A Sweet Deal: Whit’s Frozen Custard opens in Berry Farms
By Charlane Oliver
This week—May 1-7, 2016—is National Small Business Week, and all week long we are celebrating the member businesses in Williamson County by highlighting their #GrowthPoint—the milestone moment that took their business to the next level.
Warm weather and sunny skies are on the horizon, and of course, that means it’s time to get outdoors and enjoy some frozen treats! Whit’s Frozen Custard, one of the newest members of Williamson, Inc., recently opened their first Tennessee location in the growing Berry Farms community in South Franklin. The Ohio-based franchise has 27 locations nationwide and serves up frozen custard made fresh daily in the store. Among other things, they are known for their flavors of the week and their Whitsers ™ (custard blended with toppings).
According to a recent press release, Whit’s Frozen Custard joins a long list of restaurants, retailers and companies, including Ramsey Solutions and Lee Company, who have laid claim to the Berry Farms area or are scheduled to open this year along with the already announced Publix grocery store.
The Franklin Whit’s, located at 4020 Hughes Crossing, Suite 100, will be marking the momentous occasion with a grand opening celebration, hosted by Williamson, Inc., on Monday, May 16 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The entire community is invited to come view the facility and sample their homemade flavors.
I recently spoke with co-owners, Brian and Erin Welch, about their store opening and what customers can expect from Whit’s Frozen Custard:
What does this opening mean for you and how does it impact your business and growth:
As a small business that fully depends on the support of our local community, we look for every available opportunity to engage. This opening represents our support for our local chamber of commerce and all of our welcoming neighbors.
How did you come to start a franchise with Whit’s Frozen Custard?
Our family lived in Columbus, Ohio for several years. Being ice cream junkies, we fell in love with Whit’s Frozen Custard and became weekly patrons. When we relocated to the Nashville area, we couldn’t find anything like Whit’s. Being entrepreneurs at heart, and ice cream junkies, we saw a need for some of the greatest frozen custard to be a part of the area. As a family of five (3 daughters) we value our time together. We thought Whit’s was a great way to have a family business and share our favorite frozen dessert with the community.
Why did you choose Berry Farms in Franklin to open the first location in Tennessee?
We wanted to be a part of an up-and-coming area. The Berry Farms location offered a drive-thru, which we believe is a great addition to any food service. Berry Farms is growing fast and offers a great community feel. We have been welcomed by the community with arms open wide. We even have some “regulars” that we’ve already gotten to know. We look forward to many more relationship building opportunities with our customers.
Whit’s serves only three flavors—chocolate, vanilla and a special weekly flavor. What are some of your favorite or most popular weekly flavors that you offer? What other types of treats and toppings do you serve with the frozen custard?
While the base flavors of vanilla and chocolate and our flavor of the week is offered every day, you can take any of our toppings to create hundreds of flavors. You can create flavors by making a Whitser ™ (a blended treat of any custard and any toppings) or you can top the custard like a sundae.
The flavor of the week changes every Monday. Buckeye (peanut butter custard with Reeses ™ and peanut butter mixed in) is one of the most popular flavors of the week. Almond Joy, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, and Red Velvet Cake are some other popular weekly flavors that have customers just waiting until Monday rolls around!
What should we know about Whit’s Frozen Custard that we may not know or find on your website?
It’s hard to beat the taste and texture of frozen custard. It is most similar to traditional ice cream but with a lot more care. Whit’s Frozen Custard is made fresh every day, all day long. Ice cream traditionally has up to 80% air, whereas frozen custard has about 20% giving it thicker and creamier texture. Pun intended, the cherry on top is that frozen custard has less calories, fat and sugar than ice cream.
We also have a drive-thru for convenience! Many people don’t know there’s a drive-thru due to all the construction going on.
We also serve coffee. We have an espresso machine that allows us to provide a menu of hot coffee fixes. We will soon offer drip coffee as well. Lastly, we will be having coffee hours (open at 7am) in about a month or so.
If Whit’s Frozen Custard were a frozen custard flavor, what would it be?
Almond Joy – aside from that being one of our favorites, we’d like to think that we are pretty fun like a candy, and that hopefully we bring some joy into people’s lives. Oh, and Whit’s custard is a bit addictively delicious.
Know Before You Go
Operating Hours:
Monday – Thursday – 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday – Saturday – 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday – 2:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location:
4020 Hughes Crossing, Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37064
Price range of menu items:
Custard items are all under $6.00. We also sell pints for $4.25, quarts of custard for $7, and custard cakes for $19 and $29.
Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page:
www.facebook.com/franklinwhits
Grand Opening Celebration:
Monday, May 16
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m.
4020 Hughes Crossing Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37064
Learn more about National Small Business Week here. To learn more about Whit’s Frozen Custard, click here. For more information about Berry Farms, click here.