River Street Sweets will celebrate National Ice Cream Day on July 16 by continuing its tradition of offering customers samples of delicious, hand-crafted ice cream at all locations.
River Street Sweets delights customers with fresh, homemade ice cream and gelato made on the premises, which is an uncommon practice with most ice cream stores and brands.
Whether it’s classic flavors such as Vanilla and Chocolate or signature, one-of-a-kind flavors such as Pralines N’ Cream made with their World-Famous Pralines, customers enjoy sampling the premium offerings and ordering their favorites all year long.
Co-owner Jennifer Strickland says many customers notice the homemade difference and rate River Street’s rich and creamy ice cream with leading brands such as Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerry’s.
From its flagship store in Savannah, which recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary, to franchise locations in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Atlanta, River Street Sweets is elevating sweltering summer days by sampling and serving more than 25,000 scoops of ice cream each week.
The most popular flavors are Pralines N’ Cream and Chocolate, while others clamor for Bear Claw Ice Cream made with the brand’s best-selling chocolate turtle candies.
Other tempting signature flavors include Rocky Road, Cookies N’ Cream, Banana Pudding, and Birthday Cake.
Gelato lovers revel in refreshing fruity flavors such as Lemon Sorbet, Key Lime Pie, and Pink Grapefruit Sorbet as well as non-fruity flavors such as Coffee Crunch, Salted Caramel, and Tiramisu.
The well-rounded assortment of flavors is one of the reasons River Street Sweets is becoming as well known for ice cream as it is for its unforgettable World Famous Pralines, Bear Claws, and chocolates that made the family business a household name.
According to Strickland, adding ice cream to the mix was a no-brainer.
In addition to regular offerings, River Street Sweets has a special ice cream Flavor of the Month and includes seasonal ingredients for holidays and events.
For example, the brand serves up Red Velvet ice cream for Valentine’s Day, Lime Sorbet and Chocolate Mint in March for St. Patrick’s Day, and Peppermint ice cream adorned with candy canes for December.
The brand is also working on adding more candy mixes like Candy Explosion, DC Salted Caramel Gelato, and ice cream flavors including Pecan Brittle, Caramel Popcorn, Chocolate-Covered Pretzel and Peanut Butter Buckeye. They are also adding sundaes to their ice cream line.
Fifty years ago, Strickland’s family loved Savannah’s River Street and its history, so they started as a Christmas and gift shop in 1973.
Jennifer’s grandmother operated the store while her parents worked full-time jobs to keep the business open.
Over the years, the beloved brand grew with more retail space and a booming e-commerce business.
A few years ago, they decided franchising was the next step, so locations have sprouted up from Asbury Park, NJ to Key West, FL. Strickland said there are at least two additional locations planned by the end of the year.