The Forgotten Ice Cream Chain That Had 2 More Flavors Than Baskin-Robbins - Tasting Table

"In 1953, Baskin-Robbins rebranded itself around the idea of "31 flavors" - one for every day of the month - and baked the number into its identity. The idea came from Carson/ Roberts, an ad agency that would later fold into Ogilvy & Mather, and it proved to be one of the most enduring bits of food marketing in America. More than seventy years later, the "31" still sits proudly inside the company's pink-and-blue logo, instantly recognizable across the world."

"Founded in 1927 and once boasting over 300 franchises, the one-time ice-cream giants shut shop in 2007. Like many mall and food court favorites of the time, Bresler's has melted away into obscurity since. Bresler's story began at the onset of the Great Depression, when brothers William and David Bresler, inspired by a street vendor in New Orleans, started selling ice cream from a cart in Chicago's Lincoln Park."

"What began as a small wholesale operation slowly grew, with the company opening a fast-food chain, Henry's Hamburgers, in 1954 ( one still remains operational in Michigan). The burger chain gave Bresler's an outlet for its ice cream and shakes. Ownership of the ice cream business shifted several times over the decades. In 1987, the family sold to Oberweis Dairy, which rebranded the chain as Bresler's Ice Cream, before CoolBrands International took over in 1995"

Bresler's 33 Flavors began in 1927 when brothers William and David Bresler sold ice cream from a cart in Chicago's Lincoln Park, inspired by a New Orleans street vendor. The business evolved into a wholesale operation and expanded into fast food with Henry's Hamburgers in 1954, which provided outlets for ice cream and shakes; one Henry's remains in Michigan. Ownership changed over decades: the family sold to Oberweis Dairy in 1987, which rebranded the chain, and CoolBrands International acquired the brand in 1995 and briefly expanded overseas. The chain once exceeded 300 franchises, emphasized broad and eccentric flavor variety, and closed in 2007.

Read at Tasting Table