The birth story of OddFellows began with a pregnancy. In 2011, Mohan Kumar’s wife Holiday was pregnant with twins and craving something different. Grocery store ice creams were not cutting it. She wanted something a bit more savory and nuanced. Mohan brought up this request to his friend Sam Mason, a James Beard-nominated pastry chef famous for creating skirt steak on Iron Chef. Sam brought over a tub of homemade pretzel ice cream the next day. Suffice to say, it didn’t last long. Holiday devoured it and pitched the idea to the guys of opening their own ice cream shop.
In 2013, not long after the birth of their twins, Mohan and Holiday alongside Sam debuted the first OddFellows Ice Cream in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. The store opened to immediate acclaim with Yahoo adding OddFellows to its “Best Ice Cream in the Country” list and The Village Voice awarding the brand “Best Ice Cream in New York City.” Media attention rolled in with name-drops in The New York Times, Vogue Magazine, Time Out, and Thrillist, among others. The brand became a favorite among foodie celebrities like David Chang and Christina Tosi. Stephen Colbert swooned as well over his pint on his talk show, calling it “a sucker punch to your taste buds.”
To date, OddFellows Ice Cream has opened five (corporate-owned) locations (four in New York City, one in Tampa, FL) along with operating license deals in Queens, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, and South Korea. The successful model for the brand is poised for growth.
EXPERTLY CRAFTED ICE CREAM
Produced in New York City and crafted by an acclaimed pastry chef who has worked the world’s finest kitchens, OddFellow’s shops offer a wide variety of flavors ranging from classic renditions like Sprinkles and Cookies & Cream to unique standouts like Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Miso Peanut Butter, and Raspberry Rocky Road. It all starts with the base: the high-quality dairy from nearby farms in eastern Pennsylvania, which is brought to the ice cream factory and mixed with the finest quality ingredients to create a superbly textured and top-notch flavor experience. According to Martha Stewart Magazine, “This is the place to go for both quirky flavors and creative takes on classics.”
THE BRAND
In addition to artisanal ice cream, OddFellows takes pride in delivering an experience of the senses in every shop as far as creative direction and presentation. The circus-themed design and brand visuals and expertly curated music are as central to the brand as the aroma of waffle cones welcoming guests upon arrival. OddFellows’ aesthetic style of a whimsical nostalgia of carnivals and an accessible old-school Brooklyn urbanity allow the brand to stand out from your typical ice cream shop. The brand’s mascot is Clyde, a vintage monkey with cymbals that carries significance to its co-founders Sam and Mohan: Sam gifted one of the toy monkeys by his father when he was a child; Mohan who once had an ice cream cone snatched from a mischievous monkey while visiting India with his parents!
LAUNCHING FRANCHISING
The brand recently launched its franchising program a few months ago and has sold two franchises. The first franchise will open in The Woodlands, outside of Houston. A second is expected in Tampa, FL in 2025. OddFellows is currently offering a $30,000 franchise fee with 6% royalty. In an odd twist, no marketing fees will be incurred by the franchisee – a way to build trust between both parties. OddFellows is currently seeking locations in the Sun Belt and New York City tristate area, with particular focus on Florida and Texas. The franchisor is heavily involved in all steps of the process and first and foremost finding the right location. “We are happy doing a lot of hand holding in the process; it is all worth it to make this a success for the franchisee, and eventually us as the franchisor,” said OddFellows co-founder Mohan Kumar.
SIMPLIFYING THE FRANCHISE MODEL
In order to maintain this consistency, the brand has simplified the typical model. All of the ice cream comes from the franchisor’s New York City factory. This allows franchisees to save on expensive production and kitchen equipment, and keeps the quality of ice cream consistent across all locations. That’s the same ice cream being licked in Brooklyn, Florida and Texas.
PEOPLE TALKING
Oddfellows is not just franchising ice cream; they are franchising an experience and a brand that includes smart collaboration with cool celebrities/influencers like Desus & Mero – a collab that sold out in the first 24 hours of its release. OddFellows has also collaborated with world renowned and hip brands such as SEGA (Sonic), LCD Soundsystem, Graza Olive Oil, Sweetgreen, Red Bull, Marc Jacobs, J. Crew, Kellog’s, Christian Louboutin, and more. This is a brand that stands out from the rest of the franchised ice creams; it looks and tastes like the cream of the crop. Potential franchisees can learn more about OddFellows on their websites, oddfellowsicecream.com and oddfellowsfranchise.com.