Gibsonia coffeehouse sees increased customer traffic following addition of Penn State ice cream to offerings
Todd Williams, co-owner of Kat’s Coffeehouse in Pine Township, Allegheny County, had a problem. After the morning rush, hardly anyone showed up to buy coffee ... or much of anything.
That was until earlier this month, when Kat’s expanded its lineup of ice cream from Penn State’s Berkey Creamery from a limited selection to more than 10 flavors and began openly advertising that it was offering it.
Soon, customers began pouring through the door.
“We’ve gone from maybe selling one or two ice creams a day to selling 30 to 50 a day now that we put it on the sign,” Williams said.
Although Kat’s has sold Penn State creamery ice cream for “a couple of years,” according to Williams, it had previously only sold three or four flavors and ice cream was an afterthought compared to selling coffee and other drinks.
That changed at the start of July. In advance of a major heat wave hitting the region, Williams — along with co-owner Kathy Williams — decided to expand their offering.
“That’s when we decided to get into the ice cream business,” Williams said. “Ever since we’ve put the sign up, it’s been amazing.”
Part of the increase in sales is due to an influx of Penn State graduates in the Pittsburgh region longing for a taste of their alma mater, according to Williams.
“A lot of it's nostalgia,” Williams said. “A lot of Penn Staters have come in and when they found out that we have it, we just took off.”
