Handel's Ice Cream is scheduled to open its first Colorado Springs location on Thursday, with doors at the 3,000-square-foot Interquest Marketplace parlor set to open at 11 a.m. The first 100 guests in line are slated to win free ice cream for a year, according to the company, as the Ohio-based chain plants its flag in north Colorado Springs.
The shop sits at 1220 Interquest Parkway, as reported by The Gazette, and is owned and operated by Robert Long, Mike Cummings and Tom Mabey. The trio brings more than 30 years of combined restaurant service experience to the venture, according to a company news release distributed via EIN Presswire. Long said the shop aims to build connections with local schools, churches and businesses, and the Interquest location's owners said they chose north Colorado Springs for its growing, community-oriented character.
What's on the Menu
The new scoop shop will rotate through 48 flavors, each made fresh in-store in small batches every day, per the same release. Handel's is also offering catering services and online ordering for pickup and delivery, with orders available through DoorDash, Uber Eats and GrubHub. The shop's hours are set for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Handel's traces its roots back more than 80 years to 1945, and the company says it now operates more than 175 locations across 20 states. The brand is based in Canfield, Ohio, and this marks its third Colorado outpost. Handel's opened its first Colorado location in Aurora in September 2025 and its second in Thornton in March 2026, before setting its sights on Colorado Springs.
More Scoop Shops on the Way
Handel's isn't stopping at one Colorado Springs shop. The company plans to open two more locations in the city, though the sites have not yet been determined, The Gazette reports. A Westminster location is also advertised as coming soon.
The Thornton shop, located at Larkridge Shopping Center, is a family-owned venture led by Melissa and Todd Dunderdale along with their sons, Andrew and Charlie Khoury, according to the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel. Handel's first Colorado shop opened in the Southlands shopping center in Aurora in September 2025, marking the chain's debut in the state, per the Denver Post.
A City Already Stuffed With Scoops
Handel's arrival adds to what has been a remarkably busy year for Colorado Springs' ice cream scene. Lolley's Ice Cream, established in Monument in 2021, opened its second location in downtown Colorado Springs in April 2026, the same month Josh and John's opened its first drive-thru location on Garden of the Gods Road. Josh and John's now counts five Colorado Springs locations and seven statewide.
Rizuto's Ice Cream opened its second location at the Chelton Crossing Community Hub in June 2026, and the Ice Cream Lab relocated its Rockrimmon storefront downtown in late July. BJ's Velvet Freez has been expanding too, opening a second location on Platte Avenue in February 2026 and submitting plans in mid-September to remodel a former credit union in Old Colorado City for a third shop. BJ's owner Stan Kelley said that location is expected to be up and running by spring break 2027, with an extended food menu featuring additional fried options and a planned drive-thru, and the company expects to hire about 15 to 20 people who will train at existing locations.
