Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Explained
Van Leeuwen |
Predecessors: | --> |
Founded: | in New York City |
Founders: | Pete Van Leeuwen, Ben Van Leeuwen, Laura O'Neill |
Successors: | --> |
Areas Served: | --> |
Owners: | --> |
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is an American ice cream parlor chain.
History
Van Leeuwen began as a food truck in New York City in 2008 between Pete Van Leeuwen, his brother Ben, and their partner Laura O'Neill. Their yellow trucks sold flavors based on imported ingredients like Ceylon cinnamon, Sicilian pistachios, and vanilla from Papua New Guinea.[1] The American private equity firm Nextworld invested $18.7 million in the company in 2020. By 2021, Van Leeuwen had opened 27 stores across the United States, including 17 in New York City.[2] Van Leeuwen opened its 30th store in 2022 with their first locations in Dallas[3] and Colorado.[4]
In November 2022, Van Leeuwen entered a settlement agreement with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The chain agreed to comply with a New York City law that banned retail stores from refusing to accept cash as payment and to pay $33,000 in outstanding civil penalties. Van Leeuwen had been violating the law since it went into effect in November 2020 and had declined to show up for any administrative hearings.[5]
Notes and References
- News: Tumin . Remy . Cash or Card for a Cone? Van Leeuwen Must Take Both, N.Y.C. Says. . . October 20, 2022 . en-US . 0362-4331 . mdy-all . October 24, 2022 . October 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024051612/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/nyregion/van-leeuwen-cashless-ban-settlement.html . live .
- News: Howe . Ben Ryder . The Cutthroat World of $10 Ice Cream . . August 13, 2021 . en-US . 0362-4331 . mdy-all . October 24, 2022 . October 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024053422/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/13/business/ice-cream-premium-competition.html . live .
- Web site: Smith . Courtney E. . New York City's Van Leeuwen to Open Ice Cream Shop in West Village . Eater Dallas . May 2, 2022 . en . October 24, 2022 . mdy-all . October 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024051609/https://dallas.eater.com/2022/5/2/23053245/van-leeuwen-ice-cream-first-dallas-location . live .
- Web site: Kirk . Alexander . Van Leeuwen Ice Cream opening first Colorado shop . KUSA.com . August 5, 2022 . en-US . October 24, 2022 . mdy-all . January 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230115200800/https://www.9news.com/article/life/style/colorado-guide/van-leeuwen-ice-cream/73-bf2ed7f9-5381-43e7-a40e-2fff2a5aa0f8 . live .
- Web site: Orlow . Emma . 2022-10-20 . Van Leeuwen Agrees to Accept Cash Following Settlement With NYC Over Cashless Ban Law Violations . 2022-11-14 . Eater NY . en . November 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221114222949/https://ny.eater.com/2022/10/20/23401383/van-leeuwen-cashless-ban-settlement . live .