Source: vat19.com
The list at the end of this post identifies those ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, gelato, and related shops and stands whose name is sweet, catchy, and clever. Those shown in bold beloware my favorites with Brain Freeze, Coneflower, Creamistry, Frost Bite(s), Kaleidoscoops, Kozmic Cone, Milky Way, Nicecream, and Nutt N’ Better being the top 9 choices for shops/stands and Rolling Cone(s) Ice Cream Truck is my favorite for a mobile shop.
Source: feastmagazine.com
As is quickly apparent, there are certain terms that are commonly used in naming such shops and stands. These include:
- Cone
- Cool or Cold
- Cow
- Cream
- Dairy or Dari
- Dip(per)
- Freez(e)
- Happy/Jolly
- Lick(s)
- Milk(y)
- Moo
- Scoop(s)
- Sweet
- Swirl
- Treat
- Twist
- Udder
While these are all good, they tend to be used a lot (especially “sweet”), so if you want to set your business apart, try to come up with something catchy and unique. For example, Kaleidescoops uses a common term (“scoops”) but in a very inventive and creative way. The same is true with Serendipity (“dip”).
Source: creativemarket.com
Goofy or funny names are also common, but one has to be careful not to lose the brand identity in the process. Here are some examples:
- ChocGlitz & Cream
- Eddie Confetti’s
- Flapdoodles
- Lil’ Deuce Scoop
- Pufferbelly’s
- Sisters of Anarchy
- Sticky Fingers
- Winkydoo’s
Now, this is a taco! – Source: klein.com
For those of us who grew up on Howard Johnson’s, Friendly’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Dairy Queen, the names listed below represent both the future (taco cones, rolled ice cream, farm-to-cone, and new flavors/mixtures), as well as a salute to the past (Milky Way, Tastee-Freez, and Zesto). If any great names have been missed (past or present), please feel free to send them along. Enjoy!
- A La Mode Shoppe – Sun Valley, ID and Ocean City, NJ
- Aloha Gelato – Honolulu, HI
- Arctic Circle – Western USA
- Artesana Ice Cream – Marion, NC
- Atomic Creamery – Newport Beach, CA
- B & G Milkyway – Sioux Falls, SD
- Big Dipper – Crawfordsville, IN and similar names elsewhere
- Blueberry Haus – Guilford, VT
- BMORE Licks – Baltimore, MD
- Brain Freeze Ice Cream – Moorestown, NJ; Rochester Hills, MI; Green Bay, WI; and Helena, MT (different organization) – both have great logos/slogans
Brain Freeze (Helena) – Source: facebook.com
Brain Freeze elsewhere – Source: facebook.com
- Bubblecream’s – DeSoto, KS
- Captain Sundae – Holland, MI
- Carmela Ice Cream – Pasadena and LA, CA
- Chillville Creamery – Gulfport, MS
- Chillz Ice Cream Shop – North Manchester, IN
- ChocGlitz & Cream – Albuquerque, NM
- Churn – Montpelier, OH and Phoenix, AZ
- Cold Front – St. Paul, MN
- Coneflower Creamery – Omaha, NE – cool name and concept
Source: edibleomaha.com
- Conehead Ice Cream – Berthoud, CO
- Cone Zone – Haslett, MI and Milton, WI
- Cool Intentions Ice Cream Truck – Idaho
- Cool Licks – MA and RI
- Cool Scoops Ice Cream – North Wildwood, NJ
- Cosmic Ice Cream – Moreno Valley, CA – like Kozmic better, though (see below)
- Cowboy Creamery – Sheridan, WY
- Crave – Lubbock , TX
- Crav’ns – Glendive, MT
- Creamberry – Las Vegas, NV
- Creamistry – Metarie and Baton Rouge, LA; Lubbock, TX; Menifee, Bakersfield, Irvine, and Clovis, CA; and Las Vegas, NV
Source: creamistry.com
- Creamy Daze – Ammon, ID
- Creemee Stand – Wilmington, VT
- Culture Shock Yogurt – Grass Valley, CA
- Curley Cone – Wayland, MI
- Custard King – Astoria, OR
- Daily Scoop – Clarendon Hills, IL
- Dairy Dream – Albany, IN
- Dari-Delite – Morgantown, WV
- Dari Ripple – Belvidere, IL
- Desserted Island Ice Cream – Port Aransas, TX
- Dips – Middlebury and Shipshewana, IN
- D’lish Ice Cream – Mobile, AL
- Doozie’s Ice Cream Place – Mt, Pleasant, MI
- Double Dipper Ice Cream – Claymont, DE
- Double Rainbow – San Rafael, CA
- Dream Ice Cream Parlor – Stockton, CA
- Dream Machine Mobile Ice Cream – Nashville and Memphis, TN
- Eat Me Ice Cream – Rochester, NY
- Eddie Confetti’s Ice Cream – Asbury Park, NJ
- Elevated Ice Cream – Port Townsend, WA
- Fielders Choice Ice Cream Sabattus, ME
- Fifty Licks Ice Cream – Portland, OR
- Flapdoodles Ice Cream Shop – Rochester, MN
- Flavor Freeze – Warsaw, IN area
- Freeze Style Ice Cream – Upper Arlington, OH
- Freezing Moo – across KS
- Freezy Street – New Orleans, LA
- Frost Bite(s) – Avon, IN; Asheville, NC; Frostproof, FL; and Paris, MO – great name!
Source: pinpointperks.com
- Frozen Fun Express – St. Louis, MO
- Gelato Junction – Grand Junction, CO
- Good Karma Ice Cream – Easley, SC
- Great Licks Ice Cream – Matlatcha, FL
- Happy Cow Ice Cream – Littleton, NH
- Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop – Gloucester, MA – This one should be in Chicago near Wrigley Field
- Iceburg Rolled Ice Cream – St, Petersburg, FL – works well in St. Pete
- Iceberg – Salt Lake City, UT and St. George, UT
- Ice Cream Jubilee – Washington, DC
- Ice Cream Social – Barrington, IL and Tacoma, WA
- Ice Cream U Scream – Dubuque, IA and U Scream Ice Cream – N. Providence, RI
- Icecycle Creamery – Reno, NV
- Ice Ice Baby Ice Cream – Buffalo, NY
- Icicles – Albuquerque, NM and San Jose, CA
- Icky Sticky – Madison, WI area
- Inside Scoop – Matinsville, IN and N. Kingstown, RI
- I Scream U Scream – Lisbon, ND
- Ivanna Cone – Lincoln, NE
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream – Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Charleston, SC; Charlotte, NC
- Jolly Kone – Bridgeport, CA
- Jukebox Ice Cream Parlor – Fort Wayne, IN
- Kaleidoscoops – Crystal Lake, IL; Decatur, AL; Kansas City, KS; Glenwood Springs, CO; etc.
Source: downtowncl.org
- Kozmic Cones – Hilo, HI
Source: instantsignsofhilo.com
- Lake Effect Ice Cream – Buffalo, NY
- Lick Honest Ice Cream – San Antonio and Austin, TX
- Lickinlizard Ice Cream Truck – Ocala, FL
- Lickity Split Ice Cream – Augusta, MI; Denmark, WI; Vestal, NY; Wyoming, RI; and Bradenton, FL – some other places call it Lickety Split
- Lickity Split Frozen Yogurt – Chicago area, IL
- Like No Udder – Providence, RI
- Lil’ Deuce Scoop – Mulvane, KS – interesting way of referencing two scoops
Source: visitmulvane.com
- Little Dipper’s Ice Cream – Mt. Joy, PA – similar names elsewhere
- Lix Ice Cream – North Conway, NH
- Lollypops – Saratoga, WY
- Love Boat Ice Cream – Fort Myers, FL area
- Mainely Custard – Freeport, ME and Old Orchard Beach, ME
- Memories Ice Cream – Kingston, NH
- Miami Ice – Kansas City, KS
- Milkcraft – West Hartford, CT
- Milk & Honey – Traverse City, MI
- Milk, Sugar, Love Creamery – Jersey City, NJ
- Milkytreats Ice Cream – Plano, TX
- Milky Way – Frankfort, IN and Denver, CO
Source: facebook.com
- Mixin’s Rolled Ice Cream – Omaha, NE
- Molly Moon’s – Seattle, WA area
- Moomer’s Ice Cream – Traverse City, MI – a farm-to-cone shop
- Moon Saloon Ice Cream Shoppe – Kanab, UT
- Moose Scoops Ice Scream – Warren, NH
- Mootown Creamery – Berea, OH
- Nicecream – Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC
- Nitro Fog Creamery – Albuquerque, NM
- Nutt-N-Better Ice Cream – Sidney, MT
Source: facebook.com
- On Any Sundae – Salem, OR
- Paradise Ice – El Reno, OK
- Pelican’s Snoballs – SE USA
- Polar Parlor – Orlando, FL
- Praline’s – Central, CT and Prescott, AZ
- Pufferbelly’s Ice Cream – Fairmont, WV
- Pure Joy Ice Cream – Siloam Springs, AR
- Rainbow Cone – Chicago. IL
- Ripples – Plains, MT
- Rocket Science Ice Cream Shop – Nappanee, IN
Source: facebook.com
- Rocky Road Ice Cream – Necedah, WI
- Rolling Cone(s) Ice Cream Truck – Glendale, WI; Mandeville, LA; Boston, MA; and Pittsburgh, PA
- Rolling With Cream – McAllen, TX
- Rollipop Rolled Ice Cream – Iowa City, IA
- Roll Shack – Abilene, TX
- Sarsparilla Ice Cream Parlour – Idaho Falls, ID
- Scoopy Dooby’s Ice Cream – Binghamton, NY
Source: facebook.com
- Scoop Deville Ice Cream Shop – Hartford, WI – another car reference
- Scooped Ice Cream – Southeast, PA
- Scooper Doopers Ice Cream – Phoenix, NY
- Scoop of Paradise – Haleiwa, HI
- Scoops & Swirls – Lynchburg, VA
- Scoops Ice Cream – multiple locations in IN and variations in other states
- Scooptopia – Phoenix, AZ
- Scoopy Doo’s Ice Cream – Forest City, IA and Milford, CT
Source: facebook.com
- Scratch Ice Cream – Milwaukee, WI
- Screamin’ Ice Cream – Trabuco Canyon, CA
- Scream Shack – Lander, WY
- Scrumptious – Front Range, CO
- Serendipity Ice Cream – St. Louis, MO; Elmira, NY; and McMinnville, OR
- Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream – Shelburne, VT
- SLO Maid Ice Cream Factory – San Luis Obispo, CA – not quite sure why its “maid” instead of “made”
- Smitten Ice Cream – CA – should have this in the Mitten of Michigan
- Snow Biz – Oxford, MS and Slo Biz in Parkersburg, WV
- Snow Daze – Chattanooga, TN
- Sno DASH Frozen Treats – Keller, TX
- Snow Factory Rolled Ice Cream – St. Louis, MO
- Soda Pop’s Ice Cream – Bryson City, NC
- Soft & Creamy – San Juan and Ponce, PR
- Softies – Billings, MT
- Sprinkles – Princeville, IL and Rochester, NY
- Sticky Fingers Ice Cream Parlor – Galena, OH
- Street Freeze Ice Cream Truck – Las Vegas, NV
- Sub Zero Ice Cream – Atlanta, GA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Naples, FL; VA Beach, VA; and Washington, DC area; Altoona, PA; Nashua, NH; and others
- Sugar Bowl – Deborah, IA
- Sundae Times Ice Cream – Spring Lake, NJ
- Surfin’ Turtle Ice Cream – Satellite Beach, FL
Source: surfinturtle.com
- Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery – Seattle, WA
- Sweet Carolina Ice Cream – Aberdeen, NC – well done local name
- Sweet Cone Alabama – Orange Beach, AL – ditto
- Sweet Cow Ice Cream – Front Range, CO
- Sweet Dreams – Tybee Island, GA
- Sweet Fix Creamery – San Jose, CA
- Sweet Frog – Lake Charles, LA and elsewhere
- Sweet Joy Ice Cream – Lawrenceville, GA
- Sweet Life Ice Cream – Gorham, ME
- Sweet Monster – Fairbanks, AK
- Sweet Necessities – Enumclaw, WA
- Sweet Peaks Ice Cream – Missoula and Whitefish, MT; and Spokane, WA
- Sweet Retreat – Waterville, OH and San Jose, CA
- Sweet Rolled Tacos – Western USA
- Sweet Rolls Ice Cream – across LA
- Sweet Scoops – Essex Junction, VT
- Sweet Scrolls – Logan, UT
- Sweet Sensations – Pigeon Forge, TN
- Sweet Spot – Redding, CA
- Sweet Tooth Icy Treats – Grundy Center, IA
- Swirl Station – Monroe, WI
- Tastee-Freez – multiple cities and towns in the past
Source: tasteefreez.com
- The Bliss Dish – LaGrange, IN
- The Comfy Cow – Louisville, KY
- The Dairy Godmother – Alexandria, VA
- The Dairy Port – Bucksport, ME
- The Dreamy Spoon – Maumelle, AR
- The Frosty Udder – Oskaloosa, IA
- The Ice Cream Bar – San Francisco, CA
- The Ice Cream Lab – Colorado Springs, CO
- The Igloo – Chambersburg, PA
- The Igloo Ice Cream Shop – Silver Lake, IN
- The Latest Scoop – San Angelo, TX
- The Original Scoop Dog – North Little Rock, AR
- The Rollie Pollie – Muskogee, OK
- The Scoop Coop – Southeast FL
- The Screamery – Tucson and Chandler, AZ
- The Sweet Life – Pacific Beach, WA
- The Sweet Spot – Denver, IA
- Twisted Bliss Frozen Yogurt – Kalispell, MT
- Twisteez Ice Cream – Cumberland, MD
- Udderly Delicious Ice Cream – Hickory, NC area and Lincoln, NH
- Udder Delights – Gilbert, AZ
- Ultra Ice Cream – Santa Fe, NM
- Urban Swirl – Granger, IN
- We-Li-Kit Ice Cream – Pomfret Center, CT – cute
Source: weliit.com
- Whippy Dip – IN, IA, KY, OH, and MI
Source: everplaces.com
- Wicked Good Ice Cream – York Beach, ME
- Wild Scoops – Anchorage, AK
- Winkydoo’s Malt Shop – Sulphur, LA
- Wonderscoops – El Paso, TX
- WooBerry Ice Cream /Frozen Yogurt – Worcester, MA
- Yellow Brick Road Ice Cream – Brick Township, NJ
- Zesto Frozen Custard – GA, IN, MO, NE, SC, and SD
Source: twitter.com
SOURCES: listings from http://www.google.com and individual websites or facebook pages for many of the shops
If starting an ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, or gelato shop sounds fun and interesting to you, here are visual links to a couple of resources available on Amazon.com*
problogic
Panethos 