Swensen's
Encyclopedia
Swensen's is a global chain of ice cream
restaurant
s that started in San Francisco, California
.
tracks in Russian Hill in San Francisco at what had been a failed ice cream parlor
. Although vanilla
was his lifelong favorite, he developed more than 150 flavors, which he marketed under the motto
"Good as Father Used to Make". The original store sold ice cream and other frozen dessert specialties (such as sundae
s and banana split
s), with primarily take out service. Later other Swensen's franchisees added indoor seating and offered various types of food, including sandwich
es and hamburger
s.
Swensen sold the rights to franchise Swensen's Ice Cream Factories and Restaurants to William Meyers and investors in the 1970s but retained exclusive rights in San Francisco and continued to operate his original store (which still exists today) until 1994, a year before his death at age 83. Under new management the company expanded to 400 stores, mostly franchise locations, by the 1980s. However, in the 1990s it contracted to half of that size before being acquired and expanding again, mostly in Asia
.
Today the company is owned by International Franchise Corp (IFC) of Markham, Ontario
, Canada
, which bought the franchise business from CoolBrands
in 2006. The chain now includes about 300 franchise
outlets worldwide including locations in Asia, the Middle East
, the United States
, South America
, India
, Vietnam
and Laos
. The company opened its first store in India at Mantri Mall, marking the first of 80 stores over the next 5 years scheduled to open in South India. Swensen's is also now open in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
IFC also owns such notable brands as Yogen Früz
, I Can't Believe It's Yogurt (ICBY), Golden Swirl, Yogurty's, Dreamery and Bresler's 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...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s that started in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
History
The company was started in 1948 by Earle Swensen. Swensen opened his first shop at the corner of Union and Hyde Streets, along the cable carSan Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
tracks in Russian Hill in San Francisco at what had been a failed ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlors are places that sell ice cream and frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is normally sold in two varieties in these stores: soft-serve ice cream , and hard-packed, which has an assortment of flavors, as well as frozen yogurt, which is a low-fat alternative and tastes slightly...
. Although vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
was his lifelong favorite, he developed more than 150 flavors, which he marketed under the motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
"Good as Father Used to Make". The original store sold ice cream and other frozen dessert specialties (such as sundae
Sundae
The sundae is an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries.-History:...
s and banana split
Banana split
A banana split is an ice cream-based dessert. In its classic form it is served in a long dish called a boat. A banana is cut in half lengthwise and laid in the dish. There are many variations, but the classic banana split is made with scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream served in...
s), with primarily take out service. Later other Swensen's franchisees added indoor seating and offered various types of food, including sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
es and hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s.
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Today the company is owned by International Franchise Corp (IFC) of Markham, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which bought the franchise business from CoolBrands
CoolBrands
Swisher Hygiene Inc. is a company based in Markham, Ontario, Canada.-CoolBrands International:The company originally named CoolBrands International Inc., and it core business was frozen desserts that it sold under a variety of brands...
in 2006. The chain now includes about 300 franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
outlets worldwide including locations in Asia, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. The company opened its first store in India at Mantri Mall, marking the first of 80 stores over the next 5 years scheduled to open in South India. Swensen's is also now open in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
IFC also owns such notable brands as Yogen Früz
Yogen Früz
Yogen Früz is an international chain of frozen yogurt and smoothie stores that also serves healthy alternative food products. Through company-owned, franchised, and non traditional partnerships, Yogen Früz is the largest franchisor and licensor of stores and other locations that serve primarily...
, I Can't Believe It's Yogurt (ICBY), Golden Swirl, Yogurty's, Dreamery and Bresler's Ice Cream
Bresler's Ice Cream
Bresler's 33 Flavors was an American ice cream chain founded in 1927. Its founder was Polish immigrant William J. Bresler, who died in 1985.In 1954, Bresler's began a fast food hamburger chain called Henry's Hamburgers....
.
External links
- Swensen's Singapore website (in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Swensen's Worldwide website
- redorbit article on expansion in Asia