Baskin-Robbins

Appears in

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Published 2004

About

Californian Irvine Robbins and his brother-in-law, Burt Baskin, formed a partnership in 1946 to sell premium ice cream. Robbins had run the Snowbird Ice Cream Store in Glendale, serving 21 flavors of ice cream. Baskin had also owned an ice cream parlor, called Burton’s, in the Los Angeles area. Within a year, Baskin and Robbins began to franchise their operation, and within three years the chain had grown to eight stores.

In 1953, the company advertised “31 flavors” of ice cream, thereby trumping the 28 flavors served at Howard Johnson’s. At Baskin-Robbins, customers so disposed could try a different flavor every day of the month. The company also created topical treats to celebrate holidays or current events, such as the “Lunar Cheesecake” offered at the time of the 1969 moon landing. Flavors were rotated throughout the year, with certain selections going “on vacation” to make room for new flavors.

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