Swensen's facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | San Francisco, California, United States (1948) |
| Founder | Earle Swensen |
| Headquarters | 210 Shields Court, Markham, Ontario, Canada |
| Parent | International Franchise Corp. |
Swensen's Inc. is a well-known international chain of ice cream restaurants. It started in San Francisco, California, in the United States.
Contents
The Story of Swensen's
How It All Began
Swensen's was started in 1948 by a man named Earle Swensen. He learned how to make delicious ice cream while he was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Earle opened his very first ice cream shop in San Francisco. It was on a street corner where the famous cable cars run. Even though vanilla was his favorite, Earle created over 150 different ice cream flavors! His motto was "Good as Father Used to Make." The first store mainly sold ice cream treats like sundaes and banana splits for people to take away. Later, other Swensen's shops added seats inside and offered food like sandwiches and hamburgers.
Growing and Changing
In the 1970s, Earle Swensen sold the rights for others to open Swensen's shops. But he kept his original San Francisco store, which is still open today! He ran it until 1994. Under new owners, Swensen's grew to 400 stores by the 1980s. Most of these were franchise locations, meaning other people owned and ran them. However, in the 1990s, the number of stores went down. Then, a new company bought Swensen's, and it started growing again, especially in Asia. Over time, many U.S. stores closed. By 2022, the last Swensen's franchise in Florida closed after 44 years. This left the original San Francisco store as the only Swensen's in the United States.
Swensen's Around the World
Today, Swensen's is owned by International Franchise Inc. (IFI). This company is based in Markham, Canada. IFI bought the Swensen's business in 2006. They also own other popular brands like Yogen Früz and I Can't Believe It's Yogurt. The Swensen's chain now has about 300 franchise locations worldwide. You can find them in many countries across Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Some of these countries include Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Pakistan.
New Locations
Swensen's opened its first store in India in Bangalore. They planned to open many more stores across South India. In Vietnam, Swensen's also opened a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. In March 2014, the first Swensen's restaurant opened in Yangon, Myanmar.
A Similar Story
In 1971, Hans Biermann opened a Swensen's in Santa Ana, California. After 18 years, he decided to create his own ice cream shop. He changed the name to Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream and Deli. He still uses the same basic recipes that Swensen's used. He has opened other stores in Anaheim and Huntington Beach.
