It's Always a Good Day to...Gofer Ice Cream

The Happiness Formula

2011-11-24T15:09:00.003-05:00

The Happiness Formula

A few months ago I found myself in an audience listening to some thoughts from Dr. Deepak Chopra. I knew he was as a Doctor as well as an author and a global influencer, but to this point I had never read his books or had any opportunity to listen to what he had to say. He has spent many years studying the idea of happiness and on this day he laid out a very simple formula that has stuck with me and I felt this Thanksgiving Day would be a good time to share it.

Why does anybody do anything? Regardless of the initial answer, if you keep asking a person this question the answer inevitable comes to the statement that they want to be happy. Happiness is the goal of all goals. Upon studying this Dr. Chopra has found a simple formula for happiness that he shared with us on that day.

H=S+C+V

H is of course Happiness or our Happiness level.
S= Set Point. Do you see a problem or opportunity? Is the glass half full or half empty? This set point or mind set is determined during the first few years of life. As young children we mirror our environment growing up. We are programmed to see the world a certain way. The good news is that we can change this set point if we begin to question and challenge our beliefs.
C= Conditions of living. Do you have enough of the basics needs in life? Enough to fill your basic desires including material needs? This is understandably a major factor in happiness.
V= Voluntary actions that we take each day. The choices we make are comprised of two different types. The first is purely for personal pleasure. Examples include a glass of wine, a movie with friends, or picking up a new car. This type of action leads to happiness that is very fleeting. It's short term benefits are usually only good until the next action. The second type is the more lasting kind, the part which gives meaning to your life. Here the key is benefiting your happiness by performing voluntary actions that help others. If you want to feel happy fast, just do something to make somebody else happy. You see the happiness is immediately returned to you and its in the form of lasting happiness. Give it a try.

I believe this simple formula is great to examine every once and a while. Today is a great day to reflect on this formula and how it relates to your life. Remember you can control your happiness by examining your situation re-evaluating your mindset and increasing your voluntary acts that benefit others to ultimately increase your own happiness.
Have a HAPPY Thanksgiving!

--
Jay Ragusa
Gofer Ice Cream LLC
www.GoferIceCream.com

Farewell Fairfield

2011-10-15T23:00:00.000-04:00

Gofer Fans,
I am sad to announce Gofer Fairfield has sold its last cone. Unfortunately we had to shut down the location. It was a risky move opening in a town so far from our existing customers in Greenwich, Stamford and Darien, but a chance we were willing to take. We were however unable to gain enough new customers in our two seasons there to continue on for a third. We also underestimated the demand for Frozen Yogurt despite the fact that our Gofer Lite is actually more healthy for you.

While Gofer Fairfield was off to a great start, soon afterwards four other yogurt shops decided to open in town, saturating the market with by our count nine or ten options for just 60,000 people, about four shops too many. We are addressing this new frozen yogurt demand and will be expanding this product offering in our other shops in the near future. We apologize to our new friends that became fans of Gofer in the Town of Fairfield. We hope you take an occasional ride to our other shops when you feel the need to treat yourself.
Lastly, I would like to thank our many crew members and the Kleban Family for believing in us and allowing Gofer the opportunity to open in town.

Sincerely,

Jay Ragusa
PresidentGofer Ice Cream LLC

Kilowatts to Kindness Event DARIEN

2011-08-22T12:01:00.002-04:00

Join us Saturday Sept 10th at our Darien shop from 2-4pm. Come learn about a program where you can help CT FoodBank each month with very little effort and no cash out of your pocket!
We hope to have music and 50% of all sales during the event will be donated to CT Food Bank.

Gofer Wins Best of the Gold Coast Again!

2011-07-17T22:32:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the fans for voting for us in the reader poll and selecting Gofer as the Best Ice Cream in Fairfield County. We have now won this award four of the seven years its been running. Thanks to the hardworking staff and the many, many fans of the company. There are many, many, many other shops in the towns we operate and we are so happy we remain a top pick each year! This is significant because despite editors picks and other competitions where advertisers win this is a true write in poll.

We pledge to continue to work hard to stay on top.

Gofer Management

Kilowatts To Kindness Kick Off

2011-06-13T17:55:00.005-04:00

We are proud to host an ice cream social to benefit Connecticut Food Bank. We will feature Music by Kristin Errett and 50% of the all ice cream sale proceeds will go directly to CT Food Bank. We will have some green vendors and face painting for the kids. This is an important event as we will be kicking off our sponsorship of CT Food Bank's North American Power Fundraiser.

Join us June 26th 2pm-4pm
Gofer Ice Cream Fairfield
1241 Post Road

Yogurt Flavor of the Week

2011-05-02T13:51:00.003-04:00

Gofer Darien is now serving 10 flavors of fat free frozen yogurt. We have a variety of flavor twists added to our Vanilla Yogurt and a flavor of the week. This week is JAVA Flavor come in for a taste. 1020 Post Road Darien. Let us know what flavor you want in the future.

Gofer teams with the CT Food Bank

2011-04-24T18:09:00.003-04:00

We are happy to be working with the CT Food Bank as our number one sponsored cause this year. We will be raising funds for this group in several different ways including through our new energy programs (details to follow)

Look for Team Gofer Ice Cream on the donations team page:

Join us at the Bridgeport Walk May 15th.

Yogurt Returns to Darien

2011-04-24T13:24:00.002-04:00

This spring we have re-introduced Fat Free Frozen Yogurt in our Darien shop. We have ten flavors including a flavor of the week. This week we have the featured flavor of Almond Nut. Contact us with your suggestions on-line or through the in store feed back box.

Gofer on Bizz Buzz TV.com

2011-04-19T12:48:00.000-04:00

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Gofer @ SOUND TIGERS HOST ST. BALDRICK'S DAY SUNDAY

2011-04-07T20:05:00.003-04:00

Join Gofer on Sunday April 10 3pm at this awesome event at Harbor Yard for free Gofer Bucks and to join our all new Club Gofer.

Walk with Team Gofer Ice Cream

2011-04-01T19:00:00.004-04:00

We will be walking at the MS Walk on April 3rd in Westport CT Join us!

Best of the Gold Coast 2011

2011-03-28T12:27:00.003-04:00

Don't forget to vote for us. We have won this in the past several times. Voting is not all online so we need every vote we can get! Thanks

MDA Summer Camp Fund

2011-03-27T20:54:00.003-04:00

Once again the Gofer Fans were able to help us donate by buying Shamrocks in all the shops.
We will be sending $300 to the MDA ConnectiKids Fund!
Good job

Bridgeport to re-open soon!

2011-03-13T00:32:00.003-05:00

March 21 will mark the re-opening of Gofer Bridgeport. 1019 Main Street Down-town across from the Holiday Inn. - If your name is Stewart or Sara come in that day for your free cone! Spread the word....

MDA Shamrocks on Sale

2011-02-22T20:34:00.003-05:00

Help us with our annual tradition of sending kids to summer camp.
Stop into any Gofer shop and buy a shamrock to post in the shop from now until March 17th. All funds as usual will go to MDA Kids fund.

Gofer Day

2011-02-03T11:48:00.002-05:00

The First Annual Gofer Day was held on Feb 2nd on the Gofer's cousin, the groundhog's big day. We feel this is a great time to start an annual tradition and what better day to pick? Really?

Dispite the snow and ice on the ground this year many families turned out. Each party was able to flip a special Gofer Coin to see if they would win a free ice cream. Because everybody wins on Gofer Day those that didn't call it right still walked away with a Gofer Buck good for a future trip to Gofer Ice Cream.

Word came during the day that cousin Phil had in fact not seen his shadow, which means the start of Spring is just around the bend.

Pictured to the left are Fiona and Eamonm in the Gofer Darien Shop after a winning flip.

Gofer Energy

2010-12-21T20:11:00.005-05:00

We have diversified into the Energy Business! After being a customer of North American Power we took the necessary actions to become a broker for the company. This means you can earn a free $20 Gofer Card just by signing up to save money on your electric bill through our site. Its fast easy and free. Go to our new website to learn all about energy deregulation and how you can save money in just minutes risk free.

Gofer Bridgeport ready to go!

2010-09-14T20:45:00.007-04:00

After several months of construction and a year in the planning Gofer Bridgeport should open on Thursday if we pass all final inspections... Pictures to follow

Bridgeport Video..

Music on the Gofer Patio Darien Shop

2010-08-27T11:53:00.002-04:00

Join us Saturday Aug 28th 2:30 for featured performer Julie Corbalis! Gofer Ice Cream Darien 1020 Post Road in the middle of Darien.

Gofer grants first Franchise!

2010-08-07T00:59:00.001-04:00

Effective Aug 6th, 2010 we have spun off our Greenwich Gofer Ice Cream as our first independently owned Franchise.

Gofer Fairfield looking good

2010-04-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

Expansion Continues

2010-03-25T21:41:00.001-04:00

Gofer Bridgeport update...

Gofer Fairfield Takes Shape

2010-03-22T21:14:00.004-04:00

Future home of our counter and in the back you can see where the soft serve machines will go.

Above you see the side door and part of the parlor area. Also our fancy recessed lights and speakers that will sit just outside of the colorful awning

Gofer Fairfield Looking good...

2010-03-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

New Club Gofer and Best of Voting time

2010-03-02T20:50:00.004-05:00

Join the new club gofer on facebook and win things like Bluefish tickets and ice cream all summer long. Also vote for us this year if you have a second in the Best of The Gold Coast. We have won this award several times and its a great help in our marketing and getting the word out so thank you in advance!

Gofer Westport??

2010-01-09T10:07:00.004-05:00

We currently have a unique opportunity to open a shop in a prime location in Downtown Westport. Because the company is already currently involved with other shops we can't open it on our own. Therefore this spot and opportunity is ideal for a franchisee to develop with our help.
Here are some of the benefits the new owner could enjoy:

Favorable location with parking and foot traffic
Already Established as a spot to get ice cream for many years
Reduced Franchise Fee
Supportive landlord
Low cost build-out when compared to white box
Can be ready to open for the spring/summer

Contact us for more information: info@gofericecream.com

New Twitter Test

2010-01-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

We are getting ready to launch twitter sites specific for each Gofer shop so you can follow updates regarding flavors, hours, events just for the shops that concern you, the Gofer Fan. feel free to leave comments or Re-tweets to help spread the word

Here is the first one for our first shop "Gofer Greenwich"

http://twitter.com/gofergreenwich

Gofer Tree

2009-11-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

This year the Gofer Tree raised over $250 for charity at the Enchanted Forest in Greenwich

Gofer Press Release!

2009-11-17T19:50:00.002-05:00

GOFER ICE CREAM TO CONTINUE EXPANSION IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY

Greenwich, Conn., November 18, 2009 – Gofer Ice Cream LLC today announced it will be opening two new shops in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The first addition to the chain, to open this winter, will be in downtown Fairfield. The second new shop will follow debuting sometime in 2010, in downtown Bridgeport. “We are excited to expand the company into new markets. We hope to replicate the success we have had over the past seven seasons in our initial shops.” commented Jay Ragusa, President of Gofer Ice Cream LLC. “I am keenly aware of the economy and undertaking such expansion is not without its risks. However, I believe we have proven our business model works, people seem to like it, and the prospects for each of the new locations are very bright. Also, we feel fortunate to be working with two additional great developers on these ambitious projects. We had a favorable experience with Baywater Properties in the rebuilding of our Darien shop and we can see how having a professional landlord that is very involved in our success is an important factor in that success. We couldn’t pass up these opportunities to book-end our Fairfield County foot print” he also stated.

The parlor in Fairfield will be located at 1241 Post Road in the center known as “The Brick Walk”. (See rendering attached) Developer and owner Ken Kleban of Kleban Properties commented on Gofer’s prospects; “We are thrilled to welcome Gofer Ice Cream as the newest addition to complement the Lifestyle center at The Brick Walk. Gofer's presence is one more reason to spend quality time among our service and specialty retailers, and restaurants. Shop our shops, enjoy our restaurants, and cap the experience with Gofer's quality ice cream."

Downtown Bridgeport is currently undergoing a massive revitalization and Gofer Ice Cream looks to be a pioneer in forwarding that effort. The shop will be located on 1019 Main Street in the building know as The Arcade. The project is a stunning historic restoration of one of the nations first enclosed shopping malls, originally built in 1840. Gofer will be a great choice for ice cream and treats in the downtown Bridgeport area, serving the thousands of daytime workers and a growing residential population. “We maybe early, but as the development progresses I am hopeful this location grows with the city to become just as successful as our other shops” stated Ragusa.

GDC Properties, the developer that has $80 million in commitments to downtown Bridgeport, representative Rich DeMarco commented; "Gofer Ice cream has consistently demonstrated a capability to enter a marketplace and deliver an extraordinary product along with great customer service within a beautifully built retail store. In general, it's a wonderful family based environment that will compliment the many restaurants already established in the downtown and provides another outlet for the new apartment residents, university students, office workers and visitors to the downtown area. We are proud to have them join The Arcade as one of our first few tenants and look forward to seeing their business grow in step with the rest of the project." GDC’s Carre Bevilacqua Harnett, the person responsible for bringing Gofer Ice Cream to the Bridgeport project, said; "Gofer sees the upside of downtown and the feeling will be mutual; how cool will it be to enjoy a Gofer ice cream with its own chocolate chip cone at McLevy Green, or at Seaside Park?"

Gofer Card has Arrived!

2009-09-03T14:15:00.006-04:00

We are pleased to announce that starting Sept 1st our Gofer Cash / Gift Card is available in all our shops. You can use it for a gift card or for yourself as it can be reloaded and its accepted in all Gofer shops!

Sneak Peak

2009-09-03T14:12:00.000-04:00

Gofer fans here is a sneak peak look at our yet to be announced newest shop opening this winter located in the Brick Walk in downtown Fairfield, CT! Look for a press release next month...

Gofer Sends you to Quassy

2009-08-10T12:18:00.006-04:00

We have teamed up with Mort Walker's The Best of Times Magazine to send you and three friends to Quassy Amusement Park. Just clip the Ice Cream cone from the Summer Copy and bring to Gofer to enter. We will hold a drawing in each shop in late Aug. Passes will be good through September.

Gofer Radio now on the air!

2009-07-27T10:06:00.002-04:00

Gofer Radio can now be heard in all our shops. Learn about all things Gofer while enjoying your in store treat. Gofer Radio is carefully selected music mixed with messages from Gofer to you all designed to enhance your in store experience. No more inappropriate loud or annoying songs, or commercials to disrupt your Gofer time.

Gofer Wins Best of Gold Coast Again!

2009-07-03T09:09:00.003-04:00

For the third time we have won Best of the Gold Coast of CT for "Best Ice Cream". Yes we have now won this people's choice award three times 2006, 2008 & 2009. Thanks to all that voted and we will work hard to stay on top. We have some new developments that will expand our reach to be announced soon...

Gofer Supports the Troops

2009-04-15T10:35:00.002-04:00

This month in our Greenwich shop we are teaming up with the Wounded Warrior Project and we are collecting post cards from our customers to send to our returning troops. Additionally, we are helping to sponsor an event on April 25th, 2009 at the Belle Haven Yacht Club in Greenwich Connecticut by donating the ice cream. Look for the Gofer Crew and our Mobile Cart if you attend.

Details:
The evening starts at 6:00 for cocktails and 7:15 dinner. There will also be a silent auction. John Fernandez will be representing WWP and will be speaking at the engagement.
Ticket prices are $200, $350 and $500 contact: info@woundedwarriorproject.org

Stamford Bunny Winner

2009-04-15T10:34:00.001-04:00

This year's winner in Stamford is 5 year old Katie Abbott. Congratulations on your victory and enjoy your bunny.

Greenwich Shop Bunny Winner!

2009-04-10T17:05:00.001-04:00

This year's winner in Greenwich is 8 year old Julia Abbazia. Congratulations Julia good job!

New Partnership

2009-03-26T14:33:00.001-04:00

Gofer Ice Cream is pleased to announce that this summer we are joining forces with SCORE! Educational Centers of Darien. We look forward to hosting and developing several in store events. Leaders from SCORE! will organize and promote Gofer’s Family Trivia Nights, where kids in grades K-9 can win Gofer prizes and their parents can appreciate the benefits of SCORE!’s unique approach to learning. In addition, Gofer will participate in other fun raffles and co-marketing events outside of our shop.

Gofer Fans Contribute to MDA

2009-03-19T14:38:00.002-04:00

Once again Gofer Fans teamed with Gofer to donate a combined $350 to James Lacerenza's efforts to fund the MDA Summer Camp fund by selling Shamrocks in all stores this month. Good Job! Thanks to the fans and the staff for their efforts.

Gofer and MDA

2009-02-23T21:26:00.001-05:00

Once again we are collecting funds by selling shamrocks at all three Gofer shops. Stop in to help James out. Or donate on line:

https://www.joinmda.org/mdaconnectikids/jameslacerenza

Winner Valentines Monkey

2009-02-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

Greenwich Store Winner Casey Kelly

Stamford Store winner was Danny Ward.
Congratulations to the winners. Look for the name the Spring Chic Contest in the future

Gofer Wins Best of Gold Coast Again!

2008-07-25T15:12:00.003-04:00

We would like to thank all that voted for us. This is a very important award as its a people's choice which is what it most important. Gofer was named Best Ice Cream Shop in all of Fairfield County, CT. This is a great honor and we will do our best to keep on top.

New Blended Ice Coffee

2008-07-18T22:00:00.004-04:00

We are pleased to announce we have begun selling a new line up of blended ice coffees. Complete with whipped cream and depending on the flavor, other toppings like malt powder, hot fudge, or caramel.
Blended coffees are made with coffee, milk and ice and topped with whipped cream .
Initially we have the following flavors:
Kona Mocha
Dulce de Leche
Coffee
Vanilla Latte
Chocolate Malt

So far they have been a hit. Let us know if you want more flavors.

Gofer Lite F-Factor Diet Approved!

2008-06-23T14:26:00.003-04:00

We are pleased to announce or Gofer Lite has been approved by the very popular Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD and creator of The F-Factor Diet . She compared Gofer Lite to other fat free treats and we came out on top! Here is what she says on her website:

"We searched the country for the best frozen treat and found it at a small, but rapidly expanding chain in Connecticut. Gofer Ice Cream currently has three stores in Darien, Greenwich, and Stamford. They created a soft-serve, non-fat Gofer-Lite which, besides from being delicious contains 11 g Fiber per 4 oz serving! This product is definitely F-Factor diet approved."

We will have more info in the Gofer stores shortly...

Gofer Party in a Box Winner...

2008-05-13T14:51:00.002-04:00

Erik Hale of Darien is the winner of the Grand Opening Raffle for the Gofer Party in a box. Congratulations Erik and his 45 closest friends.

Gofer in Fairfield County Business Journal

2008-05-13T14:11:00.000-04:00

Gofer Ice Cream reclaims its Darien roots
By RYAN DORAN

May 12, 2008

Gofer Ice Cream will reopen at the location in Darien where it began five years ago.

The shop, after agreeing to shut its doors in order for the location owner to reconstruct the streetscape and shop exterior, has returned to its Boston Post Road location.

“I’m happy to be back in Darien, we took a chance by closing the doors, and we hope to welcome the Darien customers back,” said Jay Ragusa, owner of Gofer Ice Cream.

After a two-year absence, Gofer’s Darien location, which was once a seasonal operation, will reopen at 1020 Boston Post Road, ready to serve cold desserts year-round. The new shop features indoor and outdoor seating.

“Darien is the ideal place to debut our new premiere store,” said Ragusa. “Because we already established a presence in the community and a reputation for quality ice cream and service, we look forward to being well received again.”

The location is currently being renovated into a mixed-use development that will include several new retail stores, restaurants, and office space with parking in the rear of the building.

Gofer also has locations in Stamford and Greenwich.

The Gofer Ice Cream store is known for its red, white and blue cartoon logo of a gopher enjoying an ice cream cone.

Gofer is also using the new store to introduce the Gofer chocolate bar, featuring gourmet loose and boxed chocolates from around the world, and Italian ice.

“The highly anticipated reopening of Gofer Ice Cream at 1020 Post Road promises to contribute to the vibrancy of downtown Darien,” said Debbie Parnon, executive director of Darien Revitalization Inc. “We are excited about the impact Gofer will have downtown. Jay identified a niche market and responded by expanding his original menu of delicious ice cream to include a new chocolate bar and Gofer Italian ice. This is the kind of creative thinking we are looking to our merchants to engage in. Variety of merchandise and quality of goods and services offered by downtown merchants will encourage more foot traffic. Gofer has the added bonus of offering their customers an outdoor eating venue.”

In 2006, Gofer Ice Cream was named Best Ice Cream Shop in “The Best of The Gold Coast,” a people’s choice award encompassing Fairfield County.

“It’s an all-around upgrade for the whole Gofer chain,” said Ragusa. “The business is a fun business; people are always in a good mood. It’s a happy experience and the social return on investment is high.”

2008-05-13T14:10:00.001-04:00

Gofer Grand Opening Morning
Shop Manager Kenny Bruckner Jr. Gets ready to greet fans.
Face painting and ice cream for all...

Gofer in the News...

2008-05-03T16:03:00.007-04:00

Scooping the sweet flavors of success

By Mark Ginocchio
Staff Writer
Stamford Advocate

Article Launched: 05/03/2008 02:56:55 AM

For Jay Ragusa and his Gofer Ice Cream chain, Darien was worth a return engagement.

The former UBS money manager turned ice cream store maven is marking the reopening of his Darien 1020 Post Road location today after a nearly two-year hiatus from the town.

With two other stores in Greenwich and Stamford, Darien's Gofer Ice Cream is re-opening in a downtown that is dramatically different from when the store shut its doors in 2006 to make way for new development.

"There's a lot more activity now, more people and more foot traffic," said Ragusa, 36, a Stamford resident who opened his first Gofer store in Greenwich in 2003. "That's what's giving us the confidence to do this."

When Ragusa first opened the Darien store in 2004, the operation was designed to be seasonal - providing a variety of soft-serve and hard ice creams during the summer months.

Since then, town officials have looked to increase the emphasis on foot traffic and discretionary spending in downtown Darien - with Gofer playing a permanent part in that plan.

New restaurants and retailers have opened up in the area. The Gofer shop is part of the Merrill Lynch building, a larger business development that includes the offices of Merrill Lynch; Pierce, Fenner & Smith; an Ole Mole Mexican Restaurant; Williams & Warren body and skin care clinic; and a Lucy women's active wear.

"This is a peek into the future of what we'd like to see downtown," said Debbie Parnon, executive director of Darien

Revitalization Inc. "There's some good synergy for a younger crowd. I'm very excited they (Gofer) are in the mix. It's all starting to come together."

The 1,000 square-foot store will feature seating indoors and outdoors, Ragusa said.

In addition to the ice cream, the Darien Gofer will be the first to sell Italian ice and feature a gourmet "chocolate bar" of loose and boxed candies from around the world.

Ragusa said he developed the know-how to build his ice cream business from his experiences in his previous professional life.

After graduating college in 1993, Ragusa started working for UBS as a money manager. Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Ragusa started examining his other options, and he went back to an idea he had long considered.

"I always had an idea of opening up Gofer Ice Cream," he said. "I wanted to open something that had more of a hometown feel."

Now, "I'm basically managing my own portfolio," Ragusa said.

With its red, white and blue cartoon logo of a gopher eating ice cream, "Gofer Ice Cream" was actually derived as a play on words - telling people to "go for ice cream," he said.

Darien business observers foresee a lot of people in town taking Ragusa up on his suggestion.

"When he was at his old store, there were always people lined up standing around the corner," said Carol Wilder-Tamme, president and chief executive officer of the Darien Chamber of Commerce. "People will come from the movies and get their kids ice cream, or people coming from the restaurants can get dessert. . . . People always eat ice cream."

Gofer in the News...

2008-04-28T10:28:00.006-04:00

THE DARIEN TIMES

Apr 24, 2008
Gofer Ice Cream returns to town

Gofer Ice Cream, a local ice cream chain known for its red, white and blue cartoon logo of a gopher enjoying an ice cream cone, will celebrate its return to Darien on Saturday, May 3.

Currently located in Stamford and Greenwich, where the first store debuted five years ago, Gofer Ice Cream will open at 1020 Boston Post Road, the site of the original store in Darien. A grand reopening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 11 on May 3.

Gofer Ice Cream originally opened in Darien in 2004 at the same Boston Post Road location, which is undergoing a major renovation to a mixed-use development that will include several new retail stores, restaurants, and office space with parking in the rear of the building.

The Gofer Ice Cream store in Darien will have a refined interior design and seating inside and outdoors on the new Gofer plaza.

The new store will offer the current products sold throughout the Gofer Ice Cream chain, plus the new Gofer Chocolate Bar featuring gourmet loose and boxed chocolates from around the world. In addition to this, in response to local demand for authentic Italian ice, Gofer will be adding “Gofer Ice” in a variety of flavors.
Gofer Founder and President Jay Ragusa looks forward to returning to Darien where his store was warmly received by the community during the three seasons the store was there.

“Darien is the ideal place to debut our new premiere store,” Ragusa said. “Because we already established a presence in the community and a reputation for quality ice cream and service, we look forward to being well received again.”

The highly anticipated reopening of Gofer Ice Cream at 1020 Post Road promises to contribute to the vibrancy of downtown Darien,” said Debbie Parnon, executive director of Darien Revitalization Inc. “We are excited about the impact Gofer will have downtown. Jay identified a niche market and responded by expanding his original menu of delicious ice cream to include a new chocolate bar and Gofer Italian Ice. This is the kind of creative thinking we are looking to our merchants to engage in. Variety of merchandise and quality of goods and services offered by downtown merchants will encourage more foot traffic. Gofer has the added bonus of offering their customers an outdoor eating venue.”

“The Gofer Ice Cream concept is a local entrepreneurial venture. The idea was first conceived in 1998 by Ragusa, a Stamford native, while earning his master’s degree at Fordham University Graduate School of Business. Following eight years on Wall Street, in 2003, Ragusa put his Gofer Ice Cream concept into action, launching the first store in Greenwich in the Indian Field Shopping Center. Customer reaction was so positive that he opened two more stores in Darien at the Post Road location and Stamford in the Willard Shopping Center on High Ridge Road, serving the neighborhoods of northern Stamford.

In 2006, Gofer Ice Cream was named Best Ice Cream Shop in “The Best of The Gold Coast,” a people’s choice award encompassing Fairfield County.

Today, in addition to Darien, Gofer Ice Cream stores are located at 522 East Putnam Ave., in Greenwich and 869 High Ridge Road in Stamford.

Gofer currently offers a variety of items that focus on hard and soft serve ice creams, fat-free options like smoothies and Gofer Lite, and a range of related ice cream products, such as sundaes, shakes, malts, floats, cakes and pies.

Darien 2.0 Opening Night

2008-04-11T09:10:00.000-04:00

Not 100% done yet but we are open!

Darien Outside looking good

2008-04-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

Gofer Darien coming together

2008-04-04T10:10:00.002-04:00

Upgraded counter takes shape...

Preview of our new unique bench, with ice cream lamps

Work on bench continues, You can see the Gofer Chocolate bar in the middle of this shot.

Gofer Fans Donate to MDA

2008-03-22T10:26:00.001-04:00

This year fans of Gofer collectively donated $250 between both the Greenwich and Stamford stores for the MDA Summer Camp fund. Thank you.

Darien Update...

2008-03-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

Here we see a future counter bar area. Tile and fininshed look taking shape

Future Gofer Chocolate Bar Cabinet is in place

A few from behind dipping counter. You can see our front door in the distance as well as our future custom bench seating to the left.

Darien Early March 2008

2008-03-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

Three new Gofer Bar stools will be here soon...

Views from behind the counter area

Work on Gofer Plaza starts...

Vote for Gofer!!

2008-02-26T13:25:00.004-05:00

Voting has begun in this year's Best of the Gold Coast contest. We won this in 2006 when we had three locations. Please help put us back on top in 2008! link here>>>>http://www.bestofgoldcoastct.com/

Darien Update Feb 2008

2008-02-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

Framing, plumbing, electric all set.... next week sheet rock.

First week of April Open is being scheduled.

Darien External almost done

2008-02-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

Gofer Darien Feb 2008

2008-02-05T17:32:00.000-05:00

New Ice Cream Bar. Soon you will be able to pull up a stool here.

Here is the new wall that will outline our dipping and candy cabinets

Here you see the structure that will hold our awning and you if you follow the wall in the photo above you will see it drop down. That is the future home of the Gofer Chocolate Bar, where we will be selling top quality Chocolates.

Darien Update Jan 2008

2008-01-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Here are good shots of the front and sides of the new Gofer Ice Cream Darien. We will have the door where the big blue tarp is and a side door, the little blue tarp. The side door will go out to Gofer Plaza

Gofer's Front door facing Post Road. Also a view down the side of the building

New Gofer Fans FaceBook Group

2007-11-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

Gofer Fans Can now chat via our new FaceBook Group

Darien 2.0 November 2007

2007-11-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

Gofer will be on the bottom right of this photo. Our first window is in. The big open space will be our front door.

Here is a side view of the front.
Here is a view from the new location of "Gofer Plaza". We will have a side door that will allow you to get your treat and have the option of eating outside. It will be very nice. For the new store we will be adding a selection of Gourmet Chocolates. We have been searching the globe and are finding top suppliers.

Fall Mobile Events in Greenwich

2007-10-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

Here Gofer supplied the Third Annual Scarecrow Festival in Cos Cob, Connectiuct.

Here we are at the Annual Puttin on the Dog Adopt a Dog Show. It was our 5th year participating in the event.

Walls Going up on new Gofer Darien Shop

2007-10-04T14:36:00.000-04:00

New front of shop. The big opening is our door the next hole is our front window

Here we see the side of the new shop. We will have a side door to the new Gofer Plaza Park as well as the window and a rear door for deliveries

2007-09-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

The Gofer Sub floor is done...

Our Sign is finally up. See we really are coming back!!

Gofer Music!!

2007-09-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to announce our Blog now offers an embedded music player with several of our favorite up and coming independent artists. Check them out and buy their music!!

Gofer Darien Sept 2007

2007-09-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

The final beam of the steel was topped off on Sept 6, 2007 for the new Gofer Darien Building.
Many turned out to watch and sign the beam including Senior Managers of Gofer Ice Cream LLC and other various top officials and developers of the 1020 Boston Post Road development.

All in attendance received a T-shirt to commemorate the milestone.

Look for a Gofer Coming Soon Banner at the site.

Gofer Darien Aug 2007 Progress

2007-08-20T15:59:00.001-04:00

Jay on Radio

2007-07-13T21:56:00.001-04:00

Founder Jay Ragusa was recently interviewed by a local radio show called Greenwich Entrepreneurs. Its now uploaded on our podcast section of the blog.

2007-07-09T23:26:00.000-04:00

We are getting ready to promote our ability to cater your event or private party!

Look for our new website tabs with more details.

Our new Gofer Cart hit the town this summer. Shown here are part of the crew ready to go at two different events.

Darien Foundation Pouring

2007-06-30T16:54:00.000-04:00

Many fans turned out to watch the pouring of the foundation for the new Gofer Ice Cream Shop.

Gofer Darien Rebuild

2007-06-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed after three seasons Gofer Ice Cream Darien is not there! It's ok we planned this going into the town. We had a small seasonal store there to see if there was a demand and to establish ourselves in the community. We always knew that a possibility existed that we could be a part of a new shopping center some day on the same site. After several years of planning, and lots of work on many peoples' part, the plan is now being put into action. We plan to re-open in the spring of 2008 with a larger shop We will be open year round and offer a full line of our new Gofer Ice, water Italian ice we have begun limited offering in our other shops this season. The new set up will have plenty of seating both inside and outside. These pictures are taken in June of 2007 from what will be the new "Gofer Plaza" park area with an outdoor seating area. You can also see the foundation is being poured. Stay tuned for future updated pictures...

We feel Gofer will become the center of town and be a major beneficiary of the entire Darien Revitalization. Unfortunately, this all takes time and so Gofer fans will need to go to our other shops this summer. We will make a showing with our ice cream cart on the Darien Sidewalk Sales day July 13th-14th 2007.

Gofer Franchise Program is live!

2007-03-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

We have been working very hard over the past year getting together everything to be able to launch the Gofer Ice Cream Franchise Opportunity. We officially begin marketing this today! We are prepared to help others open their own Gofer Ice Cream Shop. see our website for details under the "franchise tab".
we plan on starting with locations in Conn, and NJ. We will also be licenced in NY in the near future.
We have a great location in West Hartford's new development Blue Back Square http://www.bluebacksquare.com/ that we feel would be a wonderful spot for a Gofer Ice Cream. Initial talks are underway and we are aggressively searching for a franchisee for this planned location.

***All Franchise info can be found on our franchise website: www.GoferIceCream.com/franchise_disclaimer.html

The Winner is...

2007-02-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Elissa DeNunzio, age 10 from Darien, CT has won this year's Valentine's Day Cuddle Cub stuffed animal. Congratulations Elissa!

Gofer Ice Cream Wesite Redesign

2006-12-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

We have been hard at work on a new and improved website. It is entering its final phase and will be on line shortly!! Gofer web 2.0 will be a vast improvement and better reflect our organization.

Gofer Myspace Page

2006-09-22T19:38:00.000-04:00

Fans of Gofer can now catch us on Myspace http://www.myspace.com/gofericecream

Rockets Ticket Winner is...

2006-09-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

Walker Brady. Walker was the official winner this time. We did have seveal runners up who also recieved tickets. Hope you all enjoyed the event.

Gofer sends you to the Rockets

2006-09-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

Gofer Ice Cream has teamed with the Greenwich Jaycees to offer 2 lucky customers tickets to see the Harlem Rockets Comedy Basketball, Sunday Sept 17th 2pm at Greenwich High School. You can buy tickets by calling 203 637-7883, or at the door for $15adults $10Kids or for a limited time we have some at our Greenwich Store to purchase. harlemrockets@greenwichjaycees.org.
(tell them Gofer Sent you)

Stop by the Greenwich Gofer Ice Cream to enter to win anytime before the 16th, when we will hold the drawing. -All profits go to the Greenwich Jaycees Charitable Trust Fund.

www.greenwichjaycees.org

Pictures from Hootie & The Blowfish Concert Stamford

2006-08-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to Mark and the Crew and rest of the Band. This was a great promotion of Gofer.

Gofer and Hootie!

2006-07-27T14:53:00.000-04:00

Thursday Aug 3rd Hootie and Blowfish will hit Stamford with a free concert. Mark Bryan lead guitarist for the band has agreed to wear the Gofer Ice Cream T-Shirt to help promote us! Thanks so much to Mark and everybody go support the event and the Band.

New Radio Promotion "95.9 The Fox"

2006-06-29T15:45:00.000-04:00

Gofer has teamed up with The Fox for Hit Movie Monday. Listen to hear where the 95.9 Fox Street Team is on Monday to pick up your free movie tickets as well as gift certificates to Gofer Ice Cream after the movie!

New Radio Promotion "The Coast"

2006-06-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

Gofer has teamed up with the new 96.7 the coast for "Free Ice Cream Fridays". Register to win a Gofer Party in your office. One winner every Friday in July.

Thank You!

2006-06-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

Gofer is pleased to announce it has won First Place for Best Ice Cream shop in the 2006 Best of The Gold Coast CT. This is a great honor and we appreciate it! The survey's scope was taken from all of Fairfield County CT. It is the peoples choice. So that is a lot of people and there are a great deal of choices for where to go-for your ice cream in the area.

Gofer will continue to work hard to keep up the positive experience, and we welcome your suggestions to keep the Gofer Brand on top.

Credit Cards now accepted!

2006-06-19T21:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks to your feedback and suggestions, we are happy to announce that Gofer now accepts credit cards in all our locations. Keep those suggestions coming, we listen. Also, note our new Summer Hours, we are now open later through out the week in all stores. See our website for details...

Team Gofer Stops in for an Ice Cream 5/20

2006-05-20T14:20:00.000-04:00

Gofer Podcast

2006-04-22T21:06:00.000-04:00

http://gofericecreampodshwocom.podshow.com/

And the Winner Is...

2006-04-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

Patrick Gwozdz age 12. He named the Gofer Bunny "Razzley Rabit" and won this year's spring prize.
Runners up included:
Miss Hippity Hopity, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Long Ears, Car Pool, Derek Jeter & Fabio.
Congrats to Patrick. look for our next competition in Darien this Father's Day...

Gofer Ice Cream Day of Caring

2006-04-09T18:06:00.000-04:00

Gofer has teamed up with the United Way of Greenwich to donate a big chunk of the proceeds in the Greenwich store on Sunday April 30, 2006. Come down and help us raise money for this cause. http://www.unitedway-greenwich.com/index.html

New Flavor of Toasted Almond

2006-04-09T17:56:00.000-04:00

Cherry vanilla was a dud. You were happy with the Toasted Almond so we can announce all three stores will be offering this flavor this summer. Another new flavor this summer include Gofer Tracks Ice Cream which has brownie bits, heath bar, caramel and praline nuts. This one is popular so it too will be rolled out to all three locations. Comming soon the return of Banana!

Use the comments section below to offer your feedback.

Gofer Darien Re-Opens for the Season

2006-03-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Gofer Ice Cream Darien opens for the season on Thrusday March 23, 2006. We look forward to serving you this year.

Gofer Van

2006-03-07T17:42:00.000-05:00

The Gofer Van is all ready for the season. Look for it on the road throughout Fairfield County CT.

Vote for Gofer Ice Cream!

2006-02-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

If you enjoy Gofer Ice Cream, be sure to vote for us in the annual survey http://www.bestofgoldcoastct.com under best Ice Cream Shop.

Also, vote for our friends at Pizza Post in Greenwich, Upper Crust Bagels of Darien, and Salon Moda Enzo of Greenwich.

2006-02-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

Many of you have been requesting a new flaovor; Cherry Vanilla. It has been introduced for a limited time in Greenwich Gofer on a test basis. Let us know what other flavors you want at Gofer and maybe we will roll it out across the entire system!

Gofer Introduction PodCast

2006-02-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a little background on Gofer Ice Cream. See Show G1 http://gofericecreampodshwocom.podshow.com/

2006-01-28T17:11:00.000-05:00

Some of the new Gofer Gourmet Cookies

2006-01-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

Gofer's Newest Store in Stamford CT