[Photo: Facebook]
Last night Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff announced that they were bringing their beloved NYC ice cream shop Big Gay Ice Cream to Philadelphia. This afternoon, Eater spoke with Bryan Petroff who shares some more details, including specifics on the Philadelphia opening and plans for a brand new, custom-built ice cream truck.
With two shops in New York City, and a shop in the works for Los Angeles, Big Gay Ice Cream's decision to open in Philly might come as a bit of a surprise. But it shouldn't, says Petroff. "We like opening in unexpected places," he explains, citing the decision to open in LA and not San Francisco as a prime example. There's also the convenience factor: Philadelphia is a short commute from New York City and can receive deliveries from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, just like the NYC shops. Because they will be working with the same dairy, the Philly shop will have the same menu as the NYC shop, with a mix of year-round and seasonal flavors.
Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff manning their table at last night's Great Chefs Event in Philadelphia. [Photo: Dan McKay/Eater Philly]
As reported by Philly.com, Quint and Petroff will be opening at the SouthStar Lofts. They liked this location for the fact that it made them part of a "culinary neighborhood." "Something that we always try to do when we choose locations is make sure that we're amongst good company ... [In Philadelphia], we'll be in walking distance to Marc Vetri's restaurants, Kevin Sbraga's, and Jose Garces' restaurants." They've been working on securing the lease for the Philadelphia shop since the beginning of the year.
With an August or September opening, the Philadelphia location will be opening around the same time as the upcoming Los Angeles location. Petroff says that project got delayed due to some trouble with the city, but that construction will soon be underway. Petroff, who moved to Los Angeles recently, will be overseeing the LA build out while Quint works on getting the Philadelphia shop open.
Along with opening two ice cream shops on opposite coasts, Quint and Petroff will also be building their very own ice cream truck, having always rented trucks in the past. Petroff hopes the truck will be done by the Fall, and it will live in California. "We have plans to debut that in October, but we can't say where." It's going to be a busy Summer.
· Big Gay Ice Cream Expanding to Philly [Eater Philly]
· All Big Gay Ice Cream Coverage on Eater [-E-]
