Some people who are interested in starting their own food truck business may be a little reluctant to make the leap and instead kick around the idea of dipping their toes into the water by taking on an ice cream truck business since it has fewer moving parts. If you are interested in becoming the next mobile ice cream magnate and are in search of ice cream trucks for sale, please continue reading.
Pros and Cons of Buying an Ice Cream Truck
Like all food trucks and mobile food cart entrepreneurs, you are only limited by your imagination and budget. Ice cream trucks can be bought for tens of thousands of dollars, but many tend to be less pricey than your typical gourmet food truck featuring all the equipment needed to make various entrees and dishes. Many of us remember the familiar sounds of the boxy, smallish ice cream truck blaring the incessant music via a loop that drop adults crazy and children mad with sugar lust. There probably isn’t a human being alive who doesn’t like ice cream or some other frozen treat you could sell to an adoring public. “I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream!” So, not only do you have lower barriers of entry since ice cream trucks are sold at modestly cheap prices, you have a universally loved product. With all that said, there are some negatives you need to consider. First and foremost, ice cream trucks are often seasonal due to changes in seasons and weather restrictions. Snowy, rainy and cold New York afternoons are not going to lend themselves well to peddling ice cream, right? Additionally, you have to consider time changes. When it gets dark sooner, kids have to go inside and that leaves less time for selling your goods. You have to also consider other limitations to your ice cream truck business. The dollar value of items sold is much lower than serving meals during breakfast, lunch and dinner. With lower priced items, you are going to have margins (even if larger by percentage) that are less than those operating food trucks in raw dollar terms. And moreover, food trucks can operate during breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night hours depending on the selected menu of the entrepreneur. Good luck selling ice cream for breakfast!
Ice Cream Trucks for Sale: Where to Look?
Looking for ice cream trucks for sale can be a bit of a pain. More often than not, since there isn’t a national “ice cream truck trader” website, you are most likely going to have to search local sources. This include local online sources like Craigslist, Pennysaver Magazines and other local publications. Ice cream trucks are a fairly unique item and there really are not that many being offered for sale like a typical automobile. Some websites featuring ice cream trucks for sale include Food Trucks and More. They have free classified ads and a free food truck directory. However, their site isn’t limited to just the buying and selling of ice cream trucks. They allow postings of advertisements for food trucks for sale, food carts, concession trailers and so on. And their food truck directory is open to anyone who does business with the food truck and food vending communities. Another source to consider are commercial builders and private parties who customize the vehicles specifically for the ice cream market. The two primary options are the stereotypical box truck, or step van and the hi-top van conversions.
