Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Opens Tonight in Lincoln Park With Free Scoops

Friday night should be balmy in Chicago, with a temperature of around 21 degrees. That type of heat wave maybe ideal for the opening of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s third Chicago location. The dearly-loved Ohio import is opening in Lincoln Park inside the new Foxtrot grocer at near the Armitage CTA Brown Line stop. Founder Jeni Britton Bauer is in town, and they’re giving free scoops of ice cream.

The boards are still up, as Foxtrot is still under construction, but the opening event is still a go. This Chicago store will also unveil new street waffles, a more-than-100-year-old recipe that Bauer’s played with through the years. The waffles are exclusive the Lincoln Park location, so tough luck Wicker Park and Lakeview. Though pints of ice cream are available in stores like Whole Foods, the first Jeni’s opened in Chicago back three years ago on Southport and a Milwaukee Avenue location opened in 2015.

Bauer will chat with customers when the ice cream shop opens at 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. while they give away items; the first 50 get waffles. The waffles, baked on an iron, could provide an alternative to ice cream for those chilled by the frightful weather. Regardless, there’s a lot of Ohio State clothing around Lincoln Park making the neighborhood prime for Jeni’s latest scoop shop to capitalize on Buckeyes.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, 900 W. Armitage Ave., (773) 799-8809, open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.