Co-owners Tom and Christina O’Toole are opening Naperville’s first Ben & Jerry’s ice cream “scoop shop” on Friday.
As Naperville’s first Ben & Jerry’s ice cream “scoop shop” prepares to open, there’s a definite sugar buzz in the air.
Tom O’Toole, who operates the new shop with his wife Christina, said the phone has been ringing off the hook — eight to 10 calls a day — with customers anxious for a taste.
The moment finally arrives on Friday when Ben & Jerry’s swings its doors open at 120 Water St., right next to the Hotel Indigo. As one of only four scoop shops in the state, the Naperville location is expected to become an instant hit with locals and fans who see Ben & Jerry’s as a destination spot.
The plan was for the shop to open at 11 a.m. Friday, but Tom O’Toole said a supply chain issue will delay the opening until Friday evening.
“We had one woman call to say her son wants to be our first customer,” Tom O’Toole said. “We told her that’d be great.”
When O’Toole left the banking business two years ago, he and his wife began a two-year process of becoming franchisees. After all the planning and training, the reality truly sank in when the first delivery of ice cream arrived on Tuesday.
“It’s a very long process,” O’Toole said. “But when that ice cream finally arrived, it became real. Stacking the Chunky Monkey, the Cherry Garcia, the Unbaked … that was exciting.”
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Numerous grocery stores offer Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but the scoop shops have flavors not available in stores. O’Toole said their shop also features customized cakes and will cater anything from birthday parties to wedding receptions and corporate events.
They’ll have 32 flavors in the shop, including a handful of nondairy flavors, with an added bit of decadence if you want your scoops in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone.
Friday is considered a soft opening, with the grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony happening in a couple weeks. Regular hours will be in place right off the bat, though, with the shop open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
With the hotel, the shops, the parking garages and the municipal facility all within walking distance, there will be no shortage of nearby customers.
“We already love the city,” O’Toole said. “Everybody’s been very friendly, helpful, supportive. It’s been very welcoming.”
