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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) |
SELLING ICE CREAM, Interview with a successful ice cream truck operator By Cindy Atoji Keene, Boston Globe Correspondent Ice cream is in Peter Christopoulos' blood. His father was an ice cream truck vendor. Today, more than 25 years later, Christopoulos peddles frozen treats from a white 1996 Chevy Step Van plastered with colorful decals of cold novelties: cherry 2Ball Screwball, chocolate chip cookie sandwich, strawberry shortcake, Creamsicle, and more. His Dracut-based business, called "Sweet Pete's," serves not just neighborhoods, but also makes stops at Little League games, car shows, company picnics, carnivals, school functions, and more. "It's kind of a competition between other ice cream truck vendors and me - whoever is the first one to arrive at, say, a ball game, gets to sell at that spot," says Christopoulos. When he doesn't have a specific destination, Christopoulos' usual hangout is the Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, near the wading pool, where he puts in long hours in the sweltering truck, which isn't air conditioned. "It can hit over a 100 degrees in the truck," says Christopoulos, "and this summer, so far, I've had far too many days like that." And although his occupation might seem like a sweet endeavor, Christopoulos says he hasn't been to the beach for 10 years. "When it's hot out, I can't be out enjoying the surf and sand like most people - I have to sell ice cream." There are so many different ice cream shops these days - Stone Cold Creamery, JP Licks, Ben & Jerry's. Does this affect your business?Sure, you can buy ice cream from so many places now, but an ice cream truck like mine brings back the memories of kids playing outside and hearing the music of the ice cream truck in the air. It's a nostalgic experience, not like buying a pint from the grocery store. I love the sound of an ice cream truck myself. What music do you play? I have 32 tunes on the truck, but I play the same song my dad played in his truck. For me, it's like listening to Mozart. I think the song is called Ice Cream Ditty, and it's a catchy tune that gets people's attention. It plays on a music box that is hooked up to a loudspeaker. I can also play the sounds of a dog barking, rooster crowing, horse neighing, as well as Happy Birthday and lots of other tunes. It's kind of a fattening occupation, isn't it? When I was young, I rode in the truck all day, starting from the time when I was 8 or 9 years old. Each summer I got an extra 20 pounds from all the ice cream I'd eat. Today I'm very careful. I don't eat too much or I gain weight. I do like the Sponge Bob Square Pants treat, though, as well as the cherry freeze cup and cotton candy swirl. Has your truck ever broken down, or have you ever been pulled over by the police? Once I broke down on Route 495, and a couple of teens stopped to help me. I told them I was waiting for the tow truck to come, and they left, but wanted some free ice cream first. So I gave it to them. As far as getting stopped by the cops, sometimes the competition - other ice cream truck vendors - will send the police over to have your permit checked. It's just a game some of them play. What's the most ice cream you've ever sold at one time? I've had a line of 300 kids, but that was for a school event. And once I filled a whole shopping bag for a woman who bought 14 different flavors. I don't know if she ate them all at once, but she stopped the truck and ordered them all at the same time. "I love ice cream," she kept saying. What do you do when you're not selling ice cream? I work in a pizza place in Lowell, but in summer, it's ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. How much do you make selling ice cream? If it's raining outside, you can make as little as $3, but on a good day, you can earn $500. These days, though, the high gas prices are eating into my profit. I pay $30 a day for gas, so now I'm trying to put less mileage in to save money. What do you usually wear on the job? Customers like to see a clean truck and a clean ice cream man, so I have four different ice cream shirts, and 10 copies of each, so that's 40 shirts. On a hot day, I change shirts two or three times a day, so I keep extra shirts in my truck. Where do you store your ice cream? My truck has a cold plate freezer in it that plugs in overnight and then, once unplugged, maintains the cold for at least 12 hours. Sometimes, on a really long day, like the Fourth of July, when I'm out from morning until late at night, the ice cream can get soft, but usually it stays pretty frozen. I have a distributor who comes and fills up an extra freezer with the products, located where I park my truck. What else do you sell besides ice cream? I sell soda and candy as well. Sometimes, though, I get the strangest questions, from parents in particular. They ask if I have dog food, baby's formula, or even laundry detergent. And do you? Duh, no. Story courtesy of The Boston Globe: www.boston.com |