Another Baskin Robbins closing

It appears the Baskin Robbins in my town (Highland Park, Ill.) has closed. I'm pretty upset about that. Does anyone know why it's so hard to find a Baskin Robbins nowadays? The one in my old neighborhood (Chicago's Lakeview area) also closed.

We had a couple of Baskin Robbins close here in Fresno (CA).. one of them was replaced with an even better local ice cream place so I'm not too heartbroken, and we still have about 4 or 5 of em. I believe that the ColdStone Creamery chain is hurting their business. Very good but mega expensive.

I discovered last year when i was visiting my brother in Lubbock that ALL the Baskin-Robbins there have closed, replaced by some place called Kaleidoscoops. Boo hiss. I'm never gonna make the claim that it's great ice cream, but there's something comforting about a good B-R. Although, I say that and realize that although there's a Baskin-Robbins no more than three or four blocks from my house, I've never once been in it.

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby, check it out. Around my area a lot of them are becoming Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They are part of the conglomerate that has KofC, taco bell, A&W etc & like them are beingcoming two fers.

danimal15, never fear. The Baskin Robbins is moving down the street to the former location of Caribou Coffee. I live in Highland Park and read in the local paper that this will be a prototype store featuring items not found at the other stores.

quote:

Originally posted by david8344

danimal15, never fear. The Baskin Robbins is moving down the street to the former location of Caribou Coffee. I live in Highland Park and read in the local paper that this will be a prototype store featuring items not found at the other stores.

Wow - thanks. Good news. But I was sorry to see Caribou close. I like to think someone will give Starbucks a run for their money.

I agree with others that Baskin Robbins doesn't sell the greatest ice cream in the world, but there is something comforting about it. And no one makes mint chip like they do. Cold Stone Creamery doesn't do much for me, and Dairy Queen is dull. I hardly ever have ice cream, but when I do, I like it to be good old BR (unless I'm in someplace famous for excellent ice cream, like Wisconsin)

Take the 4 hour drive down to Cincinnati and get you some[url='http://www.aglamesis.com/']Aglamesis[/url] (my fave) or Graeter's (ask Oprah, she'll tell ya) ice cream

quote:

Originally posted by ocdreamr

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby, check it out. Around my area a lot of them are becoming Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They are part of the conglomerate that has KofC, taco bell, A&W etc & like them are beingcoming two fers.

Yes - I've seen those. There's one on Diversey and Halsted in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood. But the Dunkin Donuts in Highland Park is still just a Dunkin Donuts.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Take the 4 hour drive down to Cincinnati and get you some[url='http://www.aglamesis.com/']Aglamesis[/url] (my fave) or Graeter's (ask Oprah, she'll tell ya) ice cream

It's actually more like a six-hour drive, but yes - Graeter's has wonderful ice cream (though I guess it's been about 20 years since I've had it) - we used to travel to Cincinnati often when I was a kid, because my parents had friends there. They also introduced us to Cincinnati chili.

We have a couple of Graeter's places in the Columbus area. I understand their ice cream is really good. We had a Baskin-Robbins in my town for years, but it was replaced a couple of years ago by a non-chain store.

quote:

Originally posted by ocdreamr

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby, check it out. Around my area a lot of them are becoming Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They are part of the conglomerate that has KofC, taco bell, A&W etc & like them are beingcoming two fers.

The Knights of Columbus are getting into fast food? Awesome!


Tom

quote:

Originally posted by Mosca

quote:

Originally posted by ocdreamr

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby, check it out. Around my area a lot of them are becoming Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They are part of the conglomerate that has KofC, taco bell, A&W etc & like them are beingcoming two fers.

The Knights of Columbus are getting into fast food? Awesome!


Tom

Tom,
As the daughter of a PGK, I have to admit, those same thoughts came to me as I was typing that. Actually, our local Knights hall did have a "Knights Out Inn" that served a dinner every Friday night! I don't know if it's still in operation though.

B-R 31 Flavores in owned by some big English conglamerate, which doesn't know what to do with the ice cream chain. We still have a few of them here in Lincoln, Nebraska. KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut are owned by the spinoff food division on Pepsico (Pepsi). dabelz

quote:

Originally posted by dabelz

B-R 31 Flavores in owned by some big English conglamerate, which doesn't know what to do with the ice cream chain. We still have a few of them here in Lincoln, Nebraska. KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut are owned by the spinoff food division on Pepsico (Pepsi). dabelz

Thank You,that is very intersting, boy, was I wrong!I thought B-R 31 was a good old USA comapny.

quote:

Originally posted by dabelz

B-R 31 Flavores in owned by some big English conglamerate, which doesn't know what to do with the ice cream chain. We still have a few of them here in Lincoln, Nebraska. KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut are owned by the spinoff food division on Pepsico (Pepsi). dabelz

Lyons, now Allied-Domecq has owned the formerly CA based chain since the early 70s. They also own Dunkin Donuts and Togos which is why you see them together. Competition has hurt them - they just arent as good as Haagen Dazs, Coldstone etc. That being said I still love their choc. chip. I worked there as a teen and I enjoyed it but the artifical candy smell and colors could throw you. my bosses were cheap and avoided using 31 logoed stuff, crossed out the taste spoon invite on the window posters and had 2 sets of scoops 1 for cones and 1 for drinks that was smaller that no one would notice. I thought that highly unethical and used the biggest for all except when they were watching me. guess where they hid the receipts....

avk2, thanks for the info about Allied-Domecq. I just went onto their site for a few minutes and I'm astounded at how much they own. California wines, Makers Mark, Kahlua...it's depressing, really.

As far as Baskin-Robbins, there's a brand new DD/BR combo that's too far to walk but a two minute drive from me. It's in Gibbsboro, a nice little borough that's part of my daughter's (high) school district. I've noticed that the building is made of the same brick that businesses on each corner are made of, so that it blends in (tries to) with the area more. And it kinda does! On the other hand, there's a bank with trees and a lake behind it on the opposite corner, and pretty much next to that is a very upscale steak place called the Chop House. So in a way it does look cheesy anyway (because of the signage). There's a gas station on the opposite corner being transformed from a Texaco into a Shell, and nothing on the other corner from that.

My opinion is that reading about them (BR) all starting to close, it may be a matter of time for this one, too. That parking lot is never crowded, and in fact, I often wonder if they're open when I drive by. Never gone in yet and I pass it constantly.

quote:

Originally posted by shaynas_mom

avk2, thanks for the info about Allied-Domecq. I just went onto their site for a few minutes and I'm astounded at how much they own. California wines, Makers Mark, Kahlua...it's depressing, really.

As far as Baskin-Robbins, there's a brand new DD/BR combo that's too far to walk but a two minute drive from me. It's in Gibbsboro, a nice little borough that's part of my daughter's (high) school district. I've noticed that the building is made of the same brick that businesses on each corner are made of, so that it blends in (tries to) with the area more. And it kinda does! On the other hand, there's a bank with trees and a lake behind it on the opposite corner, and pretty much next to that is a very upscale steak place called the Chop House. So in a way it does look cheesy anyway (because of the signage). There's a gas station on the opposite corner being transformed from a Texaco into a Shell, and nothing on the other corner from that.

My opinion is that reading about them (BR) all starting to close, it may be a matter of time for this one, too. That parking lot is never crowded, and in fact, I often wonder if they're open when I drive by. Never gone in yet and I pass it constantly.

The building design has a lot to do with the input from the local planning commission. They control everything from signage to actual physical appearance. We have a Long John Silver/Taco Bell that want to open on a new lot, and our building commission is giving them fits.

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

quote:

Originally posted by ocdreamr

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby, check it out. Around my area a lot of them are becoming Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They are part of the conglomerate that has KofC, taco bell, A&W etc & like them are beingcoming two fers.

Yes - I've seen those. There's one on Diversey and Halsted in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood. But the Dunkin Donuts in Highland Park is still just a Dunkin Donuts.

The last time I was in Dunkin Donuts on Park & 41 in HP, the highest polluted corner in Lake County, which was 2 years ago, it also served Baskin Robbins ice cream. Have fun getting in and out of that parking lot! What a terrible location: across from a cement plant spewing noxious fumes, a few feet from the railroad tracks, under high tension utility poles with a transfer station in their back yard. Fortunately, there's a cancer treatment center one block east of the tracks on Park. I wouldn't eat anything from that DD.

I think Togo's Sandwiches and Baskin Robbins have teamed up. Or maybe it's Dunkin Doughnuts (breakfast), Togo's (lunch) and Baskin Robbins (dessert) are all one conglomerate now. We have a bunch of these weird places here in California now... called "3 in 1's" and they are Kentucky Fried Chickens (or KFC's to loose the "fried" connotation), Taco Bell and Pizza Hut all under one roof. Everyone gets something they crave. Junk x 3. All junk, all the time.

I use to live in illinois and i always went to the Baskin Robbins in Woodfield mall it was the only one that had nutty coconut ice cream but my last trip out there it wasn't there anymore I don't know if it moved somewhere else in the mall but it wasn't where it was before. I was heart broken cause you can't buy coconut ice cream anywhere but there. They only sell it by the scoop to. There was one on Barrington Road in I think that is Hanover Park by the burger king there but I think that one changed to something else too.

B_Snowflake, many Thai food restaurants make their own (or provision) coconut ice cream. It's really good when you get the fresh stuff. You might also try Asian grocery store that frequently have coconut, mango, green tea and other flavors.

So-so ice cream in a stand alone store. And they're going out of business? What a surprise.

According to their website, Allied-Domecq has just been acquired by Pernod-Ricard. I need a program to keep track.

Ice cream, doughnuts, and liquor... what more do you need?

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Originally posted by Extreme Glow

According to their website, Allied-Domecq has just been acquired by Pernod-Ricard. I need a program to keep track.

Ice cream, doughnuts, and liquor... what more do you need?

LOVE MAKING!!!!!!!!!

I could not tell you of a single Baskin Robbins here in Wisconsin. Went to Cold Stone Creamery once. Will never go back.

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Eggo

B_Snowflake, many Thai food restaurants make their own (or provision) coconut ice cream. It's really good when you get the fresh stuff. You might also try Asian grocery store that frequently have coconut, mango, green tea and other flavors.

I would have never thought of that. Hey thats worth a try and might just take care of that Coconut Ice Cream fix I seem to be craving thanx so much I'll have to look into that