Local Food truck, Rookie’s, celebrates second year of business with party, free samples

Rookie’s, a Lynchburg cookie and ice cream food truck, celebrated its second year of business with a weekend-long birthday party March 28-31, offering customers free samples of milk, cookies and a raffle prize. 

Throughout the weekend celebrations, Rookie’s ice cream and milk provider, Homestead Creamery, brought free samples, serving its locally-made specialty milks and ice creams. Each customer could also put their name in the Rookie of the Year raffle for a chance at $8 a week to spend at Rookie’s for an entire year. The first 500 Rookie’s customers on March 30 also received a free cookie.

Jordan and Holly Nickerson, creators of the local business and Liberty University alumni, opened their truck March 30, 2017, bringing Lynchburg a new dessert experience. Originally, the dessert truck started under the name Mookie’s, but after trademark issues with the first name, they changed the name to Rookie’s.

According to co-owner Bryce Nelson, who graduated this past December from Liberty with a degree in sales and marketing, they started Rookie’s to offer a dessert experience in Lynchburg that had been
lacking. 

“(Rookie’s) is not just (somewhere) to get ice cream, but is (also) somewhere you can go that feels comfortable, and you can relate to it and has great customer service,” Nelson said. “I was a Liberty student, and a lot of what you do to hang out with your friends is to go get food, so this place provides you not only dessert but a place to sit and hang with friends.” 

Despite most food truck exchanges between the customer and employee being quick and non-personal, Rookie’s strives to make every customer feel welcomed and comfortable while serving warm cookies and ice cream. 

“Even though it is a food truck when you walk up, you almost forget that because most trucks are known for a quick transaction where you walk up and leave. This is more counter to that type of culture,” Nelson said. “It’s made to order, and we want you to come and talk … and enjoy your time by listening to music and seeing some friends.”

Nelson said hospitality and generosity are at the core of both Jordan and Holly Nickerson, and that is the motivating factor for them as they run their business. 

Along with owning Rookie’s, Jordan Nickerson currently works as a resident director for Liberty’s Office of Residential Life. Because of their deep roots in the Liberty community, many staff members come from the Flames family. 

Nelson worked as a resident assistant under Jordan Nickerson before he joined Rookie’s last fall. 

According to Katie Rolewicz, an employee of Rookie’s since August 2018, the small business intentionally seeks out employees who are excited about Rookie’s and will bring a welcoming attitude to the dessert truck. Rolewicz said Rookie’s emphasizes that every customer is important to them, and they do not want customers to go through the line feeling unwelcomed. 

Once 10 p.m. rolls around during Rookie’s open season, employees can expect a long line of customers waiting for fresh cookies. Rolewicz said they have more fun inside the truck when it’s busier. 

“We have a lot of fun throwing out fun names for the cookie sandwiches and screaming random things, like ‘big milk’ and ‘little milk’ because we want to create such a fun environment,” Rolewicz said. 

During its last two years of existence, Rookie’s has seen an explosive amount of support from the local community. As Rookie’s looks to the future, the owners are evaluating options on what expansion will look like. While this could include adding a new truck or making a brick and mortar location, Nelson said any expansion will not stray from their company values. 

“People don’t just come to Rookie’s for the cookies, even though they are amazing. They come to hang out with their friends — blaring music and sitting at the picnic tables enjoying time with other people,” Rolewicz said. “It’s not just about the cookies, it’s about creating an environment where you can come hang out and feel like you are
at home.”