Remodeled Aggie Ice Cream at USU Set to Re-open March 13
USU is known for its Aggie Ice Cream which comes from great cows.
The same great taste remains. But from floor to ceiling, the Aggie Ice Cream store at Utah State University has a new look.
“When people come in, it’s a wow factor,” says Dave Irish, manager of the Aggie Creamery. “And we were going for a wow factor.”
Located inside the C. Anthon Ernstrom Nutrition and Food Sciences Building, the Aggie Ice Cream store closed down for renovations on Feb. 19 in anticipation of re-opening on Monday, March 12. Construction delays pushed back that date back a day, but Irish says everything should be good to go Tuesday morning.
“The last time the store was shut down it took two months to remodel, and we did it in less than four weeks,” Irish notes. “So, we feel like we did really good, and we came in fairly close to our budget.”
Irish describes the store’s new appearance as “modern-retro.” In addition to some vintage touches, there are new cabinets, countertops, floors and walls presented in three basic colors – gray, white and Aggie blue – with a touch of raspberry added as an accent color.
There’s also an azure ceiling overhead, which has noncoincidentally resembles the shade of blue found in Aggie Ice Cream’s bestselling flavor.
“Since Aggie Blue Mint represents 20 percent of our ice cream production, we determined that would be a good color for people to see when they came into the store,” Irish says.
While 21 different types of ice cream will still be available, one significant change is that made-to-order sandwiches and hot dogs will no longer be prepared at the store. However, pre-made sandwiches, salads, parfaits and protein packs will be ready for customers to “grab and go,” as well as that famous Aggie cheese.
The hope is that the store will be able to serve more customers by making it more convenient for them to get in and out with their famous Aggie Ice Cream. Last summer, the store sold between 1,500 and 2,000 cones per day, often leading to long lines outside of the facility.
“There will be more of a focus on ice cream rather than food,” Irish says. “And because of that, we’re going to be able to expand our offerings of cones that are dipped or topped off. We will still have food, but the food is secondary to the ice cream.”
Tuesday’s re-opening will also mark the debut of the Creamery Soda Shoppe, which will be selling a wide variety of flavored sodas, as well as a learning center area designed to educate visitors about the history of Aggie Ice Cream as well as how USU’s Aggie Creamery takes it from cow to cone.
The Aggie Ice Cream store is located at 750 N. 1200 East in Logan. From now until the end of April, the store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday. From May until September, the store will stay open until 10 p.m. throughout the week while still closing on Sunday.
Contact: Dave Irish (435) 797-3483, david.irish@usu.edu
Writer: Jeff Hunter (435) 797-1429, jeff.hunter@usu.edu
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