Quite the Scoop

There are  people who love ice cream, and then there’s Tony Franco. Franco, who owns Beenie’s Ice Cream with his wife, Andrea, admits he has probably spent more time than most thinking about the creamy, frozen treat. “Even in my early 20s, when I came home after a night out, I’d be thinking about how much I wanted ice cream,” he says.

In 2017, he turned this passion into Beenie’s Ice Cream, named after his beloved late dog. A huge part of Beenie’s loyal following comes from an ice cream recipe that genuinely doesn’t exist anywhere else. Franco describes Beenie’s one-of-a-kind ice cream as a combination of American ice cream’s higher butterfat and fun mix-ins (think: Oreos, candy pieces, and the like), gelato’s texture, and the high-quality ingredients used in small-batch craft ice cream.  That last part is key. “We keep our ice cream as clean as possible,” Franco says. “We pride ourselves on attention to detail, focusing on simple, quality ingredients.” 

On any given day, Beenie’s offers 48 different flavors, which could range from jelly donut with sprinkles to mango sorbet. This number includes 12 nut-free, 12 gluten-free, 16 miscellaneous, and eight dairy-free flavors, as well as three seasonal specials. These rotate on a fixed schedule and include timely offerings like Cherry Blossom in April, Pumpkin Cheesecake in September, and Peppermint Bark in December. This month, look for Blueberry Crisp, Orange, and dairy-free Piña Colada. 

“Our flavors have very loyal followings, so it’s sometimes hard to rotate them,” Franco says. “It’s kind of like when you go a concert and want the musician to play their greatest hits, but the musician also wants to play his new songs.”

One of the seasonal flavors is always dairy-free, thanks to a suggestion from Kendra Arnold, owner of Feasty Vegan. “Our customers have loved having dairy-free and vegan options,” Franco says. Allergen-wise, it’s important to note that Franco has a peanut and tree-nut allergy and makes the non-dairy flavors with oat milk or coconut milk. 

Beenie’s also makes custom flavors, including the popular one-batch wonders, which, as the name suggests, are get-it-before-they’re-gone creations. These customer-named and -created flavors ($100) are sold in the shop for seven days—or until they’re gone. (Long-time Beenie’s fans might remember that Reese’s Withaspoon started as a one-batch wonder before earning a permanent spot on the menu.) For those who don’t want to share, it’s also possible to create flavors to bring home (from $80 per gallon).

Custom Flavors and More

Since opening in 2017, Beenie’s has doubled in size and added novelties like ice cream tacos and an oversized ice cream cookie sandwich called the Chompwich, made using freshly baked cookies from The Artist Baker. It also offers birthday parties and an ice cream cart that can travel to homes or businesses. Last year, Beenie’s began offering its twist on a wedding tradition. “Instead of eating your wedding cake from the freezer on your anniversary, couples can drop their cake off with us,” Franco says. “We’ll turn it into 18 pints of ice cream.”

Even after all these years, Franco says he’s still passionate about ice cream. “Everything about Beenie’s comes from a place of love,” Franco says. “We take great pride in everything we’ve built.”

Beenie’s Ice Cream is located at 38 Morris St. To find out more, including a full list of flavors and shop hours, visit beeniesicecream.com.