Although summertime is drawing to a close and jack-o-lanterns are already starting to appear, meteorologists say that most of the country can still expect plenty of hot days to come. And when the temperature is high, there’s nothing quite like ice cream to stay cool. That’s why for nearly a century, ice cream trucks have roamed neighborhoods across the country serving customers of all ages looking to beat the heat.
In 1926 Good Humour became the first brand to use street vendor trucks to sell soft-serve ice cream, followed shortly by a Philadelphia company called Mister Softee. Since soft-serve ice cream incorporates more air during the freezing process to make the product creamier, truck operators were able to increase the volume they sold compared to vendors of regular ice cream. By the 1960s, Mister Softee had more than 2,000 ice cream trucks in 38 states. And while the company remains the largest franchisor of soft ice cream trucks in the U.S., its fleet has decreased to just 630 trucks across 21 states. Not only do mobile vendors face increased competition from stand-alone ice cream parlors and gelato shops, they’re also paying higher prices for milk, ice cream, and cones due to inflation.
Then there’s the trucks themselves, which are breaking down more frequently as summers get hotter each year. What was once a cost-effective way to reach customers has become yet another cash drain as operators spend more money on repairs. While fast food brands like Shake Shack can afford to deal with higher costs for materials and maintenance, small franchisees don’t have the resources to deal with such volatile conditions. For example, Carlos Vazquez has owned a Mister Frostee franchise in downtown New York City for more than a decade, when he once charged just $1 for a cone of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Now he charges $5 for the same item, and he says that most days he sells half as much ice cream as he used to. Still, he hopes new strategies will soon increase sales, including a longer season, more private events, and a Mister Softee mobile app. “Softee is an icon,” said Vazquez. “We have to stay in the industry.”
Questions:
- What are some challenges that ice cream truck franchisees face in today’s market?
- Do you think ice cream trucks will ever be as popular as they were 60 years ago? Why or why not?
Source: Nathaniel Meyersohn, “It’s Never Been Harder To Be Mister Softee,” CNN, Aug. 24, 2024.