream bars are a great choice. You can also serve soft-serve ice cream, which only takes a few seconds to dispense into a cone or cup.
Go to local fairs and festivals.
A lot of your business will come from simply driving around the streets. However, if there are any fairs and festivals that welcome food trucks in your area, you will benefit from booking a spot. This is a chance to sell more ice cream at once, in one location. But more importantly, it's a chance to gain name recognition. Potential customers will see your truck there and get to know it, and they'll then be more apt to buy from you when they see your truck around town.
Know what neighborhoods to visit and when.
Whenever you visit a neighborhood and make a lot of sales, make a note of it. Try to go back to that neighborhood on the same day and at the same time again. Chances are, this time works well for people's routines there. Do this with a few neighborhoods, and you'll be golden!
Making a profit with an ice cream truck is not always easy, but with the tips above, it can be done.
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