The ownership group which brought Enbar and The Block to downtown Great Falls has officially opened its newest business venture - Big Dipper Ice Cream.
Big Dipper Ice Cream (website) has been serving sweet treats in Montana since 1995.
Known for their hand-dipped ice cream, it's a crowd-pleaser around the state with locations in Missoula, Helena, and Billings, and it has been featured on both Good Morning America and USA Today.
“It’s a Montana staple; everybody loves ice cream, it's fun, it's delicious. I knew that we wanted to bring that element to downtown Great Falls, and no better place than the little corner where other restaurants and businesses are,” said Tianna Ford, co-owner of Big Dipper.
She noted, “Great Falls downtown is really growing, it’s becoming really vibrant, and the corner of Fifth and Central is where the concerts are happening, like Downtown Summer Jam [and the] Fourth of July Hootenanny. There's a lot of new businesses in the area, and we just wanted to keep the energy flowing downtown, keep the fun happening.”
Big Dipper serves up traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry - and also some less traditional options, including Mexican chocolate, cardamom, bubble gum, and El Salvador coffee.
“We're known for our Big Dipper sundaes; you can make it a 'starship' when you add bananas or brownies. We have great shakes, great floats, and of course, homemade waffle cones,” said Ford.
The ice-creamery is at 426 Central Avenue (corner of Fifth Street and Central Avenue), in the former site of Colored Snow in downtown Great Falls.
It is open from 11am until 11pm, seven days a week.
Adjacent and connected to the creamery is a separate business venture called Sidequest arcade bar, which opened several weeks ago.
It features retro retro video games such as Pac-Man, pinball machines, and air hockey.
It's been rumored for quite a while - and now we have confirmation that Wendy's is building a second restaurant in Great Falls.
A spokesperson for Wentana LLC - the Montana-based franchisee - told KRTV on Friday that the new location will be at 139 Northwest Bypass.
It is located between Domino's Pizza and the Sherwin-Williams Paint Store.
Construction got underway several days ago, and they are already beginning the hiring process for the new store.
The spokesperson said that they are shooting for a grand opening in September 2024.
Wendy's first Great Falls location is at at 806 Tenth Avenue South.
