Carvel is an ice cream franchise owned by FOCUS Brands, Inc. – Carvel is well-known for its soft serve ice cream, its round Flying Saucer ice cream sandwiches, and its ice cream cakes (including Fudgie the Whale, Hug Me the Bear, and Cookie Puss - only available in the franchised stores). In addition to their franchised locations, FOCUS Brands' Celebration Foods division produces ice cream cakes for supermarket sales; however, the cakes destined for the supermarkets are produced in a factory, warehoused and shipped all over the country, and as such are not as fresh as those found in franchise stores. The stores can also customize their freshly made cakes in a variety of ways, such as flavor changes or putting photo images on cakes. Carvel may refer to Carvel, the ice cream company Carvel (boat building) the caravel ship type Carvel, first track on John Frusciantes album Shadows Collide with People the fictional home town of Andy Hardy in the classic film series starring Mickey Rooney Carvel (Band) People named Carvel Elbert N... Image File history File links Carvel_logo. ... Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom[1]) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor authorizes proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, fees and a percentage of sales or profits. ... FOCUS Brands is an affiliate of the Atlanta-based private equity firm, Roark Capital Group, that owns the Schlotzskys, Carvel, Cinnabon, Seattles Best Coffee International and Moes Southwest Grill brands. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... An ice cream sandwich. ... Ice cream cake Ice Cream Cake Ice cream cake is either ice cream in the shape of a cake or ice cream and cake layered together to make a single form. ... A Standard Fudgie the Whale cake Fudgie the Whale is a versatile ice cream cake shape developed by Carvel, under the guidance of Chief Creative Officers Nick Murphy and Chris Gaynor. ... Cookie Puss is a character created by Carvel in the 1970s as an expansion of its line of ice cream cake characters freshly made and sold only in its stores, which also includes Hug-Me Bear and Fudgie the Whale. ... Packaged food aisles in a Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon A supermarket is a departmentalized self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise. ...

Founding

Carvel was founded and run by Tom Carvel for its first 60 years. In 1929 Tom Carvel built and began operating a frozen custard trailer. For Memorial Day weekend of 1934, Carvel borrowed $15 from his future wife Agnes to buy a load of frozen custard to sell to holiday vacationers. When the truck suffered a flat tire in Hartsdale, New York Carvel started selling his custard at the site of the breakdown, the parking lot of a pottery store. Within two days, his entire stock, much of it partly melted, had been sold, and Carvel realized that both a fixed location and soft (as opposed to hard) frozen desserts were potentially good business ideas. In his first year there, he grossed over $3500. By 1937 he had a custard stand at the Hartsdale site, with a freezer which allowed him to make his own frozen custard. By 1939, gross was over $6000. Tom Carvel Tom Carvel was often heard on advertisements for Carvel Ice Cream Cakes. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tom Carvel Tom Carvel was often heard on advertisements for Carvel Ice Cream Cakes. ... A typical ice cream van; this one is in London. ... Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-28). ... Chocolate frozen custard Frozen custard is a cold dessert similar to ice cream, made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. ... A flat tire means the motorist must use the spare tire In a motor vehicle, a flat tire occurs when a tire becomes deflated and the metal of the wheel comes in contact with the ground below (or ground level). ... Hartsdale is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A freezer is a home appliance, usually found above the refrigerator that keeps foods frozen. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the early 1940s, Tom Carvel traveled, selling custard at carnivals, while his wife Agnes ran the Hartsdale location. During World War II he ran the ice cream stands at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, gaining additional expertise in refrigeration technology. He soon invented and patented his own freezer, the "Custard King", and in 1947 sold 71 freezers at $2900 each. Some of the freezer purchasers defaulted on payments on the units, and upon investigation, Carvel found that they were not running their businesses efficiently, choosing poor locations and not always maintaining high health standards. Carvel decided that the best way to correct the situation was to participate in running the operations of his freezer customers; he later claimed this led him to develop the concept of franchising. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Fort Bragg is a census-designated place and United States Army base, or post, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, near Fayetteville. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Franchising and advertising

By 1949, Carvel had begun franchising under the name "Carvel Dairy Freeze", and there were 25 stores by the early 1950s. New franchisees undertook an 18-day training program at the "Carvel College of Ice Cream Knowledge", and were sent an in-house magazine called "The Shopper's Road". In addition Carvel provided building plans for franchises as well, initially stand-alone glass fronted stores. Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1955, Carvel began to record his own radio commercials. An unsubstantiated anecdote relates that he was driving in New York City, and heard a commercial for a new Carvel's store which did not mention the new store's location. Convinced he could do better, he drove to the radio station and did the next commercial himself. True or not, from 1955 onwards, Carvel recorded nearly all of the chain's advertising, eventually maintaining an in-house production studio at the headquarters offices, and becoming something of a regional celebrity. Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... A radio commercial (often called an advert in the United Kingdom) is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Carvel's commercials stood out and raised brand awareness primarily through their lack of sophistication. Carvel had a distinctive "gravelly" voice, lacking the "slick" sound of most professional voice-over artists, and all his narration was unrehearsed. His wording was conversational, with commercials frequently ending with the words "Thank You". Television commercials, aired primarily in the "tri-state area" of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, began in 1971. Accompanied by the familiar Tom Carvel narration, footage showed the products, and employees in the stores; very few graphics or effects were used. This article is about the state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ...

Promotions were part of Carvel's practices from their earliest days. In 1936, they had a "Buy One Get One Free" promotion, and in later years had various contests. They were an early adopter of corporate sponsorship of various events and tie-in promotions, including a tie-in with the New York Yankees. A long-running and well-known campaign was the "Wednesday is Sundae at Carvel!" discount. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as...

The mainstays of Carvel's line of ice cream cakes were 7", 8", 9", 10" and 12" rounds, 10"x14" and 12"x17" sheet cakes, and the "Carvelog," a log-shaped cake made in a cylindrical mold. In addition to Cookie Puss, there were also special cakes for most major holidays, including a "Flower Basket" for Mother's Day, "Dumpy the Pumpkin" for Halloween, "Tom the Turkey" for Thanksgiving, and a "Snow Man" for Christmas. Most of these were made from one of a limited number of molds and their primary differences from products available year-round were the designs on the icing. A Sheet cake is a cake baked in a large flat rectangular pan such as a sheet pan or a jelly roll pan. ... Cookie Puss is a character created by Carvel in the 1970s as an expansion of its line of ice cream cake characters freshly made and sold only in its stores, which also includes Hug-Me Bear and Fudgie the Whale. ... This article is about several worldwide days celebrating motherhood. ... This article is about the holiday. ... For other uses, see Thanksgiving (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

Carvel also popularized various ice cream "novelty" items, such as the "Flying Saucer", a circular ice cream sandwich, the "Icy Wycy," a paper cone of sherbet on a stick, "Brown Bonnet" and "Cherry Bonnet," frozen vanilla ice cream on a sugar cone dipped in a sweet, waxy confection, the "Tortoni," a cup of vanilla ice cream covered with toasted coconut and topped with a maraschino cherry, and the "Lollapalooza," cylindrical ice cream on a stick covered with colored sprinkles, as well as the less popular "Mamapalooza" and "Papapalooza." An ice cream sandwich. ... Sherbet (Etymology: Turkish & Persian; Turkish serbet, from Persian & Urdu sharbat, from Arabic sharba drink) (British and American English) or Sherbert (Australian English and New Zealand English, also a variant used in American English) historically was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink. ... Chocolate sprinkles In the Netherlands chocolate sprinkles – hagelslag – are commonly used as a sandwich topping Birthday cupcakes with colored sprinkles Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionary used as a decoration or to add texture to desserts – typically cakes or cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, and some puddings. ...

In 1956, Carvel transformed the Hartsdale location into their first "Ice Cream Supermarket" by adding freezer cases containing these and other pre-made cakes and novelty items which customers could pick out and buy immediately. Also, in 1955, Carvel began its "lease back land offer" program, in which a potential investor could buy land, build a franchise, and then lease it back to the corporation. A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...

Carvel experimented with various ice cream vehicle options for most of their early history; from the first truck through to at least 1970. Vehicle concepts included a scooter (circa 1957) and a custom truck, the "Carvehicle", for which they applied for several patents (circa 1958).

Problems with franchisee quality came to a head in 1962. The franchisees were lowering quality by purchasing less expensive ingredients from various sources, even though the franchise agreements stated that ingredients had to be purchased from the Carvel Corporation. As well as the immediate impact on corporate cash flow, this hurt the corporate image, dropping the chain to 175 stores. When the corporation tried to enforce this contract, the Federal Trade Commission sued them for restraint of trade; legal proceedings reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1964, with the corporation emerging victorious. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... | logo_caption = | seal = US-FederalTradeCommission-Seal. ... At present, the law will not enforce certain types of contracts on the ground of illegality. ... The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS[1]) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. ...

In 1967, the corporation bought the Westchester Town House Motel, on Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers, New York and renamed it the Carvel Inn, converting it for use as corporate headquarters, while still operating it as a hotel, providing them with a conference center for the annual franchisee conventions. Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

During the late 1970's Carvel attempted to distinguish itself from other purveyors of soft-serve ice cream by claiming that its ice-cream machines did not infuse the product with air, unlike the competition.

During the 1970's, when dieting and fitness became more popular, Carvel began offering a low-fat frozen dessert called Thinny-Thin and a frozen yogurt product called Lo-Yo.

From 1973 to 1975 Carvel published a promotional comic book. For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ...

By 1985, there were 865 stores with an income of over $300 million.[1]. This article is about the year. ...

After Tom Carvel

In 1989, an aging Tom Carvel sold the corporation to Investcorp for over $80 million. In 1991, headquarters was moved to Farmington, Connecticut. Investcorp is a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. ... Coordinates: NECTA Hartford Region Capitol Region Incorporated 1645 Government  - Type Council-manager  - Town manager Kathleen Eagen  - Council chairman Michael Clark Area  - City 74. ...

Carvel was for most of its history a regional business, most strongly based on the East Coast of the USA. As the business climate has changed, so has some of the focus of the brand. There are, as of 2005, approximately 530 retail franchises, far fewer than at their peak. Carvel products are available in over 8500 supermarkets. Celebration Foods has pushed the brand's presence from 30 states in 2004 to 40 in 2006, allowing them to form merchandising partnerships with national brands, such as ice cream cakes featuring Mars's M&M's characters. Packaged food aisles in a Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon A supermarket is a departmentalized self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise. ... Mars, Incorporated is a world-wide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food and other food products with US$18 billion in annual sales in 2005. ... M&Ms small size wrapper. ...

Focus Brands is based in Atlanta, GA, Celebration Foods is based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States with a population of 17,966 as of the 2000 census. ...

In August 2007, the current owner of the very first Carvel store in Hartsdale revealed that he had applied for permission to knock down the store and develop a retail strip on the property. [2]

Carvel In Popular Culture

• The song Carvel by John Frusciante off the Shadows Collide With People album includes the line "Driving to eat a carvel cake".
• On his comedy album, "Feelin' Kinda Patton", Patton Oswalt does a bit about Carvel's self-done ads, comparing his voice to "Tom Waits gargling hot asphalt"
• In the Family Guy episode "Da Boom", the family rebuilds society at a Twinkie factory after Y2K destroys everything else. After they are kicked out of town, Peter suggests they go to a nearby Carvel factory.
• In the NBC hit TV series The Office, a character by the name of Andy Bernard mentions "Fudgie the Whale" and begs for a "Fudgie the Whale" cake for his office birthday party. This episode is under the title "Survivor man"
• The song 8 Million Stories by A Tribe Called Quest opens with the lyrics "Went to Carvel to get a milkshake, this honey ripped me off of my loot case."

John Anthony Frusciante (IPA pronunciation: ) (born March 5, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. ... Shadows Collide with People is the fourth studio album by John Frusciante, released in 2004, conceived during the recording of By the Way. ... Feelin Kinda Patton is stand-up comedian Patton Oswalts first comedy album. ... Patton Oswalt (born January 27, 1969 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American actor, writer, voiceover artist, and professional comedian. ... Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... A Tribe Called Quest is a critically acclaimed and highly-influential American hip-hop group, formed in 1988. ...

External links

• Carvel Homepage
• Smithsonian Institute Carvel archives page