Who doesn’t like a surprise? Before you rush to answer, consider that not all surprises are good. Getting a notice that the IRS is auditing you, for example, is a surprise most of us can do without.
Where on the goodness continuum would you place a scoop shop that sells ice cream flavored with the element of surprise? That’s what you can expect at Surprise Scoop, which opened recently in the East Village.
Billing itself as the world’s first “flavor roulette” ice cream shop, Surprise Scoop invites customers literally to pay their money and take their chances. The rules are simple:
- There is just one item on the menu — “Surprise Ice Cream.”
- All flavors are randomly selected.
- Flavors change daily.
- No refunds or exchanges.
- All transactions are via credit or debit card — no cash.
- The cost per order is a uniform $9.18 — about $10.27 with tax and fees. (Coupled with the no refunds policy, this feature may not sit that well with the customer who, for example, receives onion ice cream, as one claimed was the case.)
Scoops, which are adorned with whipped cream and a cherry, are served for some reason in the kind of cardboard containers popular in Chinese restaurants.
If curiosity compels you to try it, you’d better hurry. It’s hard to imagine that the gimmick, which is all they are selling, has staying power.
Surprise Scoop, 139 First Avenue, New York, NY.
