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Co-founder of Baskin-Robbins dies at 90

IRVINE ROBBINS OPENED FIRST ICE CREAM STORE IN 1945, OFFERING 21 FLAVORS

By Robert Jablon

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES --

Irvine Robbins, who as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins brought Rocky Road, Pralines 'n Cream and other exotic ice cream concoctions to every corner of America, has died at age 90.

Mr. Robbins had been ill for some time and died Monday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., said his daughter Marsha Veit.

While the company advertised that it offered 31 flavors, in fact it has created more than 1,000 flavors, said its Web site.

Generations of kids trooped to Baskin-Robbins stores to buy ice cream flavors like Jamoca, Daiquiri Ice, Pink Bubblegum, Nuts to You and Here Comes the Fudge.

"Frankly, I never met a flavor I didn't like," Mr. Robbins told The New York Times in 1973.

Mr. Robbins opened his first ice cream store in Glendale, Calif., in December 1945, following his discharge from the Army. He used $6,000 from a cashed-in insurance policy his father had given him for his bar mitzvah.

Mr. Robbins offered 21 flavors at the store.

"In light of what Baskin-Robbins was to become, that first store was incredibly amateurish," according to a biography by his daughter Veit. "It was called Snowbird because Robbins couldn't think of anything else. The opening was delayed for a day because the paint on the floor hadn't dried."

His brother-in-law, the late Burton Baskin, opened his own ice cream store in neighboring Pasadena a year later. By the end of the 1940s, they had joined forces to create Baskin-Robbins. Mr. Robbins recalled they used a flip of the coin to decide which name came first.

They also decided to sell their stores to managers, pioneering the franchise concept for ice cream stores.

Baskin-Robbins was sold to United Fruit Co. in 1967, but Robbins continued to work for the company until retiring in the 1970s. Today, Baskin-Robbins is part of Dunkin' Brands Inc. and has more than 5,800 franchises worldwide.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife, Irma; another daughter, Erin Robbins; a son, John Robbins; and sisters Shirley Familian and Elka Weiner. His son is a noted author (Diet for a New America) and advocate of vegetarianism and natural foods.