Vintage Frozen Custard to open March 1

From food truck to brick and mortar
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Courtesy of Vintage Frozen Custard

After starting Atlanta’s first frozen custard food truck in 2012, Vintage Frozen Custard is opening a brick and mortar location on Howell Mill Road. Co-owner Kelly Wilder says they hope to open Saturday, March 1.

The origins of frozen custard date back to Coney Island in 1919 when ice cream vendors Archie and Elton Kohr added egg yolks to their ice cream. The result was a cold, smooth dessert.

We recently talked to Wilder for details on the new shop.

What sparked the decision to open a brick and mortar shop?

The only reason why we started the truck was because the economy has been shaky for the past couple of years, and we figured the best way to start was to take our product to customers rather than have them come to us. We took advantage of the food truck boom in Atlanta to test the market to see how people would respond to our product since frozen custard is not common in the South.

We’ve had a great response with our truck, and people who really know frozen custard (transplants from the North or Midwest) say that we have the real deal.

What will the restaurant look like?

It’s a walk-up, so there won’t technically be an “inside.” You can look inside and see the kitchen, which is white and stainless steel and open.

What flavors will be offered in the shop? Toppings?

The menu will have a “new-vintage” feel because there are a lot of new flavors now like coffee caramel. Coffee was certainly an older flavor, but we’ve combined it with caramel, which is a more modern flavor. We’ve tried to bring in new flavors like salted caramel, but we also want to keep older flavors that people will remember from the past.

We will be making some ingredients on our own such as caramel and the caramelized banana sauce. We import premium chocolates such as Callebaut and Cacao Barry. I don’t believe in anything that is just a sugar product, so we don’t have sugar sprinkles, for instance. We have very limited exceptions such as marshmallow fluff because it is so popular.

We will have simple toppings such as strawberries and more exotic items such as coffee chips. There will be plenty of nuts such as cashews, cookies and cream, chocolate flakes, fruit compote, and more.

Is there a focus on natural or organic ingredients?

We focus more on natural ingredients since being organic is so difficult. To call ingredients all organic is tricky, and ingredients such as organic berries are hard to find off-season. It has become too challenging to produce that certified quality year-round.

How will Vintage stand out amongst the competition on Howell Mill? (Froyo, Jeni’s)

All of these shops are unique in their production. Jeni’s is traditional ice cream, and Froyo is yogurt. I believe that as a frozen custard shop, Westside’s foodie community can help us stand out because we are different. Frozen custard represents old-fashioned ice cream. It has a different texture that is rich and creamy. It’s the classic taste of yesterday. Also, custard is held at 18 degrees rather than 5 or below, which will freeze your palate. Custard does not, so you can truly taste it.

What price point should we expect?

Single scoops will be $2.75 with tax, and we will offer double scoops, triple scoops, and pints. We will serve single scoops for $1 each on our grand opening, March 1st.

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