According to sites like www.czechcrispycones.com/, being from Pennsylvania, Tiffany Schlueter was no stranger to the homemade ice cream Bruster’s sold. When the opportunity arose for her and her husband, Ben Schlueter, to open up a shop in Fishers, they jumped at the chance.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh and Bruster’s was the ice cream shop I went to, and I thought it was just a Pittsburg thing,” she says. The idea to open a store in Fishers started back in 2020 when the couple decided they wanted to give back to the community by opening a franchise. They did some research on top franchises to open and work for. That’s when they found Bruster’s.
“We were always wondering how to get more involved in the community and this was our way to do that,” says Ben, a co-owner. The couple has called Fishers home since 2004, and fell in love with the community that surrounds it. With determination and support from Bruster’s, they were able to open their location on Olio Road in early March of 2022. They both say Olio Road was the place they wanted to be, due to the fact that not only are they just down the road, but the shop also gives the east side of Fishers a new ice cream place to enjoy.
“This way it’ll be right there for the kids, for us, and all of our friends and family who live on the east side of Fishers,” Tiffany says.
Currently, both Tiffany and Ben are involved in all everyday tasks for running the ice cream shop, which can vary from day to day depending on what needs to be done.
“We’re in here doing everything right now, opening the store, making the ice cream, scooping ice cream, closing things down and getting our books run,” Ben says.
Scooping and creating ice cream isn’t the only factor that goes into the process of opening an ice cream shop. “Right now the big process is not only keeping the store running and building a client base, but also training our employees,” Ben says.
As of right now, Bruster’s employee base is mainly Hamilton Southeastern High School students. However, Bruster’s uses this opportunity to help give first-time employees good experience for future jobs. “It really gives us a blank piece of paper to write our story, and hopefully we’re teaching them good habits about how to run a business, how to be a good entrepreneur and how to be a good steward in the community,” Ben says.
Ben believes in creating a fun atmosphere for the workers that will then result in better customer service overall for the establishment. “We want our workers to love what they’re doing and to be passionate about helping somebody at the window,” he says. Since they are new to town, the staff and manager team have been working hard to make a lasting impression on those who buy an ice cream treat from them.
Bruster’s is committed to making sure not only the ice cream that they serve is tasty, but also that customers receive the service they deserve. Ever since they opened, Tiffany and Ben have been working with their staff to make sure all customers are greeted with a smile and given the best service possible for whatever they may be celebrating. “People are coming here to celebrate stuff – they’re coming here to celebrate a good report card, a baseball win, or whatever else they have going on, and we want to be able to give them that treat that they’re hoping for,” Ben says.
Reviews have been coming in for Bruster’s, most of them positive.
“We wanted to be involved in the community,” Ben says. “The support around us has just been amazing.”
The Schlueters are excited for their journey as franchise owners. They both feel as though the reviews have been in support of the new shop, and are happy that Bruster’s has come to Fishers. “It’s like we’ve filled in something that was missing,” Tiffany says. “I feel that I’ve been talking up the ice cream for so long that I started thinking, ’What if my friends come try this and they don’t like it?’ But every single person liked it. Even people we don’t know are posting online saying that there is really something different about it. It’s fun to see other people love it when they try it too.”
You can visit Bruster’s Real Ice Cream at 12350 Olio Road in Fishers. For more info, call 317-288-4552 or visit brusters.com.
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