In the final days of October, Stuffed Ice Cream closed its store on 139 First Ave. But the team is not going anywhere — and they have a surprise brewing for customers.
Stuffed Ice Cream co-founder Jackie Luu told What Now New York that they will be opening a brand new ice cream concept in the space. The new spot — called Surprise Scoop — will have a simple menu with only one item: ice cream in a cup. Guests will not know what flavor they are getting when they order, a model Luu describes as “a little guessing game.”
“You’re not going to see a display freezer or anything you would see in a normal ice cream shop,” Luu said. “Through a wall, you will be served and it will be a random flavor of ice cream.”
Customers will order at kiosks before receiving their surprise scoop. Luu said there will also be a checklist for anyone with dietary restrictions and allergies.
Luu said he was attracted to the idea because he is adventurous and open to trying new things, something he wanted to incorporate into the concept.
“I’m very open, so a lot of the time I’ll go to a place and I’ll say, ‘Surprise me,’” Luu said. “That’s kind of what I’m going for here.”
Luu and his co-founder Alan Yaung opened Stuffed Ice Cream in 2017 in the East Village, serving ice cream and “cruffs” — doughnuts stuffed with ice cream and toppings. Since then, they opened another location in Brooklyn, which remains open.
Currently, the East Village space is being renovated. Luu plans to open Surprise Scoop in December.
“I think the most fun thing is that because it’s a new concept, I’m very curious how it will work and the type of feedback we’ll get,” Luu said. “Having Stuffed Ice Cream for seven years, we’ve always had good feedback on our ice cream so I’ve always been confident with what we’re serving. So I feel like an idea like this isn’t too farfetched now.”
