We don't chase awards. We chase superior ice cream, made the way we've always made it — and every so often, the rest of the world notices. That's exactly what happened when Newsweek and Statista named Graeter's one of America's Favorite Restaurant Chains, giving us a five-star rating in the ice cream and frozen yogurt category.
A five-star honor, for real ice cream lovers
This wasn't a popularity contest decided by a marketing budget. Newsweek and Statista built the list from real customer sentiment, and it landed us squarely among the country's favorites in our category. For a family-owned scoop shop that started in a single Cincinnati storefront, that's not a small thing.
We've never been the biggest name in ice cream, and we've never wanted to be. We've wanted to be the best. A five-star rating from people who actually eat ice cream — not just people who sell it — tells us we're still on the right track.
What actually earns a five-star scoop
Recognition like this doesn't come from a shortcut. It comes from doing things the hard way, on purpose, for over 150 years.
- The French Pot process. We still make our ice cream in small batches, 2.5 gallons at a time, the same slow way we always have.
- Superior ingredients. Real cream, real fruit, and chocolate chips so oversized they practically qualify as a topping of their own.
- Hand packing. Every pint is packed by hand, one at a time, because that's the only way we've ever known how to do it.
None of that is flashy. It's just stubborn. And apparently, that stubbornness tastes pretty good.
Stubborn since 1870, and proud of it
When you've been making ice cream since 1870, you've watched plenty of trends come and go. We didn't chase them then, and we're not chasing them now. We make ice cream the way our family always has — because we believe that's what makes it worth loving, generation after generation.
That's really what this five-star rating represents. It's not a trophy for reinventing ourselves. It's confirmation that doing things our own way, refusing to compromise, and hand packing every scoop with joy still resonates with the people who matter most: the ones eating it.
Taste the difference for yourself
Awards are nice. But we know the real proof is in the pint. If you've never tried what a five-star scoop tastes like, stop by a Graeter's scoop shop near you, or order online and have it delivered straight to your door. Grab a cone, dig into a pint, and taste why generations of ice cream lovers keep coming back.
We'll keep doing it the same stubborn, joyful, French Pot way we always have — five stars or not. But we won't lie, it feels pretty good to hear it from you.
