If you thought Baskin-Robbins had come up with every ice cream flavor imaginable, the dessert chain is serving up a bold new take on a Southern classic.
Baskin-Robbins debuted a new flavor of the month on Wednesday: “Chick’n & Waffles,” a sweet and savory take on a popular brunch item. The company makes it clear: the buttermilk-flavored ice cream contains no meat. Rather, it contains crunchy bite-sized pieces that mimic the taste of fried chicken and waffles, alongside swirls of maple syrup.
The chain is hosting a three-hour “bottomless brunch” at a New York City store on Tuesday to commemorate the latest (possibly) finger-licking flavor. Visitors can get as much of the new flavor as they can — or want — to eat, the company says.
“At Baskin-Robbins, we pride ourselves on bringing innovative flavors to market. That’s why when we saw the growing popularity of Chicken & Waffles on menus, we knew we had to create a bold flavor that would change the way our diners enjoy Chick. ‘n & Waffles,” Hannah Suits, director of brand marketing for Baskin-Robbins, said in a statement Wednesday. “This flavor is a frozen spin on the iconic brunch dish, recreated in a deliciously deconstructed concept unique to our stores.”
Baskin-Robbins isn’t the first to experiment with the unconventional taste of ice cream. It’s been tried once – at least – before. Last year, a Michigan pastry chef made headlines for discovering a chicken and waffle ice cream flavor.soaked in KFC spices and buckwheat,” Eater Detroit reported. Tasty.
The avant-garde flavor marks the latest in a sizable library of more than 1,400 flavors served by the Massachusetts-based frozen dessert franchise. However, the multinational chain traces its roots to much simpler times in Southern California.
Baskin-Robbins was founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, starting with Robbins’ Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale in 1945 with 21 flavors. A year later, Baskin opened Burton’s Ice Cream in Pasadena. The duo, who were brothers-in-law, merged into one company in 1958.
The flavor menu was later expanded to the signature 31 flavors, one for each day of the month.
The company didn’t shy away from pop culture moments — like the 1958 “Baseball Nut” flavor that marked the Dodgers’ move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, a vanilla-flavored ice cream with raspberries to “berate” the umpires.
The jury is still out on the franchise’s chicken and waffle-inspired flavor. But those who want to give it a try can do so at more than 2,500 locations across the country.
