Beloved 89-Year-Old New Jersey Ice Cream Shop Will Open Back Up For The Summer
A beloved 89-year-old New Jersey ice cream shop that closed its doors in 2022 is making a comeback this summer, according to NorthJersey.com. Bischoff’s, located in Teaneck, New Jersey has not yet served its last scoop.
On May 29, owner Steve Mather and three of his friends are set to launch a pop-up at the Cedar Lane location, NorthJersey.com reports. Mather’s goal is to raise enough money to remodel Bischoff, hire a new chef, and create a new menu. “I’m nervous, I’m excited, I’m a little overwhelmed,” said Mather.
Mather is a fourth-generation owner of the shop. The original store was founded in Manhattan by Mather’s great-grandfather, Albert Bischoff, in the 1890s. “It’s a huge undertaking,” Mather continued. “After setting my mind on not doing it anymore, I am dipping my toe back into the pool and hoping it’s not freezing cold.”
Mathers came up with the idea with his three friends T.J. Quinn, Edward Pierce and Rony Alvarado. Alvarado is going to be the restaurant’s executive chef. “Even before the store closed, we wondered, ‘How could we do something to revive it?’ ” Quinn said. “This is the plan we came up with.”
The pop-up will be from Wednesday through Sunday. They will be running a limited menu until Labor Day and then a full restaurant. Although the infamous candy counter will be gone, they will have a fryer for the first time.
“We never had a fryer in the store,” Mather said. “We never had french fries or onion rings. The chocolate would have absorbed the grease. We’re going to do french fries, onion rings, hot dogs, hot turkey sandwiches and God knows what else.” They will also not have as many ice cream flavors as they used to.
But they remain hopeful that this could bring them back more permanently. “We are going to generate a lot of buzz,” Alvarado added. “We want Bischoff’s to come back up.”
