Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by brothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins from the merging of their respective ice cream parlors, in Glendale, California.

The Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlors started as separate ventures of Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, who owned Burton's Ice Cream Shop (opened in 1946)[12] and Snowbird Ice Cream (opened in 1945),[13] respectively.[3] Snowbird Ice Cream offered 21 flavors, a novel concept at that time. When the separate companies merged in 1948, the number of flavors was expanded to 31 flavors.[3][14]

By 1948, Burt and Irv had opened six stores. The first franchise covering the sale of ice cream was executed May 20, 1948, for the store at 1130 South Adams in Glendale (Store #1). In 1949, the company's production facility opened in Burbank. Burt and Irv made the decision to sell the stores to the managers. In 1953, Baskin-Robbins hired Carson-Roberts Advertising who recommended adoption of the number 31 as well as the pink (cherry) and brown (chocolate) polka dots and typeface that were reminiscent of the circus. The first store that adopted the new 31 look was 804 North Glendale Ave. in Glendale, California, in March 1953.

Between 1949 and 1962, the corporate firm was Huntington Ice Cream Company. The name succeeded The Baskin-Robbins Partnership, and was eventually changed back to Baskin-Robbins, Inc. on November 26, 1962. Baskin-Robbins was owned by its founders until it was acquired in 1967 (just prior to Burt Baskin's death) by the United Brands Company (United Fruit). In the 1970s, the chain went international, opening stores in Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Australia.[15] Baskin-Robbins also was the first to introduce ice cream cakes to the public.[14]

During the 1970s, two future American celebrities got their first jobs at Baskin-Robbins. Chris Buck applied icing to ice cream cakes prior to his high school graduation in 1976.[16] Barack Obama spent the summer of 1978 scooping ice cream.[17]

A 1967 Baskin-Robbins store in Portland, Oregon, that retains its original look, a design typical of the chain's outlets in the 1960s

In 1972, the company went public for the first time in its history when United Brands sold 17% in an IPO. A year later, British food company J. Lyons and Co. purchased Baskin-Robbins from United Brands and all public stock. J. Lyons then merged with Allied Breweries, becoming Allied-Lyons in 1978. Allied-Lyons then merged with Pedro Domecq S.A. in 1994, becoming Allied Domecq. Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts comprise Dunkin' Brands, Inc. Dunkin' Brands was part of Allied Domecq until its purchase in 2006 by a group of private equity firms - Bain Capital, Thomas Lee, and The Carlyle Group.[18]

In 2008, Baskin-Robbins launched a full menu of frozen desserts called "BRight Choices". These included frozen yogurt, reduced-fat ice cream, no sugar added ice cream, and dairy-free ice cream flavors.[19]

Irv Robbins died at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, on May 5, 2008, at age 90.[20]

In August 2012, Dunkin' Brands became completely independent of the private equity firms.[21]

Co-branded Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, Thomasville, Georgia

While Baskin-Robbins struggled in the early years of the 2000s to retain business with competitors such as frozen yogurt shops, 2013 saw a turnaround in the company's fortunes, with four new U.S. stores opened. An additional five to ten shops were planned to open in 2014,[22] however, Baskin Robbins ultimately surpassed that goal with a grand total of 17 net new openings throughout 2014,[23] and continued growth of the brand with 15 new stores opened in 2015. Many new Baskin- Robbins shops are co-branded with Dunkin' Donuts, including California's first co-branded location of the two in San Diego, which opened in March 2014.

In 2014, Baskin-Robbins also began selling its ice cream for the first time in supermarkets across the U.S.[24]

In July 2017, Baskin-Robbins launched delivery service DoorDash to deliver ice cream in 22 cities across the United States. In the same month gave free samples of Mint Chocolate Chip Polar Pizza at stores across the country from noon to 5 pm.[25]

Baskin-Robbins began testing a new store format featuring state of the art display cases, original artwork, as well as new product offerings, in late 2018. The "Moments" concept was first showcased in Fresno, California, followed by El Paso, Texas.[26][27]

In 2020, Dunkin' Brands was purchased by Inspire Brands.[28]

Map of countries with Baskin-Robbins outlets

Baskin Robbins in Richmond Hill, ON

Baskin-Robbins ice cream

Baskin-Robbins has more than 8,000 shop locations in 51 countries,[5] including locations in: Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Canada, China, Colombia, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Maarten, Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen. International locations feature flavors of ice cream popular to the tastes of each country, such as Red Bean, Litchi Gold, Black Currant, Cantaloupe.[29]

In Japan, Baskin-Robbins is known popularly as "Thirty-one" or "Thirty-one ice cream".[30]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baskin-Robbins.

• Official website
  • baskinrobbins.com.au Baskin Robbins Australia
  • www.31ice.co.jp Baskin Robbins Japan (The corporate name is “B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.“ in Japan.)
  • Baskin Robbins Middle East