THE WHIT'S STORY
Our Story
Whit’s Frozen Custard opened on March 3, 2003, at the end of one of Granville, Ohio’s, coldest winters. Between the snowy weather and the locals questioning what frozen custard was, many felt it would not survive. Despite the odds, nothing could delay Whit’s inevitable success.
Whit’s is the product of Chuck and Lisa Whitman’s perfect culmination of Chuck’s experience working in his father’s food service business and Lisa’s knowledge of ice cream obtained from working in her family’s businesses. During his 21-year career, Chuck called on restaurants throughout the Midwest, but it was the popular soft-serve ice cream businesses that piqued his interest, resulting in a job at a dairy manufacturing plant and purchasing an endless array of ice cream ingredients. His knowledge and affinity for the virtues of frozen custard developed over the years as he steadily explored perfecting the perfect frozen custard recipe while sourcing the finest ingredients. Frozen custard became his passion.
His wife, Lisa, also shares this passion. Lisa and her family spent many years operating several ice cream establishments in the Columbus area, but it was the creaminess and flavor of frozen custard that hooked her. Chuck and Lisa Whitman have taken the secrets they have learned over the years and perfected it into one brand. It was no surprise that the superior quality and love in every scoop of Whit’s Frozen Custard attracted customers and why they continued to come back for more, even waiting in long lines on warm summer nights.
As the years progress, the family business has expanded with participation from their son, Henry, and their daughter, Kaylyn, a key player in the business. (You can even find a menu item named after their son, O'Henry George!) Their focus on family is also reflected in each of the Whit’s stores that have opened over the years; each location is family-owned, and the presence of each of these families and their commitment to providing the best possible ice cream product can be found at every Whit's location.
WHY FROZEN CUSTARD TASTES SO GOOD
Frozen custard recipes date back to the early 1900's but it wasn't until the 1920's that commercial frozen custard machines were invented. It is said that the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago popularized frozen custard and by 1940 frozen custard stands were located all over the East and Midwest of the United States.
Frozen custard is still created with the same pure ingredients as a century ago; cream, eggs, and sugar. But there are three reasons why frozen custard is thicker, smoother, and creamier than ice cream: 1) Frozen custard uses a higher butterfat content, 2) Making frozen custard is a slower labor-intensive process that is careful to minimize the amount of air blended into the mix, referred to as "overrun," and finally, 3) The typical serving temperature of frozen custard is 26 degrees, that's 10 degrees warmer than ice cream.