Delivering ice cream across the Front Range takes months of planning. Unless you’re Uber. Then it takes six weeks.
“In Uber time, that’s like years,” jokes Will McCollum, Uber Denver’s general manager. “We’ve done some tighter deadlines.”
Drivers for the ride-hailing company delivered ice cream on demand Friday in 250 cities around the world, including 56 drivers from Colorado.
But most of the organization was around the ice cream, which this year was provided by Little Man Ice Cream in Highlands.
To prep for the six-hour delivery window, Little Man’s staff spent two days making and packing the treats. Executive chef and kitchen manager Jordan Stearns said she hand-scooped probably 2,800 of the 3,200 4-ounce cups.
“My arm is hurting this morning,” Stearns said.
Ice cream went straight from deep freeze (minus 30 degrees) to foam coolers packed with dry ice, ready for the drivers.
Uber’s ice cream day has become an annual event, while the company experiments with delivering more than just people.
“It’s not to show we can deliver ice cream. We can, and we can do it in five minutes,” said Meggie Brennan, Uber Denver’s head of marketing. “And if we can do that, what’s next?”
Uber delivered lunches during Denver Restaurant Week in February, toted dogs to play with during the Puppy Bowl, and picked up old clothes to donate to Goodwill this past spring.
One experiment has gone daily. offers meal delivery every day in Los Angeles and New York. That might soon come to Denver, McCollum said.
Tamara Chuang: 303-954-1209, tchuang@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Gadgetress
