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 famous international chain of ice cream restaurants. It all started in San Francisco, California, United States.
Contents
The Sweet Story of Swensen's Ice Cream
How It All Began
Swensen's was founded in 1948 by a man named Earle Swensen. He learned how to make delicious ice cream while he was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Earle opened his very first ice cream shop in San Francisco. It was located on a street corner where the famous cable cars run. Even though vanilla was his favorite flavor, he created more than 150 different kinds of ice cream! His motto was "Good as Father Used to Make."
The first Swensen's store mainly sold ice cream and other frozen treats like sundaes and banana splits. Most people would buy their treats to take with them. Later, other Swensen's shops added places to sit inside. They also started selling different kinds of food, such as sandwiches and hamburgers.
Growing Around the World
In the 1970s, Earle Swensen sold the rights for others to open Swensen's shops. But he kept his original store in San Francisco. He ran that first shop until 1994, just a year before he passed away.
Under new management, Swensen's grew very quickly. By the 1980s, there were about 400 stores! Most of these were franchise locations. This means other people paid to open and run a Swensen's shop using the company's name and recipes.
Later, the number of stores in the U.S. went down. But Swensen's started to grow a lot in Asia. Today, the original San Francisco store is the only Swensen's left in the United States.
Swensen's Today
Today, Swensen's is owned by a company called International Franchise Inc. (IFI). This company is based in Markham, Ontario, Canada. IFI also owns other well-known brands like Yogen Früz and Bresler's Ice Cream.
The Swensen's chain now has about 300 franchise locations all over the world. You can find Swensen's in many countries, including places in Asia, the Middle East, South America, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Pakistan.
New Swensen's restaurants have opened in different cities recently. For example, the first store in India opened in Bangalore. Swensen's also opened its first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and in Yangon, Myanmar.
An interesting fact: In 1971, a man named Hans Biermann opened a Swensen's in California. Years later, he changed the name of his store to Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream and Deli. He still uses the same basic ice cream recipes that he learned from Swensen's!
