Bay Area-based ice cream chain CREAM celebrated the grand opening of its Fresno outpost near Fresno State on Saturday by offering free ice cream sandwiches from noon to midnight.
Lines for the free sandwiches stretched around the Bulldog Plaza shopping center at the northeast corner of Barstow and Cedar.
The Fresno CREAM is the chain’s 19th location after its 2010 opening in Berkeley and has since expanded across California and Nevada. CREAM is an acronym for “Cookies Rule Everything Around Me.”
The chain’s specialty is ice cream sandwiches – which it creates using freshly baked cookies. CREAM encourages customers to fully customize their sandwiches order by allowing them to mix and match from 10 cookie flavors like red velvet or snicker doodle together with an assortment of toppings like gummy bears or Nutella. CREAM also bakes brownies that can be used instead of cookies in an ice cream sandwich.
CREAM offers 21 ice cream flavors that range from the traditional French vanilla to royal caramel swirl. Seasonal flavors are also available depending on the location.
The ice cream chain menu also offers milkshakes, sundaes and The CREAM Taco. The taco is a waffle contoured into a taco shape and is filled with three ice cream flavors and two toppings.
Gluten-free or vegan cookies and soy ice cream are also offered.