Irv Robbins facts for kids

Irvine "Irv" Robbins (born December 6, 1917 – died May 5, 2008) was a smart businessman. He was born in Canada but became an American. Irv helped start the famous Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain in 1945. He did this with his partner, who was also his brother-in-law, Burt Baskin.

Irv Robbins' Early Life

Growing Up with Ice Cream

Irv Robbins was born in Winnipeg, Canada. His family was Jewish. His dad, Aaron Robbins, owned a dairy farm. He also had an ice cream shop called The Olympic Store. This store was in Tacoma, Washington, in the U.S. Irv went to Stadium High School in Tacoma. He was a yell leader there. He also attended Garfield High School in Seattle.

Irv grew up scooping ice cream cones. He noticed that customers always seemed happy. He remembered feeling happy after a day's work. This feeling made him want to start his own business. He wanted to create a place where people felt good.

College and Military Service

Irv Robbins went to the University of Washington in Seattle. He studied Political Science there. He was also a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. After college, he joined the U.S. Army. He served as a Staff Sergeant in California. This was during World War II. He left the Army in August 1945.

Building an Ice Cream Empire

Starting the First Ice Cream Shop

After leaving the Army in 1945, Irv wasted no time. He opened his first ice cream shop. It was called Snowbird Ice Cream. The store opened on December 7, 1945. It was located in Glendale, California. Irv used $6,000 from an insurance policy. This policy was given to him for his bar mitzvah. This money helped him start his dream business.

Partnering with Burt Baskin

Burt Baskin was Irv's brother-in-law. Burt had a men's clothing store in Chicago. He married Irv's sister Shirley in 1942. Burt joined the Navy during the war. He was released from service in early 1946. He then came to California. Irv convinced Burt that selling ice cream was more fun. It was better than selling ties and shirts.

Within a few months, Burt opened his own ice cream shop. It was called Burton's Ice Cream. This store was in Pasadena, California.

The Idea of Franchising

By 1948, Irv and Burt combined their shops. They had five Snowbird stores and three Burton's stores. They also created their 31st flavor: Chocolate Mint. The partners realized they had too many stores. They could not spend enough time at each one.

So, they came up with a new idea. They decided to sell their stores to their managers. This was a very new concept at the time. Irv said they were in the "franchise business" before it was popular. They opened more and more stores. They made agreements with the new owners. These became the first "franchise agreements" in the food industry.

This idea of "franchising" quickly grew. Other companies like McDonald's and Burger King followed. Irv and Burt helped start a whole new way of doing business.

Baskin-Robbins and 31 Flavors

In 1953, they renamed their company. They called it Baskin-Robbins. They flipped a coin to decide whose name came first. That same year, they introduced the "31 flavors" idea. This meant they had a different flavor for every day of the month. It showed off their huge menu.

By the end of 1949, Baskin-Robbins had 43 stores. By 1960, they had over 100 stores. When they sold the company in 1967, they had about 500 stores. They sold their ice cream empire to United Fruit Company. The sale was for about $12 million.

Six months later, Burt Baskin sadly passed away. He was 54 years old. Irv Robbins stayed involved with the company. He worked there for 11 more years. He retired in 1978. Twenty-five years later, Baskin-Robbins became the world's largest ice cream chain. It had 5,500 stores around the world. Today, Baskin-Robbins is part of Dunkin' Brands.

Irv Robbins' Personal Life

Irv Robbins was Jewish. He married Irma Gevurtz in 1942. This was just before he served in the U.S. Army. Irv and Irma had three children. Their names were Marsha, John, and Erin. John Robbins later wrote a book called Diet for a New America. Burt Baskin and his wife Shirley had two children, Edie and Richard.

Irv Robbins passed away at the age of 90. He died of natural causes near his home in Rancho Mirage, California.