Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has reopened its flagship store, the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop, at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco.
After a six-month renovation of the historic building, the store celebrates Ghirardelli’s history and craftmanship as a U.S. chocolate pioneer and the company’s legacy in San Francisco dating back to the 1850s.
The new design features North America’s largest flowing chocolate wall, the original, 19-foot “G” from the historic marque Ghirardelli sign, a replica San Francisco cable car that doubles as a seating area, antique chocolate making equipment on display, and much more for guests to discover.
Introduced in 1966, the Original Chocolate and Ice Cream Shop was Ghirardelli’s first location that focused on sundaes.
The menu features 15 different sundaes, including Ghirardelli’s World-Famous Hot Fudge Sundae.
The renovated store format showcases other fountain and bakery favorites like milkshakes, hot chocolate, brownies, cookies and chocolate covered strawberries.
Among other elements of the elevated retail experience, visitors can enjoy a re-designed Pick n’ Mix space where they can customize souvenirs featuring their favorite Ghirardelli chocolate squares.
The new space also embraces Ghirardelli’s rich San Francisco history with a tiled mural of the San Francisco skyline on the second floor, as well as vintage Ghirardelli advertisements in the warmly vibrant Sun Room.
Guests can see the original, 19-foot Ghirardelli “G” up close. The Ghirardelli marquee sign, an icon that many travelers and locals identify with San Francisco, turns 100 this year.
Aside from being rewired and outfitted with efficient, low-wattage bulbs, the sign components look just as they did in 1923, when illuminated displays were much more novel.
Today’s sign is equipped with a Color Kinetics LED system that enables each letter to independently display a variety of colors.
The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop redesign is the second part of a multi-phased renovation project for the brand at Ghirardelli Square.
Last year, the company unveiled a completely reimagined Chocolate Experience Store, Ghirardelli’s other flagship retail space at Ghirardelli Square.
The store concepts and design of the multi-phase renovation project have been led by Bay Area firm Eight Inc.
For updates on the renovation, please visit www.ghirardelli.com/StoreLocations-SanFranciscoSquare.