Ampersand Ice Cream’s opening a third Fresno location. Here’s where, and what to expect
The popular Ampersand Ice Cream is planning to open a third location in Fresno.
The locally-owned ice cream shop has signed a lease to bring its whiskey-caramel and honeycomb ice cream, along with other flavors, to a new location in northeast Fresno.
It will be on the northwest corner of Willow and Shepherd avenues, catty corner from Enzo’s Table and its food trucks. It’s right on the border of Fresno and Clovis.
Ampersand will open in a newly-constructed development called The Row at Heritage Grove. The former plum orchard now has 255 apartments and town homes, with retail buildings already constructed in front that are awaiting tenants.
Owner Jeff and Amelia Bennett started the first Ampersand six years ago at Echo and Weldon avenues in the Tower District.
It expanded by opening a new location – and a bigger ice cream production facility – at Marks and Herndon avenues in 2019.
If all goes as planned, the northeast Fresno location will open in December, said Jeff Bennett.
“The thought has always been three will be our max,” he said. “This really makes a triangle around the city. … Tower, northwest and now northeast. There’s easy access to any one of the locations from anywhere in Fresno.”
The business has a big following, with fans lining up outside on busy summer nights to get scoops of Ampersand’s creative ice cream flavors. In addition to its regular flavors, the shop also rotates seasonal flavors, like April’s honey-rose pistachio and grizzly jack, an ice cream with popcorn, candied almonds and molasses-caramel.
The new location doesn’t have a kitchen, however. The ice cream will be made at the Marks and Herndon avenues locations and brought to the new place.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 5:16 PM.
