Weckerly’s Ice Cream will reopen in Fishtown in January

Good news Weckerly’s Ice Cream fans, the beloved Fishtown shop will be back in the new year with a new owner. Two months after founders Jen and Andy Satinsky announced their decision to close in a heartfelt letter on Instagram, the shop on West Girard Avenue will reopen Saturday, Jan. 6.

The Satinskys have sold the shop to Cristina Torres, who has an accounting and finance background. Prior to her corporate job, she worked in restaurants in Idaho and Philly (Sampan and Royal Sushi & Izakaya), while attending Rutgers University in Camden.

Her love for Weckerly’s began in 2021 when she ventured to the shop and tried the chocolate vanilla ice cream sandwich and became an instant fan.

But it was the black raspberry jam ice cream sandwich that solidified her decision to keep the Satinskys’ legacy alive.

“After we had been discussing continuing Weckerly’s, I met Jen and Andy at the kitchen and I had a black raspberry jam [mini sandwich],” Torres said. “Honestly, I think when I tried that one, it was like I have to — I’m definitely doing this. I spent some time in West Virginia, and the black raspberry jam reminded me of Appalachia. These flavors that they’ve brought to life in sandwich form, you can’t get anywhere else.”

Torres is one of several people who reached out to the couple when they announced closing back in October. What made Torres stand out was that she was ready to follow through with running the business, Andy said.

“She was well-qualified and suited to run the business,” he said. “We felt that it was a good match.”

When Andy and Jen decided to close, they knew two things: they weren’t interested in putting themselves under contract with a broker to sell and that their business would need a unique individual to take over. If the right person understood what they built and had the acumen and experience to to carry it forward was out there, they would reach out upon the closing announcement, the couple agreed.

“We didn’t expect it; we felt there was very, very low chance of that,” Andy said. “So, we were surprised and excited to hear from somebody like Cristina.”

For Torres, meeting Jen and Andy was the cherry on top of the ice cream sandwich.

“If you’ve ever met Jen or Andy, they’re both really great people. They love their neighborhood and their city,” she said. “That’s something for me that speaks volumes, because I have a great passion for good food, for service, and I love Philadelphia. [Weckerly’s] is a really special place and, honestly, it’s an honor and privilege [to take over]. I’m just very excited.”

Weckerly’s under the Satinskys will close Dec. 23, and reopen at the same address (9 W. Girard Ave.) on Jan. 6. Torres will offer double loyalty points to customers on opening day.

There won’t be any additions to the storefront, except for fresh paint and more plants, she said. “I think when people walk in and they’ll recognize it with the same nice feeling to it, especially when they have the cone [machine] going and you can smell the batter.”

Flavors will stay the same, too. Torres will have a consistent number of fan favorites on the menu, plus rotating specialty flavors. The plan is to “learn things Jen’s way and make ice cream accordingly — if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Torres said. The Satinskys will be involved for two months to help with the transition, said Andy.

“I feel good,” he said. “[The outcome] was gonna be either way — whether we were closing and trying to liquidate everything or going through the process of transitioning to new owners. But I feel it’s a significantly better outcome than we expected to have, so I feel grateful.”

📅 Jan. 6,📍 9 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19123, 🌐 weckerlys.com