Bruster's Ice Cream

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Bruster's Ice Cream is a chain of ice cream parlors, whose ice cream and frozen yogurt is made from a pre-made mix at each individual store. Their primary operating region is in most states east of the Mississippi River, and more specifically in western Pennsylvania, where the chain is based.

[edit] History

Bruce Reed got his start in the ice cream business in the 1950s, when, as a kid, he helped out his parents at their diner, Jerry's Curb Service, in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, a small town located 27 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. It was then from his dad that Reed would learn the secrets to the restaurant business.

In 1989, Reed decided to open an ice-cream shop right next door to Jerry's, which by this point he now operated himself. He originally opened under the name Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. Handel's, an ice-cream chain located in primarily in the PA-OH-WV tri-state region and in Indiana, had gained a good reputation for making homemade ice cream & frozen yogurt on the site of each store. And it had USA Today to back up that claim, as it often ranks as one of the Top 10 Ice Cream places in America.

However, after 15 months into the business, Bruce Reed decided not to sign the franchise agreement. Reed dropped the Handel's banner and opted for his own--Bruster's Ice Cream, selling the same ice cream as before. Reed simply changed the name of his Handel's franchise and kept every other aspect of the store (even with how the ice cream was made the same).

The renamed Bruster's was a huge hit, and made Reed a millionaire overnight. The chain has rapidly expanded since, and is now located in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The chain is especially popular in its home Pittsburgh market, where many Pittsburghers often consider it the best tasting ice cream in the region and remains headquartered in Bridgewater.

[edit] Facts

A typical Bruster's is set up like most independent ice cream stands, and even a few older Dairy Queens have been set up for generations: Customers go up to a window and order outside. There are a few picnic tables for customers to sit at, since you can't eat inside.

Jerry's Curb Service, the drive-in owned & operated by Reed and his family, is still very much in business. There are plans to expand that store into a drive-in chain to compete with Sonic Drive-In.