Newport Creamery facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 |
| Founder | Samuel Rector |
| Headquarters | Middletown, Rhode Island |
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Number of locations
|
10 |
|
Area served
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Rhode Island Massachusetts |
|
Key people
|
Robert Swain |
| Products | Ice Cream Milkshake |
in Barrington, Rhode Island
Newport Creamery is a popular chain of restaurants found in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. It first opened its doors in 1940. This company is famous for its delicious ice cream and, later, for a special milkshake called the "Awful Awful." The main office for Newport Creamery is in Middletown, Rhode Island.
Contents
History of Newport Creamery
Newport Creamery started as a dairy business in Newport, Rhode Island in 1928. It was founded by Samuel Rector. At first, Mr. Rector sold dairy products to other businesses. Then, in 1932, he began delivering milk right to people's homes.
In 1940, Samuel Rector and his son opened their very first restaurant. It was located in Middletown, which is still where the company's main office is today. For the first 13 years, the restaurant only sold ice cream. They started adding other food items to their menu in 1953.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Newport Creamery grew a lot. They allowed other people to open restaurants using their name, which is called franchising. This helped them expand to 33 locations.
Changes and Growth
In the late 1990s, the company faced some money problems. They lost money and had to close 12 of their restaurants. In 1999, the Rector family sold the chain to a businessman named Robert Swain. He tried to open new restaurants in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but it didn't work out.
The company then had more difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 2000. In 2001, a local company called Jan Companies bought Newport Creamery. As of 2023, Newport Creamery has 10 locations. Eight of these are in Rhode Island, and two are in southeastern Massachusetts.
The Famous Awful Awful Milkshake
Newport Creamery is especially known for its "Awful Awful" milkshake. This unique drink is made with a special ice milk and mixed syrups that come in many different flavors. The name "Awful Awful" actually came from another restaurant chain called Bond's, which started in New Jersey in the 1940s.
A customer at Bond's once said the drink was "awful big and awful good." That's how it got its funny name! In 1948, Bond's allowed Newport Creamery to sell the drink. They also licensed it to another company called Friendly's.
The agreement said that Newport Creamery and Friendly's couldn't sell the drink in New Jersey. So, Friendly's changed the name of their version to "Fribble." They also changed their recipe to be more like a regular milkshake, using ice cream instead of ice milk. When Bond's went out of business in the 1970s, Newport Creamery bought the "Awful Awful" trademark. This means they are the only ones who can sell the original recipe today!
Newport Creamery in Media
Newport Creamery was shown on a TV show called Man v. Food in 2019. The host, Casey Webb, visited several restaurants in the Providence area, including Newport Creamery. During the episode, Casey Webb successfully drank three Awful Awful milkshakes in one sitting!
Locations
Massachusetts Locations
- Fall River, MA- 1670 President Ave
- Seekonk, MA- 701 Fall River Ave
Rhode Island Locations
- Barrington, RI- 296 County Road
- Coventry, RI- 781 Tiogue Avenue
- Cranston, RI- 100 Hillside Rd (to close at the end of 2026)
- Greenville, RI- 568 Putnam Pike
- Middletown, RI- 208 West Main Road
- North Kingstown, RI- 7679 Post Road
- Providence, RI- 673 Smith Street
- Warwick, RI- 1256 Warwick Avenue
