Ice-cream trucks are making a comeback in America, but with a twist

Ice cream trucks may seem like a relic of times past, but one New Jersey startup is bringing them back with a modern twist.

Many nostalgic memories were made chasing after an ice cream truck. The happy jingle alerted neighborhood kids to its presence, and you enjoyed a cold, sweet treat with your buddies on the porch before returning to play. It was truly the quintessential mark of summer, but somewhere along the way, the ice cream truck lost its luster.

But Scream Truck is looking to bring back all the fun and delights of the ice cream truck, with all the modern conveniences people have come to expect of their food services. Operating 17 trucks in neighborhoods across the state, fans and followers of the service are able to reserve a stop with a “Y” for yes on their phones. While the idea has only been rolled out in the company’s home state for now, they are looking to eventually deploy 1,000 nationwide within the next five years, giving neighborhoods across America a taste of days gone by.

There are a couple of notable changes that eager fans may look out for when coming across one of the Scream Truck vendors. First, the iconic jingle has been replaced with “actual music,” and LED graphics adorn the truck, and all kinds of sweet treats, from sundaes, shakes, and cones, are served up. Many recipes are courtesy of CEO Eric Murphy himself, who describes it as a “really fun part of the job.”

“Our business model is built around impulse buying, where we text our customers when Scream Truck will be visiting their neighborhood,” he explained in a statement to the Daily Mail. “Customers can simply reply Y (for yes!) to reserve a stop at their house. Who can say no to a text message for ice cream?”

“Murphy launched the company in 2020, after selling his previous ventures to Condé Nast in 2017. With little ice cream experience but a deep background in experiential marketing, he set out to create something new,” the outlet reported.

“With a 30-year career in experiential marketing and entertainment, I had always dreamed of creating a whole new experiential food delivery concept,” Murphy said. “Food delivery has become a behemoth (especially after Covid), but it’s a pretty terrible experience.”

The company has even developed its own proprietary logistics platform, IMPLSE, to support its trucks.

“Scream Truck, and our customer experience and logistics software, are building the foundation for a much larger initiative to deliver ‘surprise and delight’ food and beverage experiences to people’s homes.”

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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