This week, Whitey’s is celebrating their 85th anniversary. To celebrate 85 years of business, one-dip cones will be sold for 85 cents and all regular and special shakes will be 85 cents off. This deal lasts until Sunday, and from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 20th, all customers can receive a free one-dip cone.
Bob Tunberg started working for Whitey’s in 1935, and later purchased the company with his wife in 1953. Their two sons, Jon and Jeff Tunberg, now co-own the ice cream shop. The sons described growing up in the back of the Whitey’s while sleeping in a bassinet in the back room; they were literally born into the business.
Jon and Jeff frequently attend ingredient and ice cream industry shows and taste test many different flavors in order to determine which flavors would go best with which sauce. After the shows, they make three or four slightly altered recipes and see which one tastes the best, then later put it out for everyone else in the shop.
Bob Tunberg. along with his wife, never made a whole lot of money while their kids were growing up, but they always showed appreciation towards others and gave back. Now, in 2018, Jon and Jeff are doing exactly that and giving back as much as possible. They contribute to multiple charities, which they have witnessed putting in good work in their community throughout the years.
Many Quad City citizens take pride in Whitey’s and don’t want it to become a franchise because it will no longer be special to us in the Quad City area. After being in business for 85 years, Whitey’s now has ten locations, and their ice cream is sold in grocery stores across the Midwest. Readers of Midwest Living magazine named Whiteys’ “The best in the Midwest” and was voted best ice cream in the Quad City Times readers choice awards.
After 85 years, the long legacy of Whitey’s still persists; it will hopefully remain a local cultural institution for generations to come.
