With colorful options such as mint chocolate chip ice cream served on a warm brownie topped with a red velvet cookie and chocolate syrup, the Cypress shop offers new twists on a classic frozen treat.
“That’s what makes it fun—the whole family can get something totally different and unique to their tastes and styles,” said Ginger Jones, who owns the shop with her husband, Terrell.
After working in the hospitality industry for her entire career, Ginger said she was ready for something different, so she and her family embarked on the new venture in their own neighborhood. The goal has been to try different menu items that are not offered elsewhere in Cypress, the couple said.
Terrell continues to work in the oil and gas industry full time, helping out on the weekends, and their daughter also works at the shop during the week.
“Our kids are older now, so we were willing to take a little bit of a risk, and we came up with Gooey’s,” Ginger said. “We really want it to be an experience for the whole family. Everybody loves ice cream, and so we wanted to do a little twist on the ice cream sandwich and bring in fresh-baked cookies.”
In addition to creative ice cream sandwiches with cookies, rice crispy treats, brownies, churro and bubble waffles as base options, Gooey’s offers milkshakes, floats, and doughnut sundaes as well as fried treats including funnel cakes, Oreos and ice cream.
“Instead of having to wait for the rodeo to come into town, you can have it year-round,” Terrell said of specialty carnival food items on the menu.
Ginger said she hopes to experiment more with items such as edible cookie dough. Ultimately, she said she would like to expand Gooey’s to nearby suburbs and eventually open a hot dog and potato bar with extensive topping options.
But the Joneses have not been immune to typical challenges businesses face in the first year of operations, including delays in the construction process and ongoing marketing issues.
“We’re still getting people that are saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were here,’” Terrell said.
On top of these challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in business.
“[During] spring break we totally ramped up and thought this was what summer was going to be like—busy every night,” Ginger said. “And then nothing. We were hoping to pick up some ground this summer, but COVID was pretty devastating.”
While Ginger said it was difficult for the business to survive solely on takeout orders, foot traffic at the shop began to pick up slightly once state restrictions on businesses started being lifted. Gooey’s customers can take their treats to go or enjoy them inside at socially distanced tables.
The Joneses are committed to not only serving tasty treats, but they said they also prioritize giving back to the community by sponsoring local teams and through fundraisers for charitable causes.
“Our kids have been on various teams, so we know that fundraising is always a big part of that,” Terrell said.
25626 Hwy. 290, Ste. 500, Cypress. 281-304-2626. www.gooeysicecreamsandwiches.com
Hours: Sun.-Wed. noon-8 p.m., Thu.-Sat. noon-9 p.m.
