Amy's Ice Creams is a privately-owned chain of ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

 shops in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 with headquarters in Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. The Austin Chronicle

Austin Chronicle

The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...

described Amy's as a "quintessentially Austin institution" which "dominates the local ice cream scene." Amy's ice cream is owned by Amy Simmons.

History

Known colloquially as Amy's, Amy's Ice Creams was started by Amy Simmons in 1984. While in Boston, as a premedical

Medical school

A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...

 major at Tufts University

Tufts University

Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

, Amy worked for Steve's Ice Cream

Steve's Ice Cream

Steve's Ice Cream was an ice-cream parlor chain which attracted media attention and long lines when owner Steve Herrell opened his first establishment at 191 Elm Street in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1973. It introduced the concept of super-premium ice cream and customized ice cream desserts using...

. After Steve's Ice Cream was purchased by a larger corporation, Amy decided to go into business for herself. Amy and her business partner Scott Shaw eventually decided to open their ice cream shop in Austin. They wrote a hot check for the lease of the Guadalupe Store. Amy has since opened 13 more locations, with the majority of them in Austin, 1 in Houston, and 1 in San Antonio. The readers of the Austin Chronicle

Austin Chronicle

The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...

 have voted Amy's the best Reader's Ice Cream 8 years in a row. Amy's has also been voted Best Neon numerous times.

In 2009 owner Amy Simmons stated that she does not intend to rapidly expand the chain.

Ice creams

Amy's offers over 300 flavors of ice cream and fruit ices, a non-dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

 alternative similar to sorbet. Of this large number of flavors, only a small portion are available at a particular store at any given time.

Every Amy's location always offers seven flavors, known as standards, sold in three sizes. Amy's offers sugar and cake cones for free; waffle cones cost extra but can accommodate any size of ice cream. For the larger two sizes of ice cream, the company's version of mix-ins called "Crush'ns" can be added.

Unlike some ice cream stores, such as Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery is an American-based ice cream parlor chain. The company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is owned and operated by Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. The company's main product is premium ice cream, or ice cream made with approximately 12-14% butterfat, that is made on location and...

 or Marble Slab, Amy's does not use a cold stone for a mixing board. Like Steve's Ice Cream, the boards are room temperature and, per company claims, bring out the flavors in the different ice creams during the mixing process due to warming up the ice cream.

Employees

Amy's application process strives to create a unique and creative group of people to serve and manage each location.

The paper application is a white paper bag. The only requirements are to write a name and contact information somewhere on the application. Applicants are encouraged to be creative and applications have included decorated bags, short stories

Short Stories

Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...

, and video

Video

Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...

s placed in the bag. The bag does not have to remain intact; some applications have included only portions of the bag, puppets made from the bag, or the remains of a bag (ashes). The end product does not need to resemble the original bag.

Tricks

Many employees of Amy's will do "tricks" with the ice cream as they prepare it and before the customer receives it. These tricks include, but are not limited to, throwing ice cream scoops under the leg, behind the back, and over people. Some locations are known for throwing ice cream across the street, where either the recipient or another employee will attempt to catch it.

Every year, at different locations, Amy's hosts a contest called the Trick Olympics, in which employees who are especially skilled in the art of tricks compete against one another. Typically there are three different subsets of the competition: Decathlon

Decathlon

The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...

, where employees do ten different tricks as fast as they can; Best Team Trick, where pairs of employees work together to complete a multi-level trick; and Best Solo Trick, where individual employees try to outdo each other with complicated tricks.

These contests are open to the public, but ice cream is usually not given away. Tricksters use balls of Sweet Cream with either no Crush'n or only chocolate sprinkles.

External links

• Amy's Ice Creams