Mann's ice cream boat returns to the water as Long Island dessert 'Uber' trend expands

Summer moms everywhere: It’s on-demand ice cream season!

You know, the time of year when water-logged, sweaty, sunburned children are on a constant hunt for scoops and soft serve, SpongeBob and Strawberry Shortcake pops, from the ever-elusive ice cream man. But it’s no longer about the jolly jingle that draws children away from their backyards and kitchen tables — it’s about the "Uberization" of the frosty treat, as both technology and its resulting on-demand culture make at-home ice cream service easy. That service now comes by way of ordering an ice cream truck delivery from your phone — or having your cone handed to you from a boat. 

Kool Kat Soft Ice Cream trucks have been around since 1984. A family business owned by Ashley Saygili since taking over from founder William Canada in 2009, these soft-serve trucks, playfully pink and easy to spot, have been generating smiles for decades. And though on-demand ice cream seems to be a current trend, Kool Kat — one of the largest truck operators on the Island, along with Mister Softee — has been in the on-demand game for years.

"Moms know who to call when they need an ice cream truck," Saygili said. She gets between "five and 15 inquiries a day," usually parents requesting ice cream stops at their homes, be it for private parties, small impromptu gatherings, or even just a few cones after a day in the pool. As a local proprietor, she knows "who to send the jobs to, and what local trucks cover which neighborhoods." Moreover, different from online delivery services, there are no hidden fees, just the dispatch of a Kool Kat truck to a desired location.

There's an app for that 

Nowadays, there’s a new app for what local ice cream trucks have been doing on their own successfully. Hoping to shift the paradigm — essentially inserting a middleman into the on-demand landscape — Cones App, which recently launched on Google Play and Apple, allows users to locate a truck and deliver their dessert. Launched by former ice cream truck vendors who saw an opportunity, senior vice president Justin Gordon, a Roslyn resident and one of the partners involved with the Cones App, said: "We’ve been putting this together for about four years now. Trucks can be found across New York City, but the primary areas are across Long Island."

With about 300 trucks on the platform, and a $35 minimum order (prices for cones and pops range from $4 to $8), Gordon describes the app as being like Uber. When an order comes in, the app "zaps the order out to 20 different trucks. Whoever picks it up will come to you," Gordon said.

Ice cream boat 

Mann’s Homemade Ice Cream (on Newsday's Best Ice Cream list) ups the ante with its on-demand ice cream boat, Mann’s on the Water. For the Manns, making ice cream at their shop, which opened in 2024, is a passion. The husband-and-wife duo still work full-time jobs, and are just approaching their second summer season in business with their scoop shop, which now has an on-demand element of its own: a delivery boat.

"We're a boating family," Eric Mann said about his wife, Linda, three daughters, parents and grandparents. Living on the water in Massapequa, it was a simple extension of the brand. "We started this last year. We’re on the water all summer; this made a lot of sense," he said of the 21-foot center console that traverses the channels of Massapequa, Seaford and Amityville — where Mann’s scoop shop can be found. 

Mann’s boat boasts a chest freezer that can hold 30 gallons of ice cream, or 10 tubs of Mann’s homemade. Those tubs hold five flavors, including their two most popular ones — cookies and cream and double fudge brownie — with a rotation between mint chip, vanilla chip, toasted almond crunch, cookie dough and Cookie Monster for the others. All get scooped into regular (5-ounce, $8) or large (8-ounce, $13) cups. Top with colored sprinkles or chocolate crunchies, and the boat is off to its next customer. It’s that simple.

"I honestly don't think it's the greatest idea I've ever had. But people are blown away when we roll up with what we have." The boat announces itself via store signage with a call number for patrons to request delivery or learn Mann’s location. It can also be spotted from backyard docks for a personal stop the way children flag down the traditional ice cream truck. "Between the exposure of the store, the exposure of the product, putting our product in their hands, and them tasting it, we are excited to do it again," he said.

But success doesn’t come without some business challenges. Factoring in gas, an increased ice cream production schedule, and the running of both sides of the business, storefront and on demand, Mann’s parents and middle daughter have started helping out, making their small-batch ice cream with more frequency. In addition to on-demand service, Mann’s on the Water can be booked for private events as far as Lindenhurst, Babylon and surrounding areas.