Sweet treats prove popular around the world, from ice cream and Popsicles to Japanese motchi and more. In the United States and Mexico in particular, frozen treats such as Mexican paletas (Mexican Popsicles), the best ice cream flavors, and more draw in big crowds. An interested client may want to find some new Popsicle or ice cream parlors near them, if they’re exploring a new area of their home town or city or if they recently moved. During an outing downtown, for example, a person might search “popsicle place near me” to find some frozen treats, and “popsicle place near me” can easily be searched on a smart phone, if the seeker has one. Searches such as “popsicle place near me” are often easy because most smart phones have GPS and maps in them, so a search like “popsicle place near me” or “ice cream parlors nearby” will typically show local results only. A person can add the street name or ZIP code of their location if they want to make things even more local.
Popsicles
For decades, Popsicles have been popular frozen desserts, often eaten on their own. These treats are easy to carry around on the go, since they don’t require any utensils and they can be held with just one hand. Popsicles are typically a slender wooden stick that holds together flavored ice, and all sorts of flavors from cherry to green apple to blueberry can be used for them. Some Popsicles may have more than one flavor, and have different colors for each.
Popsicles are often considered an American specialty, but in fact Mexico is home to a similar concept, paletas. Named after wooden pallets, paletas are popular both in their native Mexico and across the United States. These paletas may come in a variety of flavors, most often fruits native to Mexico such as nuez (pecan), tamarind chile, mango chile lime, cucumber, and even rompope, or eggnog. These paletas might have a milder and more natural flavor than American Popsicles, making them an attractive novelty to American buyers and a staple in Mexico. Someone who is in the mood for paletas in particular might search for them online to find a vendor, since they might not be at every single Popsicle or ice cream parlor in the area. Often, these treats are sold in mobile vendors manned by a single person.
Ice Cream
This is another staple frozen treat, and it has proven popular around the world, not to mention similar desserts such as gelato, frozen yogurt, and sherbet. Ever since the early 1900s, ice cream has been a staple summer treat in the United States, and a lot of it is made. Every year, over a billion gallons of ice cream is made, and 8% of all milk from American dairies is used for make it. June is the most productive month for ice cream, and many flavors are popular, from the common chocolate to mellow vanilla to strawberry or raspberry. A recent study showed that in any given two-week period, 40% of Americans will eat ice cream, almost the same percentage of those who will drink coffee. Nearly 90% of American households indulge in frozen treats like these, and ice cream is often only locally produced and sold. This ever-popular treat is easy for small, local businesses to produce and sell. In fact, only 16% of all sold ice cream in the U.S. is marketed across the entire nation.
An ice cream parlor will have plenty of supplies on hand to sell ice cream, aside from a variety of flavors of this treat. An ice cream parlor may also have both waffle cones and paper cups for selling this treat, since some customers may prefer one over the other. Waffle cones are a bit messy and make for poor leftover storage containers, but they have a classic look and better yet, they’re edible. Smaller ice cream servings may go well on waffle cones. Other Americans might prefer laminated paper cups with plastic spoons for eating ice cream neatly. And of course, that ice cream parlor will stock up on plastic straws and ice cream mixing machines, and paper napkins and gelato cups and spoons, too.