By Katie Anderson
Summer may be drawing to a close, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t more time to enjoy a delicious cold treat! An Axios study analyzed the top ice cream shop chains, considering ice cream, frozen yogurt, and frozen custard options. The top scoops were found to be Dairy Queen with 74% of the vote, followed by Baskin-Robbins, Braum’s, Culver’s, Rita’s, and sweetFrog. Haven’t seen some of these names in your area? That’s totally understandable! Geographic regional preferences heavily impact where companies set up shop. For example, Culver’s may have stores located in 26 states, but 40% of their stores are in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois with another 11% in Florida (really goes to show when people leave a region, they bring their culture with them. And yes, a concrete dessert is culture). Geography and ice cream culture can also be observed at the smaller scale viewing this map. The state of New York is predominantly gray, representing results of other ice cream shops outside of the ones listed on the map. A locally owned ice cream shop may be the top scoop in a region, but due to its small scale, does not appear on a national map. Finally, a map like this represents a narrow framework of favorite ice cream brands. Other national rankings have Ben & Jerry’s as the top ice cream brand in the United States. While the company does have brick and mortar stores, the most common place to buy their ice cream is in a grocery store. So, enjoy the last few weeks of summer with an ice cream cone, and just know that cultural geography is the true cherry on top!