Watch out, United Dairy Farmers, a new ice cream brand with roots in the gas station business is headed to the Queen City.
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, a Youngstown-based chain, announced Monday that it plans to open six new parlors across the Cincinnati area. The first location is expected to open in late summer 2027.
The chain has yet to announce where the new scoops will be located. According to a news release, Royal Scoop, LLC, a hospitality and restaurant group, signed the multi-unit franchise agreement.
“Cincinnati holds a special place for us as an Ohio-born brand, and we’re proud to bring Handel’s here,” Erin Snyder, Handel's vice president of franchise development, said in a statement.
The Cincinnati expansion continues the company's push
into new markets through multiunit agreements, according to the release. Earlier this year, Handel’s announced plans to enter the Chicagoland area, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and Fort Collins, Colorado.
Handel’s was founded in 1945 by Alice Handel, who began selling homemade ice cream at her husband’s gas station in Youngstown. The release says her recipes quickly became a neighborhood favorite, helping launch what would grow into a national brand.
The company expanded from a single ice cream stand into a national franchise after Lenny Fisher purchased the business in 1985. Under his leadership, Handel’s grew to nearly 200 locations in 20 states, according to the company's website.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Handel's Ice Cream to expand to Cincinnati with 6 new scoop shops
