How to Create an Ice Cream Cart

An ice cream cart is a fun way to make money when the weather gets warm. Ice cream carts are highly portable and generally very easy to maintain, though pre-built ice cream carts can be expensive. Instead of purchasing a cart, you can make your own with a portable freezer, a vehicle and a few simple household materials. The most important part of an ice cream cart is a freezer that stays cold in the sun, even for long periods of time. You will also want to make your cart easy to transport, whether it be on the back of a truck or attached to a simple wheelbarrow.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Chargeable, portable freezer unit
• Extension cord
• Wheeled vehicle to transport the freezer unit (this can be a wagon, a wheelbarrow, a bike with a trailer, or a pickup truck)
• Accessible power outlets
• Block ice or dry ice
• Rope or bungee cords
• Heavy duty gloves
• Paper grocery bags
• Signage
• Tape
• Ice cream
• Cash box
• Change
• Paper receipts
• Balloons
• Umbrella
• Napkins

How to Create an Ice Cream Cart

1. Secure your freezer onto the vehicle with bungee cords or rope so that it doesn't fall off in transit. Make sure that the door to the unit is easily accessible so that you can reach in to get the ice cream. Park the vehicle near an accessible power source.

2. Plug in your freezer unit using the extension cord and ensure that it's fully charged before you stock it with ice and ice cream. The more charge your portable freezer has, the longer you'll be able to keep ice cream frozen, which in turn means more time to make a profit.

3. Pack your freezer unit with ice and ice cream once it is fully charged. There are two ways to do this. If you're using dry ice, put on thick gloves and transport the dry ice with brown paper bags. As a general rule of thumb, you'll need about 3 pounds of dry ice for every cubic foot you need to keep cold. The ice cream can then be placed on top of the bags of dry ice. While dry ice is ideal, if you only have access to traditional "wet" ice, you will want to fill your unit about half full, packing the ice cream around the blocks. The more ice you use, the longer the cart will stay cold.

4. Tape a sign onto the cart, truck or wagon. Your sign should include prices of all of your products, as well as the name of your business. Include a phone number, e-mail, Twitter name, Facebook name or website so that people can contact you if they enjoy your product. If you have bells, attach them to the vehicle so that they'll make noise while you travel and attract attention to your cart.

5. Walk, drive, pedal or pull your cart to its destination and when you've found a convenient spot to set up shop, decorate your cart. An umbrella will shade you from the sun, as well as attract attention to your cart; flowers, streamers and balloons can add charm and flair.

6. Set up your cash box. Make sure you have plenty of small change and paper and pens if you want to record the day's sales. Serve ice cream with plenty of napkins.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have access to dry ice, opt for large blocks of ice instead of cubes. Cubed ice will melt more quickly than the block variety. Choose your vehicle carefully. A wheelbarrow might work fine if you're traveling around the neighborhood, but if you want to cover more territory, a truck will work best. If you have a large van, you can also transport the entire cart in the back.
• Before you start selling ice cream, check local ordinances and laws about vending food. Some states have regulations about where and when you can set up a vendor's cart and you may have to fill out tax forms and obtain both a business license and a vendor's license. Selling without proper licenses can lead to high fines.

References

• National Association of Ice Cream Vendors
• Vending Carts
• Becoming a Street Vendor

Resources

• Ice Cream Vending Carts