Scoop shock
Even ice cream isn't cheap anymore. Now is not the time for this.
The price for one of Baton Rouge's favorite ways to beat the oppressive, sticky summer heat is rising as fast as the temperature.
Why it matters: Those who can't escape the heat along the beaches of 30-A or the mountains of Cashiers, North Carolina, have yet another reason to be cranky this summer.
Melting math: Scoop shop prices are up 35% nationally since 2019, driven by surging costs for cocoa, eggs, dairy and energy.
Local reality: Baton Rouge isn't insulated from any of that, and locals are feeling it at the counter.
- Gail's Fine Ice Cream near the Perkins Road Overpass—small-batch, seasonal flavors, waffle cone included—runs $5 to $6.50 for a single scoop and around $9 for a double. A family of three walks out for around $16.
- Andy's Frozen Custard on West Lee Drive, in the heart of LSU's off-campus corridor, starts around $4 to $5 for a basic cup or cone, with concretes and specialty treats hitting $6 to $8.
- The LSU AgCenter Dairy Store—a parishwide institution that draws well beyond campus—prices by weight at roughly $4 a cup. A half-gallon to take home runs $7.15.
- Popaletas Michoacan offers handmade Mexican paletas from $3.50 and hand-dipped scoops from $4, making it one of the better values left standing.
- La Divina Italian Cafe on Perkins Road serves 24 flavors of scratch-made gelato and sorbet at $3.50 a scoop.
The bottom line: We may scream, but we still want our ice cream.
