Celebrate with Carvel
Iceberg
The three-quarters-of-a-century-old ice cream shop Carvel is throwing itself a birthday party. There’s no free cake, but you can stop by for an Iceberg, a slushy drink topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream.
Icebergs are new to Carvel’s product line, so the shop — which is now old enough to be my grandpa’s fishing buddy — is celebrating the release of a new product as well as its 75th birthday.
Where is Carvel?
Carvel has 185 locations in New York, and 500 stores total in the United States. You can find the Carvel location nearest you at the Carvel Ice Cream web site by using the store locator.
Birthday parties including free Icebergs will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
Free stuff
Americans are jumping on free stuff like it’s an interest-free cash advance in Arkansas. Word of any chance to get a treat and avoid using the credit card spreads like wildfire.
Actually, it doesn’t need to be totally free. Baskin Robbins gave out ice cream scoops yesterday for 31 cents and had quite the response. Imagine how people will react to a free 8-ounce Iceberg. Icebergs come in orange, root beer or cola flavor.
History of Carvel
Carvel was run by the same man, Tom Carvel, for the first 60 years of its existence. The operation started as a frozen custard trailer that Carvel started driving in 1929. The truck broke down in 1934, but Carvel continued selling anyhow, right where the truck sat.
The fixed location and partially melted product, which still sold well, gave Carvel the idea to open a soft-serve store at a permanent location, and that was the start of Carvel. He sold from the truck until he had enough money to open a stand in Hartsdale in 1937. That first location closed last year in October.
Business boom
Long story short, by 1949 Carvel had started franchising. Carvel expanded to 25 stores during the early 1950s. Carvel had always used promotions as a marketing tool, including a 1936 “buy one get one free” promotion. Today that tradition continues in even finer form with free Icebergs.
By 1955 he was doing his own marketing, recording radio commercials himself. He was known for his gravelly voice, and according to Wikipedia became “something of a regional celebrity.”
Carvel sold his empire to Investcorp for more than $80 million in 1989. He died the next year.
Carvel today
Fudgie the Whale
Carvel nowadays is known for its “Flying Saucer” ice cream sandwiches and recognizable ice cream cake characters, including Fudgie the Whale, Cookie Puss and Hug Me the Bear.
Carvel cakes are referenced frequently in pop culture, including in the Beastie Boys’ song “Cooky Puss” and in an episode of “The Office” — Andy Bernard just can’t go without a Fudgie the Whale cake for his birthday.
