A Pittsburgh-based milkshake and chocolate chain is staking out a spot on East Ridgewood Avenue, with MilkShake Factory listing 63 East Ridgewood Ave. as a coming-soon location and posting job openings for managers and team members to staff it. The move plants the chain's flag in one of Bergen County's busiest downtown strips, adding another sweets destination to a block that has already seen a run on frozen treats.
According to MilkShake Factory's own locations page, the Ridgewood shop is currently marked “Coming Soon” alongside a call for full-time and part-time hires. A job listing on the company's Ridgewood careers page describes the business as serving “our handspun milkshakes and premium chocolates,” and notes that the location is independently owned and operated by a franchisee rather than run directly by the parent company.
The Ridgewood store is part of what ROI-NJ describes as MilkShake Factory's continued rollout across the state after the chain planted its flag in New Jersey in 2025. Per that report, the company has opened three New Jersey stores so far, in Jersey City, Florham Park and Somerville, and tends to seek out downtown locations. ROI-NJ also reports the Ridgewood location is owned and operated by Penn and Tara Miller-Jones, and that a grand opening event is planned for October 10.
A Family Connection Rooted in Pittsburgh
Per ROI-NJ's reporting, Penn and Tara Miller-Jones became interested in MilkShake Factory after their son attended the University of Pittsburgh, where they visited the chain's Forbes Avenue location. That visit reportedly led the couple to explore bringing a MilkShake Factory location to their own community. Tara Miller-Jones said downtown Ridgewood will fit the brand's experience, and Penn Miller-Jones said the couple is excited to make MilkShake Factory part of Ridgewood, according to the same report.
MilkShake Factory bills itself as a Pittsburgh-based neighborhood dessert destination known for handspun milkshakes and small-batch premium chocolates, per ROI-NJ. The company's own site echoes that legacy, describing itself elsewhere as a fourth-generation family business that has been “perfecting our craft since 1914,” with ice cream made fresh in each store. Its website also states the family has been making premium chocolates since 1914, tracing the business back to what ROI-NJ describes as an old-fashioned soda fountain. ROI-NJ additionally reports the chain now has locations across 17 states.
Fitting Into a Changing Downtown
Ridgewood is a popular destination for residents throughout northern New Jersey, according to ROI-NJ, and its downtown includes a variety of restaurants and shops that draw foot traffic from the village and surrounding communities. That mix has been shifting in recent years. A report from kvcr.org found that stores selling goods are giving way to shops selling services — spas, gyms, restaurants — with downtown Ridgewood now home to 11 barbershops, dozens of coffee shops, more than 100 restaurants, medical spas and fitness studios.
That same reporting singled out the coming MilkShake Factory as part of a striking trend on one block alone, where three ice cream cafes have already opened. The station's report ties the local shift to a broader national pattern: CoStar data cited in the piece indicated that last year marked the first time a majority of U.S. retail space was leased to service-oriented tenants rather than businesses selling goods.
Following a New Jersey Expansion Playbook
The Ridgewood opening tracks with MilkShake Factory's earlier moves into the state. Hobokengirl.com reported in October 2025 that the chain's first New Jersey store was expected to debut that fall at 177 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, with additional locations planned for 187 Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park and 189 West Main Street in Somerville. The outlet described the three as newly announced locations set to open over the following year.
MilkShake Factory's website now lists a Downtown Jersey City location at 177 Newark Ave., where the company says its team serves handspun milkshakes made with homemade ice cream alongside its legacy gourmet chocolate. The same page cites a Franchise Times report indicating the brand had 16 locations, including five franchised, with 40 more slated at the time — part of what the company's job listing for the Ridgewood store describes as expanding operations coast to coast.
