The Los Angeles ice cream company known for guilt-free pints is expanding into cones, sandwiches and tacos as it continues its takeover of the ice cream world. Halo Top will open its third brick-and-mortar location later this year at 304 Santa Monica Boulevard near the Third Street Promenade, between Yogurtland and BIBIBOP Asian Grill, according to plans submitted to the Architectural Review Board (ARB).
The company encourages customers to “skip the bowl” and devour entire pints of candy bar (360 calories), cinnamon roll (360), rainbow swirl (280) and lemon cake (280) flavored confections. The marketing strategy helped Halo Top surpass Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs to become America’s best selling pint in 2017. In fact, the brand earned a whopping $342.2 million in sales its very first year, according to market research firm IRI Worldwide.
The company’s quick rise has not come without controversy. Halo Top’s parent company, Eden Creamery, is facing a lawsuit accusing the company of dramatically underfilling its pints. Halo Top denies the allegations in the lawsuit.
Halo Top already has two stores, including one at the newly renovated Westfield Century City, selling soft serve and scoops in cake, sugar, waffle and “puffle” cones, smashed between cookies or layered into a hard-shell taco. The company’s website says a serving of vanilla soft serve is just 90 calories, compared to 150 calories next door at Yogurtland.
The new storefront will push back the entrance to create a 237 square foot patio that includes suspended swings and benches near the sidewalk, according to plans submitted to the ARB. Wooden waves will be suspended from the ceiling, creating a whimsical drip effect. “If love was ice cream I’d be in it” will be written across the wall.
“The design of the new storefront creates a unique identity for Halo Top Scoop Shop and is an attractive update while allowing the facade to connect to the public right-of-way and enhances the indoor-outdoor experience,” said the ARB staff report.
The ice cream shop will replace a SUPRA Footwear that had occupied the building since 2012. Before becoming a shoe store, the location was a Jamba Juice.
Halo Top is the latest ice cream concept to compete for customers around the Promenade. On nearby Arizona Avenue, Creams and Dreams offers funky flavors and nitrogen-infused ice cream. Last year, Palm Beach-based Sloan’s opened its latest bubble-gum pink shop inside The Gallery Food Hall. The neighborhood also has two survivors of the froyo wars of the early 2000’s: Pinkberry and Yogurtland.
kate@www.smdp.com
