By Hank Russell
It only took Nisha Sachdeva a visit to Boston with her family to realize it was her dream to open a Ben & Jerry’s franchise. “It was so funny,” she recalled. “We were in Boston visiting colleges there [with my daughter] and we were walking around in the evening.”
While looking around, they spotted a large Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop. “My daughter went crazy,” Sachdeva said. “She said, ‘Oh, can we go in there?’”
Sachdeva and her husband talked about the proliferation of Ben & Jerry’s shops on Long Island. At that point, she decided to open one in Patchogue Village.
Ben & Jerry’s opened at its 17 West Main Street location on October 11. After the employees underwent and completed training, they held a grand opening with the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce on November 8. Local elected officials were also on hand to present proclamations to Sachdeva, congratulating her on the opening of her business.
Sachdeva took the location because she lived close to it. “My brother had a restaurant here, so this was a prime location,” she said. “We were looking for a place that had lots of restaurants and foot traffic and a place where people can come to enjoy. “
Ben & Jerry’s in Patchogue Village employs three full-time employees — including a manager — and four part-time employees. The shop offers regular ice cream, as well as non-dairy and gluten-free options. Some of the customers’ favorite flavors, according to Sachdeva, are Marshmallow Sky, PB Over the Top, Chocolate Dirt, Mango, Chunky Monkey and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dough.
In addition, Ben & Jerry’s sells ice cream for dogs. Among its flavors are Pontch’s Mix and Rosie’s Batch. Sachdeva said those items were an instant hit when she first opened. “We ran out of the doggie ice cream last month,” she said. “We’re looking to see when it’s coming back.”
Future plans include opening another Ben & Jerry’s at Ronkonkoma’s Station Yards complex sometime next year.
“We are thrilled to be here,” Sachdeva said. “This is just a start. Hopefully, we will open more and more stores.”