Rolled ice cream venture adds food truck

Roughly six months after an engaged couple opened a brick-and-mortar ice cream shop in Branson, the business also is going mobile.

Laiken Avery, co-owner of Yolo Rolled Ice Cream LLC, said Chris and Kris Crutcher, parents of her fiance, Cole Crutcher, launched a mobile version of their concept July 5 in a Branson food truck park at 2166 State Highway 248. Avery and Cole Crutcher opened their shop Jan. 1 in the Vista Plaza shopping center at 2005 W. 76 Country Boulevard, Ste. 207, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

“We want to franchise Yolo, so Cole’s parents decided to open the food truck,” Avery said, noting the married couple are franchisees in the new venture. “We’re helping them every step of the way.”

Avery said there is no lease in the food truck park, adding the Crutchers pay an undisclosed amount per month to property owner Chris Carson. The Crutchers also covered the $25,000 in startup costs, she said. Franchise details such as fees and percentage of sales to be paid to Avery and her fiance are yet to be determined.

While the Yolo store also serves gelato, milkshakes and smoothies, in addition to rolled ice cream, the food truck’s menu is smaller, Avery said.

“They have a limited menu, so they only do 10 flavors. They serve our most popular items,” she said, noting a couple of them are cookies and cream and Reese’s Overload, which includes peanut butter, Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

The product is made by pouring a liquid ice cream base onto a very cold surface, mixing in toppings, then spreading it out in a thin layer and using a spatula to push strips of the ice cream into rolls.

While Avery said the food truck is a great way to reach more customers, no additional franchise locations – whether a brick-and-mortar store or food truck – are in the immediate plans.