Homepage

Syracuse’s Very Own Willy Wonka, Known As ‘The Candyman’ Syracuse's Very Own Willy Wonka, Known As "The Canyman"

By Nicole Cox

Cox: On most college campuses ride sharing services are crucial to student life. They make dinner with friends, going out, and getting home safely more accessible.

Cox: And when Uber came to Syracuse in 2017, former limo driver and DJ, Troy Boyer hopped on the opportunity to make a little extra money. But four years and 12,000 rides later he now goes by a different name.

Cox: {nat sound: “It’s the candyman!”} When students see a grey Toyota RAV4 pull up with “Candyman” written on the side, they know they’re in for a sweet ride. With just about every candy you could imagine, Boyer’s a real life Willy Wonka. But he never planned on becoming such a household name here on campus.

Boyer: As far as the Candyman, that wasn’t me that was actually the students that gave me that name.

Cox: and It all started with just a single jolly rancher. One night while driving a girl home he offered her some candy. She was so thrilled to see a jolly rancher, which was her favorite, that she facetimed her mom and friends to tell them all about it.

Boyer: And then my wife actually came up with this shoe bag idea so I could organize it because all I had was in these back bottom pockets and when I set it up for the first time, I knew i had something, I knew I had something big. And man as soon as I got up on this campus and the kids saw this.. It was heaven.

Cox: But being the candyman isn’t always sweet. Boyer works around 90 hours a week between his day job and ubering at night. And his wife, who helped him start the phenomenon, isn’t too crazy about his busy schedule. Staying up until 4 and sometimes even 6 in the morning, the job can be a lot to handle.

Boyer: I mean I stock it, I gotta rotate it, it’s a lot of work. It takes about two hours every night to get ready to drive. You know, if you drive an Uber you don’t want to be spending two hours every night, I mean I get my car sanitized at Delta Sonic every night I drive and you know it is a lot of work. But when I come up here and kids are cheering for the Candyman. That’s all the money I need. And all the appreciation I need.

Cox: and the party never stops in the candy man’s car. Complete with strobe lights, decorations, and blaring music, the ride is an event in itself.

Group: And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone

Cox: And to the candyman, that’s what its all about.

Boyer: Like I said, I don’t drive over for the money I drive Uber for the fun. And honestly because I get so much love in this community, I would do it I would do it for free, honestly. So the money is nothing to me.

Cox: For someone who doesn’t even eat candy himself, spending up to 250 dollars a week on it may seem a little crazy. But to Boyer the experiences he gains are priceless. Nicki Cox N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Walking up to Troy Boyer’s Toyota RAV4, it might appear like your typical Uber. It’s not until you see the words “Candyman” written on the side that you know you’re in for a whole new experience, one that consists of lots of candy.

The two front seats are equipped with shoe holders, filled to the brim with any candy you could imagine. But the idea started with just a single Jolly Rancher. Back in 2017 while driving an SU student home to south campus, Boyer offered her some candy, and her reaction got him thinking.

“She’s facetiming her mom and her friends and is showing them and I’m just sitting up front going, ‘Wow I just got to have candy in my car?’ That’s easy,” Boyer said.

Maintaining the “Candy Machine” isn’t quite as easy. Between his day job and driving for Uber/Lyft, Boyer works around 90 hours a week. Keeping up with the high demand for candy takes a lot of time and money.

“I do put a lot of money into the car every week,” Boyer said. “This past month I’ve been averaging $200-$250 a week in candy at BJ’s Wholesale.”

After doing this for nearly 4 years, the Candyman has evolved to something much bigger than just Boyer himself. When students see the Candyman on campus, he is met with honking, smiles and familiar faces. According to Boyer, the class of 2024 has been especially gracious this year.

“For some reason this class of 2024 is, I can’t even explain what’s going on because they are just tipping me like crazy,” said Boyer. “A young guy up here, gave me a $500 tip and I tried to give back and he wouldn’t take it, it burns a hole in me because I don’t want to take money from you guys.”

The money isn’t what keeps Boyer coming back to campus, but rather the people. When he’s with a group of students, he isn’t thinking about working, he’s just having a good time. In fact, the love he gets from students at SU makes him “feel like a rock star”.

When asked if he was planning on stopping anytime soon, he simply laughed.

“I’m only 54-years-old, you guys will be here listening to Led Zeppelin and Van Halen with me until I’m 80,” Boyer said.

Related Articles