T324 was very excited about doing some website work for Alexis LeCount, owner of just-launched food truck business Lexie's Frozen Custard. Not just because food trucks are cool, but because half of us are from the East Coast or Midwest and we freaking love love love us some Frozen Custard!
If you're a West Coaster, you may ask, "What is this frozen custard you speak of?"
We'll let Lexie explain: "It’s the best soft serve ice cream you’ll ever have. It’s got a super smooth texture and is way more dense and creamy than other soft serve because there’s hardly any air incorporated in the freezing process."
The machine creates an ephemeral pleasure, a fresh ice cream that has to be served within two hours.
We stopped by Lexie's truck at the Emeryville City Hall yesterday, and tried her frozen custard. The verdict? Crazy delicious!!!
A caramel toffee almond sundae, with sauce made right on the truck, was similar to a perfect crème brûlée. The extraordinarily silky mouthfeel combined with smoky, salty caramel and crisp toffee almonds to make a truly scrumptious treat. The organic Straus dairy used has a pure, fresh flavor and the deliquescent texture simply has to be experienced. We didn't try the made-as-we-watched waffle bowls, but they smelled divine. Specials available at our visit included an orange creamsicle shake, ginger cookie sandwiches and a peanut butter fudge sundae. There's a vegan option as well; yesterday's was a coconut mango, made with coconut milk and fruit puree sorbet base. Lexie is canning fresh fruit for compotes while summer is high, and you can get fruit sauces and toppings as well as her home-made hot fudge and caramel.
Plus, you can get an affogato! Or an Orangina float! We were impressed by the QR code on the side of the truck- visitors can scan the code with their phones so they can keep up their custard habits- and the gleaming deco-style brushed aluminum interior. Lexie told us she fell in love with frozen custard in Rochester years ago, and wanted to bring it to California, but was stymied by the costs of brick-and-mortar food service startup. Investing in a food truck isn't trivial either, but it's more manageable for a young entrepreneur.
In the competitive Bay Area food truck market, Lexie is finding some great slots: a regular monthly spot at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire, frequent appearances at SOMA StreEAT Food Park, and every other Wednesday evening at the new El Cerrito Off The Grid. T324's owner David Daniels caught up with the truck last week in El Cerrito; we're planning an employee road trip for next week!
What did we do for Lexie's website? The one thing a food truck needs more than anything- links to Twitter and Facebook!
Because food trucks are on the go, fans find them through social media. Updating Twitter and Facebook from a phone is easy for truck owners, who may not want to have a laptop or tablet in the truck. You can follow Lexie's on Twitter and Facebook!
This cool infographic from Mozy shows how food trucks and social media interact. Great options for food trucks who can afford more extensive website design include an Pinterest button, so great-looking food snaps can be easily pinned, a Flickr gallery of tasty treats, a blog or automatic updates from your Facebook, and adding Instagram and Foursquare buttons.
Courtesy of: Mozy
We love the food truck trend and wish Lexie so much success, for our purely selfish reasons of wanting her to be on the road and near us all the time! Follow Lexie's on Twitter and Facebook!