Here’s a Look at the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, Opening Saturday

Yesterday, Doug Quint announced over Twitter that the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop would open this Saturday, September 3. This morning, we wandered over to East 7th Street to take some photos of the shop and talk to Bryan Petroff, who owns both the shop and the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck with Quint.

As he waited for his seven employees to arrive for their first day of orientation, Petroff told us that the store’s opening festivities, which will take place from noon till 5 p.m., will be “full of weirdness.” Although he doesn’t want to publicize the details yet, we can say that if all goes according to plan, Saturday will indeed be delightfully weird. After the store opens, its hours of operation will be noon until 10 p.m. daily, and noon until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The opening menu will feature cucumber-lime rainbow paletas from La Newyorkina, treats from the Treats Truck, Danny Macaroons’ peanut butter cup, salted caramel, and plain macaroons, and three ice cream sandwiches from Melt Bakery: the Classic (vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip-walnut cookies), the Lovelet (cream cheese ice cream and red velvet whoopie pie), and the Rue McClanahan (bourbon ice cream with praline-pecan cookies).

The shop’s full menu is currently displayed on a dry-erase board, but will eventually be printed out. Beverages will include Oslo coffee, served hot or iced, and — bless — Tang. Hard ice cream will eventually follow, and Quint and Petroff plan to experiment with various soft-serve flavors including, possibly, coffee made with Oslo coffee, strawberry, and peanut butter. Petroff explained to us, incidentally, that the soft-serve machine dispenses ice cream by way of a peristaltic pump, “just like the way food moves through the intestine.” The more you know!

The menu, and more photos, follow below.

Cups and Cones

Vanilla, Choco, Twist – $3.50
(includes sparkles and dip)

Special Flavors – TBD
check daily specials

Waffle Cones – add $1.50

Toppings and Sauces – .50 – $1
check daily specials

Line Your Cone – $1
Nutella, Biscoff, or daily Peanut Butter & Co. flavor

Signature Items

Salty Pimp – $5
vanilla, dulce de leche, sea salt, chocolate chip

Bea Arthur – $4.50
vanilla, crushed Nilla wafers, dulce de leche

Cococone – $4.50
vanilla, toasted curried coconut

Monday Sundae – $6
Nutella-lined waffle cone, twist, dulce de leche, sea salt, whipped cream

Gobbler – $6
pumpkin or apple butter, vanilla, crushed graham crackers, maple syrup, whipped cream

Choinkwich – $6
chocolate ice cream and Bacon Marmalade sandwiched between choco Treats Truck cookies

Mermaid – $6
vanilla, key lime curd, crushed graham crackers and whipped cream

Beverages

Oslo Coffee
iced – $2.50 (16 oz); hot – $1.75 (12 oz)

Sprecher’s Root Beer – $3

Mexican Coca Cola – $3

Water – $1.25

Fountain Drinks

Shakes and Floats

Above sodas as floats – $6
and daily specials

Basic Shakes – $5
vanilla, chocolate, black and white

Special Shakes – $6
check daily specials