Columbus-based Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has reopened most of its scoop shops after a month-long shutdown triggered by the discovery of listeria in some pints.
More than 75 people lined up for the reopening of a Jeni's scoop shop Friday evening in Columbus' Short North neighborhood. LetitiaDeLong said she had been waiting weeks for the occasion.
“We live down the street and I’ve been walking by here every day trying to get us some ice cream,” Delong said. “So we drove by after dinner and they were opening so we hopped in line.”
Jeni's recalled 535,000 pounds of ice cream and yogurt on April 23 after listeria was confirmed in some pints and later in its factory. The company shut down its production kitchen and all of its 21 scoop shops for 29 days.
A government investigation of Jeni's released this week found inadequate testing and cleaning in its Columbus plant. Last night, customer Bryan Yarbrough said he stood behind the company’s founder Jeni Britton Bauer.
“She had a little stumbling block. But you know what? She did the right thing and everybody knows it. And everybody loves her and everybody supports her and I support her,” Yarbrough said.
Outside of Ohio, Jeni's has scoop shops in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charleston, South Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee.
