Design Inspiration
Restaurant Roundup: The 10 Best Ice Cream Websites
August 5, 2021
A curated list of our favorite ice cream, gelato and sweet treat websites, featuring the online tools that empower their businesses.
It’s not just restaurants that need a powerful online presence—bars, bakeries and coffee shops all benefit from websites that put their brand first and drive online revenue.
Ice cream businesses are no different. Whether it’s highlighting an array of flavors or promoting a page with catering options, a well-designed, optimized website is essential for building an audience and driving revenue. We put together a list of the 10 best ice cream website examples to inspire business owners and operators to optimize their digital storefronts.
On a quaint corner of Gramercy Park in New York City, Caffé Panna churns some of the finest housemade ice creams, affogato and coffee treats in Manhattan. Its founder, Hallie Meyer, got the inspiration for the business after visiting the cafés and gelato shops, ubiquitous throughout Rome. Through its website, Caffe Panna promotes its variety of seasonal flavors, along with several mainstays. The website’s espresso color palette — an homage to Italy’s café and coffee culture — and mouthwatering images of gelato are also sure to give potential diners a craving.
Milk Sugar Love
Jersey City, NJ
Emma Taylor is the Chef and Owner of Milk Sugar Love, a small-batch ice cream shop in Jersey City, New Jersey, with a commitment to sustainability and local sourcing. Emma opened Milk Sugar Love as a modern twist on the ice cream shops she grew up frequenting on the Jersey Shore. The website hints at this nostalgia with a page dedicated to popular ice cream flavors from over the years. Through a direct integration with Instagram, the business’s social posts populate into the website’s footer, merging the two marketing channels into one. Guests can also purchase gift cards and order ice cream for pickup or delivery directly through the website.
“Life Is Short, Eat Ice Cream” is the tagline for Dasher & Crank, an ice cream shop based in Miami. It’s also one of the first things you read on its website, and it’s hard to disagree with the sentiment. The website stands out from the competition with a pastel pink and blue color palette, along with a sticky navigation bar that resembles melted ice cream. Its online store also sells branded pink t-shirts and hats, driving additional revenue for the business.
New York-based with Mexican roots, La New Yorkina is an ice cream shop that celebrates Mexican culture and its abundance of sweet treats. The business creates its lauded desserts by hand in small batches, partnering with artisan producers in Mexico. Websites should tell a story, and La New Yorkina’s tells a compelling one on its “About” page, reflecting how the company started, its philosophy and how it gives back to the community.
Mister Dips started in a retrofitted 70’s Airstream trailer, serving griddled burgers and seasonal Dairy Dips at the William Vale in Brooklyn. Since then, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations at Pier 17 in Manhattan’s Seaport District and in Detroit’s Shinola Hotel. The impeccably branded website is fun, vibrant and unique, featuring bright pastel colors, bold food photography and animated illustrations.
Artisanal gelato master Vincent Turco, alongside his team, churns out traditional Italian recipes daily. Each recipe is crafted in small batches using local and European ingredients to deliver rich and delectable flavors. Visitors to the website can view menus, inquire about planning events and read the latest press accolades.
Sweetport Ice Cream is a lively locale in Shreveport, Louisiana. Visitors can purchase gift cards and branded merchandise directly from its website — but what makes the website unique is the “Our Ice-Cream Truck” page. Separate from the brick-and-mortar location, Sweetport Ice Cream’s food truck can be booked for private events. The page allows visitors to fill out a detailed inquiry form, even going so far as to choose the type of event, date, time and number of attendees.
With four locations in the New York area, Big Gay Ice Cream is a haven for ice cream lovers. The website is a fun and vibrant browsing experience, complete with colorful design features and illustrations. Visitors to the website can access important information such as FAQs about the ice cream and the company’s philanthropic efforts. With the store locator feature, visitors can quickly find the nearest location, hours of operation and more.
Jackie Cuscuna and Brian Smith recently opened The Social, a welcome addition to Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights neighborhood. However, the co-founders aren’t new to the ice cream business: They spent the last decade building the Ample Hills Creamery empire. The Social is their new project, accompanied by a brand new website. A vibrant panoramic illustration depicting borough life and bubbly, retro-inspired branding hooks visitors to learn more about the restaurant’s story, view menus and more. Through the website’s “Jobs” page, the co-founders can also post open positions and directly receive resumes from job seekers.
Penny Lick Ice Cream Company was founded in 2013 with a two-pronged mission: bring back old-fashioned ice cream with zero artificial ingredients, and support the local dairy industry. Beyond its brick-and-mortar location, Penny Lick also deploys several mobile carts around town, popping up at public events, farmers markets and festivals. A dedicated page on the website details upcoming events and when and where to find the carts.
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