7 Once-Beloved American Ice Cream Chains That Failed Miserably

There's something very nostalgic and sweet about a beloved ice-cream chain—the ones that are successful long-term have devoted followings from dessert-loving superfans, who swear up and down that Baskin-Robbins is better than Dairy Queen, or Cold Stone Creamery is better than Carvel. Sadly, for every Dippin' Dots and Häagen-Dazs there are many companies that just couldn't make it work. Whether because of overexpansion or simply not being up to snuff, these restaurants faded from view. Here are seven once-beloved American ice cream chains that just couldn't survive.

Swensen's

Once one of the most iconic ice cream chains in America, Swensen's was founded in San Francisco in 1948 and at its heyday had over 400 locations worldwide. While the brand is still known internationally, sadly there is just one Swensens left in the U.S. "We are passionate about making good, old-fashioned ice cream and serving our customers with quality ingredients," manager Jim Laughlin told the San Francisco Standard. "We are proud of our business and consider it an old-school San Francisco establishment that should be preserved."

Steve's Ice Cream

Steve's Ice Cream was founded in 1973 by Steve Herrell, one of the first ice cream parlors to experiment with mix-in choices for customers. Herrell sold the company in 1977, and there was friction between franchise owners and corporate bosses for selling the ice cream in stores. The company closed down in the late 1990s, but Herrell kept going with Herrell's Ice Cream.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour was known for its high-energy party atmosphere and massive sundaes in the 1970s. Sadly the novelty wore off and mismanagement resulted in several locations being shut down, with the last original location closing in 2007. "OMG I remember kids having birthdays there back in the 70s!!!" one Redditor said.

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Borden Ice Cream Shoppes

Part of the Borden dairy empire, these ice cream parlors offered classic scoops and floats, but financial issues led to decline and eventual closure. For fans who want to know what this special ice cream tasted like, there is still one Borden location left in Lafayette, Louisiana, where you can get a taste of ice cream done "the Old Fashion Way".

Brigham's Ice Cream

Brigham's Ice Cream is still sold in stores but the restaurant chain no longer exists. The last Brigham's restaurant location closed in 2013, but during its most successful years in the 1980s the chain had 100 restaurants in the New England area. The brand is now owned by Hood LLC, which continues to sell the ice cream in grocery stores.

TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt)

TCBY was the first frozen yogurt chain in the U.S., but lost steam in the 2000s and went from more than 1,700 stores to barely 350 nationwide. Competition from companies like Pinkberry, Red Mango, and Menchie's proved too much for the chain and it struggled to recover from the bad business decisions which led to the company's demise.

G.D. Ritzy's

G.D. Ritzy's was a retro-style chain known for hand-mixing every single batch of ice cream. While a handful of locations remain, the chain never regained the glory of the 1980s. "There are five in the Evansville, Indiana metro area that do very well. Thin, old-fashioned hamburgers, amazing shakes, shoestring fries, etc. The interior hasn't changed in several decades, so I imagine they are owned locally. Worth checking out if you're ever in the area," one Redditor said.