Amy's Ice Creams is a privately owned chain of ice cream shops in Texas with headquarters in Austin.[1] The Austin Chronicle described Amy's as a "quintessentially Austin institution" which "dominates the local ice cream scene."[2] Amy's ice cream is owned by Amy Simmons.[3] The readers of the Austin Chronicle have voted Amy's the best "reader's ice cream" eight consecutive years.[4]
History
editKnown colloquially as Amy's, Amy's Ice Creams was started by Amy Simmons in 1984. While in Boston, as a premedical major at Tufts University, Amy worked for Steve's Ice Cream. After Steve's Ice Cream was purchased by a larger corporation, Amy decided to go into business for herself. Amy and her business partner Scott Shaw eventually decided to open their ice cream shop in Austin. They wrote a check for the lease of their first store on Guadalupe Street in Austin.[5] Amy has since opened fourteen more locations, with the majority of them in Austin, two in Houston, and one in San Antonio.
The first Houston location was formerly at The Rice Hotel.[6]
In 2009, owner Amy Simmons stated that she does not intend to rapidly expand the chain.[3]
In 2017, the company reported a $9 million revenue.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Dear Amy." Amy's Ice Creams. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Second Helpings." Austin Chronicle. June 25, 2004. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ a b Pope, Colin. "Amy Simmons." Austin Business Journal. Friday October 30, 2009. 1. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Austin Chronicle - Amy's Ice Creams - Restaurant Guide". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ^ "Leading Ladies: Amy Simmons of Amy’s Ice Creams puts customer service first Archived 2018-04-27 at the Wayback Machine." The Daily Texan. Retrieved on June 11, 2018.
- ^ "Best Place for Cats to Look at Kings". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 9 March 2000. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ Blum, Dani. "How Texas-Based Amy's Ice Creams Found Success By Staying Hyper-Local". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
