If, like me, you’re a regular at the Glenmont Square shopping center (Panera, Smashburer, etc.), you’ve been waiting since late spring for the opening of the Montclair area’s newest ice creamery: Super Scoop. Well today, I was doing some banking at the new PNC, and lo and behold, there was the sign: Now Open.
Construction of the restaurant began in late spring, and though Super Scoop missed the summer season, co-owner Ralph Holmin says it was for a good reason. Part way through construction, he and partner Michael Melia decided to move the counter from the left side of the restaurant to the right, and though that resulted in delays, Holmin says he’d rather pay the price in one lost season rather than years of lay-out regret.
Super Scoop is a large space painted in mint green, with plenty of room for customers to sit, and has already started gathering an after-school crowd from Glen Ridge. (The border between Montclair and Glen Ridge actually runs through the store, which is located in Glen Ridge.)
“The concept is high-quality, home-made ice cream,” says Holman, who showed me the batch freezer and the blast freezer where the ice cream is made on premises. Having indulged two nights in a row, I stayed away from the premium products, but I did enjoy some self-serve, sugar-free, cheesecake-flavored frozen yogurt, which was quite tasty lo-call lunch. (You pay by the ounce) Smoothies and cupcakes are also available.
Go check it out, tell them Baristanet sent you, and let us know what you think.
Super Scoop, 989 Bloomfield Ave. Glen Ridge. 973.748.5656.
Was moving the counter really worth missing out on all the sales that would have been made during the summer, a summer that turned out to be one of the hottest summers on record?
I don’t own an ice cream shop, but I have to imagine that the sales of ice cream and other frozen delights during the other three seasons pale in comparison to what’s sold during the summer. Me, I would have had that store opened before July 4th, and waited until the dead of winter to close up for a few weeks to move the counters around. Perhaps the summer sales might have even made up for I’m sure would have been the higher cost of demo’ing the old counter and putting in the new compared to staying closed at the lower cost.
Anyway, I’ll have to check this place out. I just hope they have good ice cream minus the sloth-like service at Applegate Farm and the foofie pretentiousness of Cold Stone Creamery.
I think I’ll be sticking with the new Gelato place for my frozen dairy needs. Sorry Super Scoop, you were unimpressive and expensive, you can be one, but never both.
The ice cream is very good. I didn’t get a chance to try some of their other products such as the cupcakes,but I bet everything else tastes great. The prices are a bit high,but then again everything is expensive these days. I’ll probably visit them again sometime this week.
That yogurt is $8.25 a pint and they aren’t even making it for you. Is it twice as good as the Ben and Jerry’s at the 7-Eleven across the lot?
As far as the counter, I agree with Pork Roll that it sounds short-sighted to miss the summer over as design element. Especially when the whole thing looked pretty drab and uninviting when I walked by.
For a local ice cream shop, I’ll be sticking with Sprinkles on Orange Road. They may not make their own, but it’s delicious and affordable. And they are really nice.
Been there, and the ice cream is not bad. But I can’t think of one good reason to go there (perhaps other than being at Panera or Smashburger beforehand.) The space isn’t inviting, the offerings aren’t original, the staff isn’t exceptional, and the cost is a bit high.
Having read all of the comments posted here from last year, I would like to first say thank you for the feedback. Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to re-invite you to our store. We have made a great number of improvements to our location that make it a great deal more inviting. We have revisited the pricing and made changes – and our ice cream has expanded in both flavors and taste. We have also added a considerable collection of bulk candy – which is very popular with adults and children alike, as well as an inviting 55 inch flat screen television that makes our customer visits much more enjoyable.
Every Sunday, we welcome football fans to join us for a day of football – and everyone is welcome to bring their Smashburger or pizza to the event. We are now hosting a number of child friendly events – and will be adding more events this month. We are also participating in a food drive for the Humane Need Food Pantry in Montclair – and will be adding Toy for Tots to our location as well.
Each and every one of your concerns is greatly important to us. And you have not gone unheard. While the store remains in the ownership of Mr. Melia and Mr. Holmin, it has been under new management since June 2011 – and customer service concerns were the first to be addressed. I invite each of you to come by our new and very improved store and try us once again.
I look forward to seeing you all.
Thank you,
Tee Jae, Manager