Ben & Jerry's arrives at Penn

Within weeks, Penn students will be able to get their fill of Chunky Monkey and Phish Food somewhere other than the Wawa freezer. Ben & Jerry's is coming to 40th Street at the former Papaya King location. The ice cream company, known as "Vermont's finest," will be opening a scoop shop in mid-March. Classic ice cream fare such as cups, cones and sundaes as well as milkshakes, specialty items, Ben & Jerry's gear and the notorious "Vermonster" will be sold. Papaya King, the short-lived smoothie and hot dog shop, had opened two years ago and closed last fall due to lack of student demand. The space was empty for several months while the University searched for a new vendor. The University signed a deal last week with Ben & Jerry's franchise owner Rob Rokosky and his two partners to open a shop on campus. They also own five other stores in the Philadelphia area, including the Ben & Jerry's in Rittenhouse Square. The one on 40th Street will open in March after construction and renovations to install a new counter and signage are complete. "The front will be totally gutted and redone," Rokosky said. According to Rokosky, his three years and five scoop shops of experience with Ben & Jerry's will help him while he opens this shop. "Every time we open a store, it gets easier and easier," he said. "The process is more familiar, and I have more support." Rokosky and his partners decided to come to the Penn campus because "we feel it is a great fit," he said. "A lot of what goes on at Penn relates to Ben & Jerry's social initiatives, such as community involvement and environmental awareness." In addition to serving great ice cream, Rokosky plans that Ben & Jerry's will be involved in the community, both through campus life and volunteer work. He hopes the new site will also offer catering services and sponsorship. "We donate a lot of time and product to community service," Rokosky said, noting that Ben & Jerry's recently built a playground in West Philadelphia. "If Penn has a need, we would love to do it." Rokosky hopes to attract University students as well as West Philadelphia community members to the scoop shop. "We want to cater to whoever wants our ice cream," he said. Although a number of stores, including Papaya King, have been forced to close their doors due to low student demand, Rokosky feels that his shop will be more successful than others. "Ben & Jerry's has a unique mindset, which focuses on great products and giving back to the community, as well as making a profit," Rokosky said. "People perceive Ben & Jerry's as a great place to go that has good ice cream." He added that since he put up a help wanted sign on the vacant property on Friday, he has already received many phone calls from interested students. University officials are eagerly anticipating the opening of the ice cream parlor. "It's a tremendous thing," Associate Vice President for Business Development Lisa Prasad said. "A lot of students have expressed interest in ice cream." Prasad said that Rokosky and his partners "are clearly excited about working on campus." The University is working with them to help them understand the student population and the surrounding community so "they'll be tuned in to the needs of the students," she added. Students have responded positively to the news of the ice cream shop's upcoming arrival. Engineering sophomore Lauren Hedvat said that she is thrilled about the presence of Ben & Jerry's. "It'll be something different on campus and will add variety to all the coffee, pizza and Chinese," she said, noting that Ben & Jerry's is "one of the best ice cream companies, they have a million different flavors and anything with mint chocolate chip has my name on it!" Although several students think that the ice cream parlor is not a necessity on campus, they said they will still enjoy its presence. "I wouldn't say it's needed, but if it's there, I'd go," said College sophomore Rachel Gross, adding that it seemed to be a good place to relax after dinner. College senior Elizabeth Koumettou, who said she was upset by last summer's closure of Baskin Robbins on Walnut Street, is looking forward to the arrival of Ben & Jerry's. "I would go to Ben & Jerry's because I love the ice cream, and I'm a dessert freak," she said. "I don't think there is a huge need for ice cream," said Engineering sophomore Rick Jones. He has reservations about the success of Ben & Jerry's because he thinks it will have trouble competing with the dining halls, which include ice cream in the meal plan. College junior Andrew Leslie, who said he would occasionally eat at Ben & Jerry's, disagreed with Jones. "If I was going to get ice cream, that's probably where I'd go."