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More News, Articles, Stories, and Resources for your Ice Cream Vending Business: "Shaved Ice Cart Becomes a Favorite": Icy but not Ice Cream (click here) |
ECONOMY
NOT SO SWEET ON ICE CREAM TRUCKS
By
Jason LeaThe ice cream truck is the sole survivor. The milkman's gone. Eggman, only remembered in a Beatles song about a walrus. Grocery boys - please, most grocery stores are cutting back on cashiers, let alone delivery people. Iceman, replaced by a gizmo in the fridge. Paperboys are a dying breed. But there's still the ice cream truck. On a sticky, summer evening, one can still see a large, white box truck creeping down the block and playing the music-box version of "The Entertainer." Kids still beg their mom for money and wave for the truck to stop. Sure, the prices are higher than
the days of the eggman, and there are
options besides Eskimo pie, Creamsicle or Popsicle. But the ice cream
truck is still there. Business used to be sweeter. A slumping economy and higher gas prices mean less profits. "A lot of our customers have been spending their money at the pump or at the grocery store," 34-year-old Fakult said. Gas prices have been especially tough on Fakult. It ain't cheap to fill up a box truck. When asked how gas prices have affected profits, he said, "Well, let's just say 'significantly.' " Business has been rough enough that Fakult got a day job. He does construction with family during the day and oversees his ice cream truck armada at night. But Fakult hasn't soured toward the job. "There's something magical about the truck. It's not just kids - adults love it too," he said. Fakult got his start in the business in 1996. He bought three ice cream trucks from a company for which he was working. "I drove a truck for a couple years in college and thought it would be something cool to do," he said. Government limitations also can make things more complicated for the ice cream man. Some cities like Richmond Heights and Eastlake do not permit ice cream trucks. Eastlake banned them after a 4-year-old boy leaving the ice cream truck was killed by a drunk driver Other communities have safety restrictions. Some cities require trucks to have a stop sign like school buses. Fakult said the restrictions don't bother him."It's in the name of safety," he said. Fakult's fleet has had as many as 14 trucks in it but has tapered to 12. Fakult said he has no plans to quit. The job would have to become completely unprofitable before that happened, he said. "I still enjoy it. You always get honks and waves. It's still fun." And the music repeating ad nauseum? "After a day or two, you don't even notice it." Story courtesy of the (Cleveland) News-Herald: www.news-herald.com |