JEREMIAH’S OWN IRVING FORESTIER TALKS FRANCHISING AND JEREMIAH’S UNIQUE PRODUCT

Irving Forestier’s journey with Jeremiah’s Italian Ice started in 1999, when he was a 15-year-old kid occasionally skipping school to scoop up Jeremiah’s signature Gelatis, Italian Ice and Soft Ice Cream. Irving has been an integral part of the Jeremiah’s team, leaving an indelible mark on the development of this burgeoning franchise system.

Irving has served in every role possible at Jeremiah’s, starting as a server in the original Winter Park, Florida location and rising to General Manager and New Store Development Manager before making his mark as the Director of Operations. But he hasn’t stopped there. Irving knows – and loves – Jeremiah’s so much that he just opened up his own location as a franchisee.

In his role as the Director of Operations for Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Irving has been involved in every aspect of Jeremiah’s transition into the franchise industry. But now he’s taken the helm of his own location. Now that his store is open, we take a look back to see how Irving prepared for the next step in his Jeremiah’s journey.

PGP: How do you make sure grand openings go as planned/well?

Irving Forestier: Well, you always hope for a good turnout and we definitely prepare for it. We always want to be prepared for whatever the situation is, for whoever comes in.

We are really, really community focused. Our main focus right before we open is getting out in the community, letting people know we’re going to open and teaming up with the local businesses, the local schools, anywhere where the kids and families are at.

PGP: What does Launch Week look like?

Irving: We give 50% off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The goal is to get as many people in the door trying our product as possible. We know our product is good and once they try it, and they’ve had the service and the atmosphere, they typically come back. That’s the goal.

PGP: What makes Jeremiah’s so unique and different?

Irving: Our product is definitely unique and different from ice cream, from gelato, from yogurt, or any of that. And, our flavor profiles are just extremely well thought out, Jeremy – the founder of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice – spent a lot of time innovating and thinking about these recipes and ingredients so when we put them together, the flavor profiles are always pretty dead-on.

Anyone who’s never been to an Italian ice place is thinking Italian ice is a snow cone. But that’s not the case. With our Ice, the flavor and ingredients are fully merged, turning from a sweet, flavorful liquid into an Italian ice product – similar to how ice cream is made. It’s smooth.  It bursts with bold flavor from the molecular level. It’s the ultimate frozen treat that can’t be found anywhere else.

Plus, it’s also how we treat people and how we treat our employees and how we teach our employees to treat people. It is embedded in our culture. Everyone who applies to Jeremiah’s, applies because it just looks like such a fun place. That’s what you hear over and over: “It looks like everyone is having fun.” The key is that they are. And that’s what draws customers. Customers come in and they feel that atmosphere and that happy, vibrant vibe and that keeps them coming back.

PGP: How do you juggle both of your Jeremiah’s roles?

Irving: Balance. It’s been fun and hectic at the same time. I really want to take this as a learning opportunity, so I’ve been very focused on trying to open my store as if I were any other franchisee and not use the resources of corporate Jeremiah’s.