“We were waiting for someone else to buy it so we could go buy our regular ice cream but when no one wanted to buy it, we did,” Jim said.
After making inquiries to the executors of Mr. Tucker’s estate, the Wahlrabs purchased the property and equipment March 26. They have been able to find the original vendors of the shop, ensuring the ice cream flavors that made Mr. Frosty a Franklin mainstay will remain intact.
“Everybody is telling us that the ice cream is better and the food is up to par,” Jim, 54, said, during a soft opening for the soft-serve stand April 23.
The new owners will be offering a lunch menu, complete with favorites like the footlong coney with chili and cheese as well as a new signature box lunch with either a roast beef, turkey, tuna or ham sandwich, fruit cup and cookies. Meats will be from Zink Meat Market.
Despite the forecast for rain, Mr. Frosty will celebrate its grand opening today, April 24, beginning at 2 p.m. Customers can keep dry by ordering their treats on the balcony.
Jim said some customers have had mixed emotions about the reopening, but the couple has reassured the community they plan to carry on Mr. Frosty’s — and Mr. Tucker’s — legacy.
“This is a tough time to go into business together, but if we are going to make it in these times we are going to make it and things can only get better,” Jim said. “We have to respect what (Mr. Tucker) has done for 33 years and we are excited about keeping his tradition alive and moving on.”
Mr. Frosty is located at 12 E 6th St. in Franklin. For more information, call (937) 746-1545.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.
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