Dutchies Ice Cream Boat Expanding Fort Lauderdale Operations
The waterfront business serves ice cream and essentials throughout local canals and sandbars.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Dutchies Ice Cream Boat, operated by Dirk Van Onselder and his girlfriend and business partner Angela Anker, serves Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront communities with two boats offering ice cream, drinks and boat-day essentials.
Van Onselder told Business Debut the team is now working to add a floating hot dog cart service, with a launch targeted within the next two weeks pending state permitting.
What to Expect
Dutchies Ice Cream Boat currently serves Fort Lauderdale’s sandbar, canals and waterfront community with packaged novelty ice creams, drinks and more. Van Onselder said the larger 20-foot pontoon typically stays at the sandbar, while Anker operates a smaller 10-foot boat through nearby canals, Lauderdale Marine Center and local waterfront neighborhoods.
The business carries about 15 ice cream varieties, including strawberry shortcake, chocolate eclair, Bomb Pops, and many others. Dutchies also sells bottled water, sodas, bags of ice, locally made and sourced chocolate-covered frozen bananas with sprinkles or peanuts, sunscreen, hats and waterproof phone cases.
The next addition will be hot dogs served from a commercial roller on the boat. Van Onselder said the idea came from repeated customer requests at the sandbar, especially after a longtime food boat stopped regularly serving the area.
“We don’t really sell ice cream, we sell smiles,” Van Onselder told Business Debut. “Nobody ever buys an ice cream without a smile.”
The name Dutchies comes from their backgrounds. Van Onselder is Dutch, and Anker is half Dutch, he told Business Debut.
Opening Timeline
Dutchies has been operating since September 2023. The hot dog service is targeting a launch within the next two weeks, depending on permitting, Van Onselder told Business Debut.
The team hopes to begin selling hot dogs by Memorial Day, but Van Onselder said the exact start date depends on state approval.
Hours
Dutchies generally operates Fridays through Sundays from about 10 a.m. — 6 p.m. at the sandbar, weather and tide permitting, Van Onselder told Business Debut.
Anker also takes the smaller boat through canals and nearby waterfront areas on select afternoons, often around 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
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Ross McWaters
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