Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has set a date to open its first Tempe scoop shop: 6 p.m. on November 19 at 740 Mill Avenue in the heart of downtown Tempe. The opening will mark the company's fourth location in the Valley, following two shops in Scottsdale and one in Gilbert.
According to Your Valley, everyone who shows up for the opening will get a free scoop until 10 p.m., and the first 50 people in line will walk away with Jeni's merchandise. The Mill Avenue shop will carry at least 20 rotating flavors at any given time, a lineup that at opening includes White Chocolate Peppermint, Boozy Eggnog, and a brand-new flavor called Sticky Toffee Pudding, per the same report.
A Growing Presence in the Valley
Jeni's has been building a footprint in the Phoenix area for a while now. The brand's Old Town Scottsdale shop was its first scoop location in greater Phoenix, as yourvalley.net reported when that store debuted, offering free ice cream from 7 to 11 p.m. on its own opening night and extra goodies for the first 50 people in line — a promotion echoed in Tempe's opening-day plans. A second Scottsdale shop and a Gilbert location at SanTan Village followed, with the Gilbert store described at the time as Jeni's third Phoenix-area location.
That expansion has continued to track a national growth story. Jeni's now has over 80 locations across the country, and the brand's pints are stocked in grocery stores in nearly every state, according to Your Valley's report on the Tempe opening.
The Woman Behind the Brand
Jeni's traces back to 2002, when Jeni Britton started the company in Columbus, Ohio. Britton is a James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker, a credential the Tempe report highlights alongside the brand's expanding Arizona footprint.
The downtown Tempe shop's permanent flavor lineup includes Brambleberry Crisp, Gooey Butter Cake, and Double Dough, giving regulars a rotating mix to pair with seasonal additions like the opening-week specials. With Mill Avenue's steady foot traffic from Arizona State University students and downtown visitors, Jeni's fourth Valley location looks poised to become a go-to stop for scoops well beyond its opening night.
