Newport Creamery facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 |
| Founder | Samuel Rector |
| Headquarters | Middletown, Rhode Island |
|
Number of locations
|
10 |
|
Area served
|
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 restaurant chain is famous for its delicious ice cream and its special "Awful Awful" milkshake. The main office for the company is in Middletown, Rhode Island.
History of Newport Creamery
Newport Creamery started with Samuel Rector's dairy business in Newport, Rhode Island in 1928. At first, he 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. In the 1950s and 1960s, more Newport Creamery restaurants opened up. The company grew to have 33 locations!
In the late 1990s, the company faced some challenges. They were losing money and had to close 12 of their restaurants. In 1999, the Rector family sold the company to a businessman named Robert Swain. He tried to open more restaurants in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but it didn't work out. The company then faced more tough times in 2000.
In 2001, another 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 well-known for its unique "Awful Awful" milkshake. This special drink is made with a secret recipe of ice milk and flavored syrups. It comes in many different flavors!
The "Awful Awful" drink actually started at another restaurant chain called Bond's in New Jersey back in the 1940s. The name came from a customer who said it was "awful big and awful good."
In 1948, Bond's allowed Newport Creamery to sell the drink. They also let another company called Friendly's sell it. The agreement said that Newport Creamery and Friendly's could not sell the drink in New Jersey. Because of this, Friendly's changed the name of their version to a "Fribble." They also changed their recipe to use regular ice cream instead of ice milk.
When Bond's went out of business in the 1970s, Newport Creamery bought the special trademark for the "Awful Awful." This means they are the only ones who can use the name and serve the original recipe today!
Newport Creamery in Media
Newport Creamery was shown on a TV show in 2019. It was featured on the Cooking Channel's Man v. Food. 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!
