Blast from the past: Alsies ice cream truck comes to Cape Coral
Customers can track the truck, request a stop to their street
A new Cape Coral business-on-wheels is blending the perfect mix of nostalgia with modern technology, bringing sweet treats to city streets.
Father-and-son duo Joseph and Brett Sutaris have arrived in the Cape via Alsies ice cream truck. Having just brought the chain to Southwest Florida in late May, Alsies allows customers to track the truck, request a stop to their street, and can accommodate just about any event there is.
“Running an ice cream truck, it’s just a lot of fun,” Brett said. “It’s very positive and community-oriented. My father and I liked that aspect of it a lot.”
Earlier this year, Brett had returned to the U.S. after some years abroad to be closer to family and fulfill a goal of starting a family business. He and his recently-retired father decided Alsies would be a great venture to start in Southwest Florida.
“The reception from the community has been phenomenal,” Brett said. “People are really excited to see the ice cream truck. You drive through the neighborhood and see a group of kids running up excited to see ice cream. It’s just a really cool feeling and a core memory for them. We’re really enjoying it so far. It’s a fun business to run. There are very few businesses in this world that can give as much of a positive reception as an ice cream truck.”
Nostalgia is at the heart of the business decision for Brett and Joseph.
“I remember seeing an ice cream truck maybe once or twice as a kid, and thinking it would be so cool to have one around more often,” Brett said of his youth in Upstate New York.
For Joseph, growing up in New Jersey, an ice cream truck was a staple of the neighborhood that brought many found memories.
“There are very few things in life where you can wake up and really enjoy what you’re doing, and this is one of those things,” Brett said. “It’s a great way to bring the neighborhood together as well. You stop at one house and a family comes out, then another family from down the street hears the truck and they come out, and the two meet. I like that part of it, too.”
Alsies mission is to bring happiness to doorsteps by providing a memorable and nostalgic experience.
Alsies ice cream trucks feature what they say are high-quality treats, from classics to gourmet ice cream sandwiches and dairy-free options. Alsies offers a touch of sweetness to every neighborhood of which it’s a part, and ambassadors strive to bring smiles to people of all ages — which is the goal for Brett and Joseph.
Where the nostalgia and new-age meet is in how Alsies’ truck can be found. The brand has an app where individuals can track the truck in the city it’s operating in, and even request the truck to make a stop near-by. The app also sends out text alerts for when the truck will be in a neighborhood near you.
“It brings modernization to the ice cream truck, which we really liked a lot,” Brett said,
Alsies is a fast-growing franchise born in 2020 when a couple in Chapel Hill, North Carolina bought a truck during COVID to bring some happiness to their neighborhood. Now, it’s 60-plus territories strong, including Cape Coral’s front porches and cul-de-sacs
The Alsies truck features a can’t-miss pink and white paint job with ice cream cones and digital signage near the serving window.
Brett said he and his father thought Cape Coral was the perfect location to bring Alsies, with its fast-growing population and many families that are present in the city.
“We’re kind of already getting regulars, which is always great,” he said. “We’re glad to be part of the community. Cape Coral is our home base, but we do events all throughout Southwest Florida.”
As for what Alsies offers, the truck serves up Nightingale gourmet “sammies,” such as “cookie monster chomp,” “brookie dough,” key lime pie and strawberry shortcake. There are also your classics such as cookies and cream and vanilla dipper cones, bomb pops, as well as flavored and character-themed popsicles. There’s even a “not fried chicken” treat with cornflakes on the outside, waffle-flavored ice cream, and a chocolate pretzel “bone” making the dessert resemble a fried chicken leg.
“It’s pretty good,” Brett said. “It’s a fun, unique item. Something that’s part of the ice cream truck experience.”
There will also be new popsicles making their way onto the truck in early August to go along with existing die-free, all-natural, gluten-free and dairy-free options.
Alsies runs seven days-per-week from around 4 p.m. until sunset.
“We’re still growing and the idea is to start doing day-time routes pretty regularly,” Brett said. “As we get more staff on board and continue to grow, we’re probably going to start doing noon to three-o-clock routes as well.”
As for where in Cape Coral Alsies is venturing, Brett said it’s been a rotating route right now.
“We’re still trying to figure out the best areas,” he said. “We try to equally distribute where we have the truck in different parts of Cape Coral. We will continue to develop a more regular schedule and have a more predictable idea of when we’ll be in a given neighborhood that week.”
Brett said he is also looking for additional members to join the Alsies Cape Coral team.
The Alsies app can be downloaded for both Apple and Android devices.
Full menu, requests for bookings for events, and requests for the truck can be made online by visiting www.alsies.com/franchisee/capecoralfl/ or sending an email to capecoral@alsies.com.
Alsies can also be followed on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.