Cold fudge fans, take heart: Jarling’s Custard Cup plans to reopen just in time for Mother’s Day.
A news release issued Sunday night announced that the Champaign frozen custard icon was purchased from the Jarling family. According to the release, the investors include “well-known former University of Illinois athletes and coaches” such as Kurt Kittner (former Illini/NFL football player), Tony Pashos (former Illini/NFL football player), Ron Turner (former Illini head football coach), and Bruce Weber (former Illini head basketball coach).
The release says Custard Cup will open for business on Saturday, May 7.
This seemingly brings to a close the rollercoaster Jarling’s Custard Cup fans have been on since March 2015, when the family-owned business abruptly announced it would close pending stock depletion in anticipation of a sale. That inspired a famous tweet by actor Tom Hanks. Custard Cup did open again in April 2015, with limited hours and long lines all summer long. It closed for the 2015 season on August 30 – months earlier than usual – much to the chagrin of its fans. We have been on Custard Cup watch all spring, looking for signs of life.
Jarling’s Custard Cup had been owned by Doug and Christy Jarling since its founding.
“We brought the highest quality products to Champaign some 33 years ago, and we have enjoyed incredible success, all at the same location with our customers always being the top priority. We went through an exhaustive sale process, and we couldn’t be more delighted with the people we found to carry on the Jarling’s Custard Cup tradition,” said Christy Jarling, in the release.
Doug, Christy, and their son Dylan Jarling will stay on for a period of time to help transition the operations to the new owners, the release said.
“First of all, Doug and Christy should be congratulated for being the consummate hard-working entrepreneurs. They are very successful and I’m grateful for the opportunity to carry on the fine tradition of Jarling’s Custard Cup,” said Tom Siegel, who leads the Alpha investment group that purchased the assets. Additional investors in Alpha include locals such as the Sholem family and other individuals.
The new investor group will “continue to operate as Jarling’s Custard Cup without changes being made to the business’ popular formula and line of products,” the release said.
Immediate openings exist for managers and hourly crew members. If interested, e-mail custardcupchampaign@gmail.com.