Founded in 2003 in Granville, Ohio, Whit’s Frozen Custard provides frozen custard to those who love it and is popularizing it among people who’ve never tried it before. As the Whit’s network has grown to surpass 100 locations, there’s no question that it’s working: Whit’s has become popular all over Florida. That said, the Sarasota-Bradenton area doesn’t have one yet.
That’s about to change, however, as a new location is currently in the works on Siesta Key, at 5147 Ocean Blvd. It’s the first of several locations from the Fineberg family: Lawrence and his three sons, Matthew, Drew, and Jason.
“It’s looking like the first week of August for opening,” Lawrence Fineberg told What Now on Friday.
And what led to the idea of bringing Whit’s to this part of the state? What Now asked.
“We moved to Florida in 2004 from Buffalo, New York. We came down as a family, and then the kids went off to college in Boston, in New York. When they finally came back into town, we wanted to find a good venture together. We had all grown up in Buffalo with custard, and we couldn’t find any down here.”
After trying Whit’s at a location a little further from home, the Finebergs decided it was time to bring the brand’s custard to the area.
“We decided we wanted to be in a place with a lot of pedestrian traffic, so Siesta Key made all the sense in the world. We looked around and finally found a spot.”
This week’s Flavor of the Week at Whit’s is Cookie Monster: vanilla custard with crushed cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough bites, and chocolate syrup swirls. Next week will be Black Raspberry Chip: black raspberry custard with dark chocolate flakes. And, as July rolls into August, you’ll find Strawberry Cheesecake: Bavarian cheesecake custard with strawberries and cheesecake bites.
“We’d love for people to come out and give it a try,” Fineberg said. “We think people will fall in love with it just like we have.”
You can keep up with Whit’s Siesta Key news by following @whitssiestakey on Instagram.
