I Scream Gelato officially opened its doors to the Ohio State community with a new campus location at 2010 N. High St. Credit: Nick DeSantis | Asst. Arts & Life Editor
I Scream Gelato officially opened its doors to the Ohio State community with a new campus location at 2010 N. High St.
The dessert franchise — which has multiple locations across the country, including in Colorado, Florida, Texas and Alabama — opened Tuesday, with an additional grand opening celebration scheduled for Thursday from 3-8 p.m.
Chris Myers, owner of the Columbus franchise, said the I Scream Gelato team felt a sense of anticipation from the campus community before the location’s official opening.
“From what [I heard] from my construction crew, there were people trying to open the door every day,” Myers said. “There’s not anything like this on campus.”
But this isn’t Myers’ first experience operating the dessert shop in Columbus, as he opened the franchise’s Polaris Mall location — located at 1500 Polaris Parkway — in summer 2023.
“The thing about our location at Polaris is it’s more of a kiosk because the seating is just the mall cafeteria area,” Myers said. “A realtor informed us that there was an open spot on High Street, and we’re like, ‘It’s Ohio State; if we can open something there, it would be fantastic.’”
Rachel Burke, head chef at I Scream Gelato, said the new location will offer the store more opportunities to expand its menu and creativity, including new breakfast and coffee options.
“We’ll be able to do more intricate kinds of coffees, which we can’t do in Polaris,” Burke said. “Having our own place on campus enables us to offer more.”
Myers said he was personally motivated to get involved in the gelato industry after visiting Italy with his family in 2022.
“It was from there when I looked deeper into [I Scream Gelato,]” Myers said. “The numbers made sense, so we opened our first location.”
Drawing from her past work experience in ice cream and dessert shops, Burke — who began making gelato for the store in December 2024 — said she was destined to work in the industry.
“Ice cream and frozen treats are my calling,” Burke said. “I’ve worked at quite a few ice cream jobs, but this is the first time I’ve been in charge of actually making the gelato.”
Myers said the most distinct feature of I Scream Gelato is that many of its ingredients are imported directly from Italy, lending the shop a greater sense of authenticity.
I Scream Gelato officially opened its doors to the Ohio State community with a new campus location at 2010 N. High St. Credit: Nick DeSantis | Asst. Arts & Life Editor
At the new location, Myers said he also added a European touch by installing a window where customers can order from the street without needing to enter the building.
“Seventy percent of the ingredients we use are brought in from Europe, specifically from Italy, which is important because it is healthier, more organic,” Myers said. “What is unique about the location is it is more like Europe, where you can be served right there on the street.”
Myers said he is also excited for the opportunity to expand the menu with this new location.
”We actually have crepes as well, [which] can be paired with gelato,” Myers said. “We’re going to open up a little early where people can just come up and get coffee or smoothies, along with pancakes or belgian waffles.”
Myers said he hopes the new location will offer Ohio State students a spot to eat, relax or even study.
“We’re gonna be running deals for students,” Myers said. “We’re really trying to make it a comfortable environment where you can plug in, charge up and be able to chill in between classes.”
For more information about I Scream Gelato’s Columbus locations, including updates on daily deals, visit the shop’s Instagram page.
