Ben & Jerry's Naperville Owners Eager To 'Create Memories'

NAPERVILLE, IL — For Tom and Chrissy O'Toole, a town's local ice cream shop is a destination. It's the place you visit after school plays, sports games and graduations. That's the spirit the husband-and-wife team plans to bring to Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop when they open on Water Street in Naperville this July.

“[Ice cream is] a social thing that makes people happy and creates memories," Chrissy told Patch. The pair is eager to make memories with ice cream lovers in Naperville, where Tom said they already "feel at home."

Tom and Chrissy told Patch they were drawn to Naperville for its community- and family-oriented feel.

Housed in a cozy storefront next to Hotel Indigo, the Scoop Shop with offer more than 30 beloved Ben & Jerry's flavors, but they'll be serving up much more than traditional cups and cones. The selection will include "everything from ice cream to sundaes, to cakes, to dough chunks, to dog ice cream," Tom told Patch.

Customers will be able to stroll up to the shop's walkup window to order a cone or come inside and pick up a pint of their favorite flavor, which will be hand-packed to order.

There will also be flavors that customers won't be able to get their hands on in a grocery store. “A lot of the flavors will be exclusive to our Scoop Shop," Tom said.

Those with certain dietary restrictions won't be left behind either. The store will serve up Ben & Jerry's Cold Brew Coffee Fudge Chip and Coconut Almond Fudge Chip in non-dairy varieties.

“If someone is allergic to dairy we can do a non-dairy cake," Tom said, adding that cakes will be made-to-order in-house instead of being pre-packaged.

Birthdays, weddings and other special events are more ways the O'Tooles plan to help Naperville residents make memories. Starting in late summer or early fall, they plan to accommodate requests to set up sundae bars, soda float bars, scoop bars and more to make your special day more memorable.

“We want to be part of the community and not just show up for work," Chrissy told Patch. She added that she and Tom are looking to work with local nonprofits to help them further serve the Naperville community.

The Naperville Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Its grand opening is tentatively slated for July 2021.