In September, Houston-based restaurant company Berg Hospitality Group launched a partnership with the ice cream brand Carvel, which sells retail products and also franchises some 330 quick-service ice cream parlors.
Berg’s new restaurant, Buttermilk Baby, is a soda shop in Houston with fried chicken sandwiches and burgers, and also whole lineup of milkshakes, including some spiked with alcohol. Other Carvel treats are available as well, including beloved favorites such as Flying Saucer ice cream sandwiches and the iconic Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake.
It’s a big move for both companies. The partnership is a first for Carvel, but also a major shift for Berg, which has a rich portfolio of high-end restaurants including The Sylvie, Annabelle Brasserie, and Prime 131. Buttermilk Baby is its most casual concept, and its first fast-casual restaurant. Plans are underway to open a second location in Sugarland, Texas, with a goal of 10 total locations in the next five years.
Restaurant Hospitality sat down with owner Benjamin Berg to discuss the move.
How did the idea to partner with Carvel come into place?
I have had the idea for this place for a while and thought it could be a place where adults would like to be but also be great for kids. I have been wanting to do something [like this] after seeing some places like Shake Shack. That kind of food has always resonated with me. It’s the idea of the soda fountain growing up, and the diner, and I really enjoyed that.
I was thinking, let’s take great, chef-driven food and strip it down to give a great product.
Why Carvel in particular?
I grew up with Carvel in New York. I thought it would be amazing if we could convince Carvel to come do [a restaurant] with us. It took two years, and then they wanted to enter the Texas market. It’s the first time they partnered with a real restaurant, and the first time making boozy shakes.
Buttermilk Baby is so different from your other spots, which lean toward high-end dining and European vibes. How are people reacting to the whimsical nature of the eatery?
The kids are loving it, but the thing that’s blowing us away, and it’s a tad of a problem, is that adults are staying at tables for hours. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia, but we weren’t expecting that. It’s great that the reaction from both young and old has been cool. But I do feel bad about the lines.
For us, coming from a full-service, fine-dining restaurant [background], we are learning and finding ways to perfect the fast-casual model. With counter service and moving people in and out, it’s a different animal, and we are learning what works best.
I only do things I have a passion for. Places I want to eat at and hang out at. [Buttermilk Baby] is my kind of food. I am not a fancy eater, even though we have fancy dishes at our other restaurants, which are amazing. But I would rather sit in a diner.
Tell us about the design of the space.
There’s something happy about it, and I love to create atmospheres. The space should be just as entertaining [in real life] as what you’re looking at on the screen. I crave aspects that take people to different worlds without being kitschy. It’s sort of like a 1950s-style diner, and I imagine this being nostalgic in another 50 years.
What was the thought behind pairing ice cream with burgers and biscuits?
The biscuit side was putting that Southern twist on a soda fountain, since we are down in Texas. We also have buttermilk pancakes and buttermilk Carvel soft serve, which has 10% buttermilk in it. Overall, it was like, let’s create a fun environment to enjoy the food.
We have the best soft-serve ice cream, but also a great burger. [It’s $12.99 and] made with a Texas wagyu blend out of Marfa. I do feel the value there, but it’s also just fun to see happy people of all ages dining in there.
Did Carvel have any part in developing the menu?
We have a cinnamon roll biscuit ($8.99), and we were working with them through the recipe process to make sure it was something they wanted their product associated with.
With the boozy shakes, how do make sure they stand out from a regular, non-alcoholic treat?
I don’t want a child to get a boozy shake, and we use different blenders and everything. There’s no cross-contamination. Another thing, you can’t take booze with you. The boozy shakes get their own real shake cup, where any other shake gets a to-go cup. It’s pretty clear, no child should take a sip out of a classic diner shake glass.
Do you see Buttermilk Baby growing and having a bigger partnership with Carvel?
We are looking to grow in markets in Texas and bring Carvel down here to become franchises. Every Buttermilk [in the future] will hold a franchise of Carvel.
It’s really interesting, finding out [what people are drawn to] by going through Instagram and connecting with the guests on the interiors. In Texas we have to have a vestibule, and it’s iridescent with disco balls. It’s amazing how many pics are being taken.
Sounds like it’s not just good food, but a feast for the camera too.
Exactly.
