We’ve Missed You!

Seven weeks ago, we temporarily ceased operations as Chicago went under quarantine. We hoped that our stoppage would be a little more temporary, but it took a while to figure out how we could adjust our business to the new ... everything. Now, though, we have figured it out, and our first orders will be going out for delivery on Tuesday, May 19!

The first thing we want you to know is what we’ll be doing to keep you and ourselves safe as we get back to business:

  • All employees will wear masks and gloves while handling food and packaging.

  • Kitchen employees will work staggered shifts to decrease exposure to each other. We will also be working in private kitchens at The Hatchery instead of the shared kitchen, to decrease our exposure to others.

  • The Hatchery has restricted public access to the facility, and has hired cleaners to perform daily deep cleanings throughout the building.

  • Ice cream orders will be fulfilled through no-contact delivery only. After you place your order, we’ll be in touch to discuss the best place to drop off your ice cream.

Second, we’ve made some adjustments to our menu and operations to accommodate the new reality. A big change is that we’ll only be fulfilling orders 3 days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday)—the other 4 days are for homeschooling (yaaaay). Because we won’t be in the kitchen every day, we’ll need 4 days’ advance notice for your orders. You’ll also see that cake sizes have been limited to 6" and 8" options only; if you’re having a party for more than a few people, frankly, we don’t want to know about it. And a few ingredients that required more frequent trips to the grocery store have been 86’ed from the menu.

On a fun note, we’ve added some menu items tailored to the homebound lifestyle: a 3-month ice cream subscription package! Cookies, brownies, and blondies by the dozen! Ice cream and baked goods combo packs! Get excited!! We are!!!

And on a note of concern for our city, we know that not everyone can afford luxuries like ice cream these days, let alone regular groceries. So we’ll be donating 10% of our profits every month to the Greater Chicago Food Depository while the current economic crisis continues.

Everything is subject to further change as we get accustomed to working under these new circumstances. Meanwhile, we absolutely welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can do it better!

We hope you’ve been safe and healthy and relatively sane these past two months, and we hope you’ve been able to find good-enough ice cream when you’ve needed it. Now get ready, because the best is BACK.

PS I (Rachel, the owner, shamefaced) started a blog series on how to make your own ice cream cakes and I, uh, haven’t quite finished it yet. Want more knowledge? Let me know and I’ll buckle down!