By Jake Rallo
Warm weather calls for cold treats, and if you’re anything like me, a post-beach cup of ice cream is nonnegotiable. The perfect Jersey Shore day, I’d argue, always ends with something sweet and frozen. Whether that’s Italian ice from Strollo’s Lighthouse, soft serve from Jersey Freeze, or a scoop of your favorite flavor from Hoffman’s or Nicholas Creamery, the Shore has never disappointed.
This summer, the Shore may have gotten a bit colder. If you’ve spent any time in Red Bank lately, you’ve probably noticed the line snaking down Front Street outside The Scoop N Scootery, a new sundae spot that opened in April that has been generating serious buzz ever since.
The Scoop N Scootery is the brainchild of Austin Crittenden. What started as a way to earn extra cash and pay off student loans while Crittenden was studying at Tufts University in Boston has turned into a full-fledged business with a large following.
And the brand’s origin story is right there in its name. As the story goes, Crittenden was purchasing tubs of ice cream from the Tufts dining hall, crafting sundaes, and delivering them to fellow students on his scooter at any time of day, even late at night, and thus The Scoop N Scootery was born. The late-night appeal of an ice cream sundae was critical to Crittenden’s early success and remains important to the brand today.
After graduation, Crittenden continued pursuing his brand and purchased a food truck to sell sundaes from. The first brick-and-mortar location opened nearly two years later in Arlington, Massachusetts, to huge success. Keeping true to its roots, the storefront offered both delivery and an in-store experience. Before the boom in delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, many people thought the concept was crazy. How do you even deliver a product that melts?
At the first location, the team spent time perfecting both their sundaes and their delivery model, making sure customers got great ice cream whenever they wanted it. As time went on, The Scoop N Scootery continued to grow, opening more locations and expanding its online presence through platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Isabella Sidoruk, chief marketing officer of The Scoop N Scootery, told The Two River Times that TikTok pushed the company into its next phase. As the sundaes went viral for unique flavor combinations and over-the-top presentation, fans began asking about franchising opportunities to bring a The Scoop N Scootery closer to home.
So how did The Scoop N Scootery end up in Red Bank? Kim Barcenilla, like many of us, discovered the brand on social media and reached out to the team about bringing a location to Monmouth County. A veteran in pharmaceutical advertising, Kim was ready for a change of pace and something new. She had been exploring different business ideas for years but had never taken the leap. That changed when she came across The Scoop N Scootery. Something about it just felt different.
If you believe in serendipity, this story has plenty of it. A mom of two young kids, Barcenilla spends every Friday night the same way: making sundaes at home with her family’s favorite ice cream and toppings. So when she heard about The Scoop N Scootery, she took it as a sign to learn more about franchising opportunities. After visiting one of the original locations in Boston, she was hooked for good. The sheer joy of watching patrons light up over their sundaes was something she wanted to be a part of. Barcenilla realized The Scoop N Scootery was not just about buying ice cream – it was an experience.
When visiting the Red Bank location, first things first: be prepared to wait. The line has not gone away since opening day. At the grand opening, people started lining up at 8 a.m., and the hype has yet to settle. While the team has gotten faster at making sundaes, demand is through the roof. My advice: use your time in line wisely and browse the menu ahead of time so you know what you want when you reach the counter. The Scoop N Scootery offers over 75 sundaes, with the option to customize your own. Flavors range from the Cannolis N Cream, featuring Oreo ice cream topped with cannoli cream, crushed cannoli shell, chocolate chips, and homemade Oreo frosting, to the Filling Berry Fluffy, with vanilla ice cream, marshmallow fluff, bananas, strawberries, Nutella sauce, and crushed graham crackers.
And if 75 options still aren’t enough, each franchise location is allowed to create its own location-specific sundaes. According to Barcenilla, Red Bank has new flavors coming later this summer – keep an eye out for Mary’s Banana Cream Pie, named after Barcenilla’s grandmother, and an Italian Rainbow Cookie sundae.
Luckily, waiting in line is not the only way to enjoy a sundae. The Scoop N Scootery also delivers within a 40-minute radius. Delivering ice cream sundaes may seem like a recipe for disaster, but here is how they get it right. It starts with the ice cream itself. Higher quality ice cream has a higher butterfat percentage, which means two things: it tastes better and it melts more slowly. Then comes the freezing. Deep-freezing the sundae for five to seven minutes gets it arctic cold before it is packed and sent on its way. The result: a perfectly cold sundae delivered right to your door.
For now, The Scoop N Scootery may be the hottest ice cream shop in town, but that’s not to say it’s the only place for a great cold treat this summer, or the only place you’ll have to wait in line. A childhood and current-day favorite of mine is Strollo’s Lighthouse, with locations around the Jersey Shore. Famous for Italian ice extruded through soft serve ice cream machines, many Strollo’s Lighthouse locations also draw a line all summer long.
The first Strollo’s opened in 1976, founded by Ray Strollo, who carried his father Tony’s secret family recipe all the way from Italy. Now with five shops, Strollo’s has come a long way since its early days and is a staple of the Jersey Shore. If you ask someone in Monmouth County about Lighthouse, they’ll likely tell you about the location closest to them, the one they call “home.” For me, that’s the Red Bank location, which opened in 1995.
At the intersection of Rector Place and Bridge Avenue, Strollo’s is never quiet during the summer. Waiting in line with a crinkled $20 bill in my hand evokes a sense of nostalgia. As a kid, my siblings and I would wait in line for our sweet treat after a meal at Birravino (or Basil T’s) most nights of the summer. It was my favorite part of the day.
While soft serve and weekly specialty Italian ice flavors have been added to the menu over the years, the classics remain my favorites and are still on the menu today. As Strollo’s celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, its line is also worth the wait.
So, whether you’re chasing the latest viral sundae or returning to a flavor you’ve loved since childhood, one thing is certain: a great cold treat is never far away on the Jersey Shore. Grab a 20, find a line, and join in. It’s worth the wait.
Jake Rallo, part of the Rallo family dining legacy, is managing partner of River Pointe Inn in Rumson.
The article originally appeared in the June 25 – July 1, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
