Gloomy June weather in New Brunswick triggers plummet in food truck, ice cream sales

From rainy-day sales to indoor ordering: Seasonal businesses adapt to weeks of rain

Julia Wright · CBC News · Posted: Jul 04, 2023 4:13 PM ADT | Last Updated: July 4

It's the dog days of July: a time when New Brunswickers are usually lining up by the dozens to dine al fresco on ice cream, burgers, and frosty drinks. 

But this year, picnicking weather has taken a rain check. 

Saint John experienced the wettest June of the three major cities in New Brunswick, receiving 226.4 millimetres of rain  — more than double the 101 mm typical in the Port City. Moncton saw 146.7 mm of rain, up from an average of 94.6 mm, while Fredericton stayed marginally drier with 133.5 mm — still almost twice the usual June rainfall of 83.4 mm. 

At the Pumpkin Patch, a farm stand on Saint John's notoriously foggy west side, fresh produce and hand-scooped ice-cream cones make up between 30 and 40 per cent of the revenue, according to owner Dang Tran. 

An overcast day at the Pumpkin Patch on Manawagonish Road, where ice cream sales are about half of what's typical for this point in the season, according to owner Dang Tran. He says he's thankful that 'people over here still go out, they still try to support the local business.' (Graham Thompson/CBC)

Normally, the Pumpkin Patch sells as many as 3,000 ice-cream cones a week. But after weeks of soggy conditions, sales are down by half.

"It's raining, it's cold, it's wet," Tran said. "Nobody wants the ice cream in that kind of weather."

The chilling effect on ice-cream sales isn't all, he said. Farmers from across the province "don't have anything to sell us."

Running a seasonal business isn't for the faint of heart in one of New Brunswick’s wettest summers in recent memory.

"That's why we don't have anything on the shelves."

Sales haven't cooled off quite as much for Alex Gallant, owner of Delish Gourmet Rolled Ice Cream, a specialty ice-cream shop that has locations in Saint John and Fredericton. His business, he said, is down by "about 30 per cent."

Weather is "an enormous determining factor" for customer traffic, he said. 

"If the weather is what someone thinks of as 'summer' weather in their area, then they feel like doing 'summer things,'" he said. 

'Why can't it rain tacos'?

Food trucks — another weather-dependent enterprise — aren't exactly making it rain, either. 

Jose Adair, who runs El Patron taco truck at the Area 506 container village, posted a meme on Facebook on Tuesday of a depressed-looking Kermit the Frog watching rain pour down a window, asking "Why can't it rain tacos?"

Only diehard Mexican food fans, Adair said, feel like drinking ice-cold Jarritos and eating spicy flautas while slowly getting soaked in humid drizzle or unpredictable downpours. 

Sunnier times at El Patron Taco Truck, which relocated last summer to the Area 506 Waterfront Container Village. Owner Jose Adair says adding his restaurant to Skip the Dishes could be one avenue to try to beat the rainy-day downturn in sales. But he prefers to have the personal touch in the business. 'It's not going to be the same for me,' he said. (Submitted by Eric Scouten)

With most of business at the container village dependent on foot traffic, Adair said he's down from a typical 1,000 tacos sold between Friday and Sunday — to as few as 30 orders in a weekend 

He said he's grateful to have a few business ideas on the go at all times.

"If this business was everything for me, I don't think we would have survived this summer so far."

If the rainy trend keeps up, he said, "I'll probably have to build a tent around this truck or something."

Lightning sales, rainy day discounts

Tamara Jones of Jonesies Takeout and Diner, about 40 minutes southwest of Saint John in Pennfield, was happy to see the sun peeking out on Tuesday morning. She isn't joking about offering discounts on inclement weather days, which he and her friends call "lightning sales."

"We have been doing rainy day sales," she said.

Tamara Jones of Jonsies Takout in Pennfield says this has been a 'different season' for the business, which she took over where her family in 2012. She says their business model of bringing food straight to the customers in their cars has helped in one of the rainest summers she can recall. 

Jones has also invested in recent weeks in new umbrellas for the picnic tables and rushed to build a dessert bar where people can order indoors out of the rain.

"I've seen a lot of people on four-wheelers and ATV's coming and hanging out under the umbrellas wearing rain gear," she said. 

"You have to work with what you've got. Owning a seasonal takeout business is not for the faint of heart."

Brighter days coming

While June 2023 might go down in history for its remarkable raininess, it's not the first time New Brunswick has seen adverse weather conditions, and it certainly won't be the last.

Gallant hopes New Brunswickers will look inside themselves to find the fun summer vibes, even when the weather won't co-operate.

"Summer is short here in Atlantic Canada," he said. "It would be a shame to lose any more of it."

Whatever wrenches the weather throws in our summer plans, people on the East Coast always make it work, Adair said..

"The sun is coming," he said. "It's just a matter of when — right?