Ben & Jerry’s is giving out 1 million free scoops on Free Cone Day
Ben & Jerry’s announced its worldwide celebration of Free Cone Day for April 16.
According to the press release, the ice cream company is encouraging customers on this day to “get back in line as many times as they’d like” in order to give out 1 million scoops this time around.
Per People, this is the second year that Ben & Jerry’s has brought back the promotion after it was temporarily stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Free Cone Day is BACK! 🍦 Join us April 16, 12-8pm for a free cup or cone of your favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor! No fine print, no catch, just a sweet celebration of our incredible fans (that's you). Learn more: https://t.co/btgkdnfiED pic.twitter.com/JBCnAEvjww
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) March 13, 2024
Why is Ben & Jerry’s giving out 1 million scoops?
The company is set to break the goal this year after giving out close to 1 million scoops in 2023.
“(Last year) we gave out over 970,000 scoops across the globe, but we know together with our fans we can break 1 million,” Dave Stever, Ben & Jerry’s CEO, said in the statement. “We’re asking our fans to really bring it this year: invite their friends, family, neighbors, and help us beat our goal of 1 million scoops on Free Cone Day 2024.”
If Ben & Jerry’s hits its goal, it’ll be the first time since 2015 to make the 1 million mark, according to its website.
To further promote the event, the company shared a quiz on its website helping customers choose what ice cream to get on Free Cone Day.
Why does Ben & Jerry’s do Free Cone Day?
According to the statement, Ben & Jerry’s started the event in 1979 when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield — the company’s founders — survived their first Vermont winter with a “tiny, independent, two-person ice cream business.”
The 1978-1979 winter season was brutal in Vermont. Snowfall reached almost 53 inches and the average temperature went down to 14.1 degrees Fahrenheit — both of which were records.
Once the winter season was over and the company’s one-year anniversary came up, the founders went on to celebrate it by holding Free Cone Day. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion did not stop between 1979 and 2019, the company reports.
Why does Dairy Queen do Free Cone Day?
Celebrating its eighth anniversary of its Free Cone Day, Dairy Queen is offering customers on March 19 one free small vanilla cone at participating U.S. locations. Mall locations are not included.
On the company’s website, the offer runs all day but is limited to one person and does not count for delivery or mobile orders. DQ Rewards members can get double the points for purchases this day.
The event comes alongside the return of the popular Cherry Dipped Cone and two St. Patrick’s Day desserts: the Mint Brownie Blizzard and the Under the Rainbow Shake, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
