Known for highly creative savory and sweet flavors with vegan options, Tongue in Cheek Ice Cream in Richardson started thriving with drive-through and delivery service after the pandemic began in 2020. Now owner Brett Smith, a retired Richardson firefighter, is planning to add a second small batch creamery in Plano in 2022 near Bob Woodruff Park.
“It will open somewhere between now and the end of 2022,” says Smith, with a laugh. “Right now the supply chain is so difficult. I’m shooting for March.”
He was originally eyeing January, but essentials like dipping cabinets, a grease trap, and a walk-in freezer are taking four or five months to arrive. But Smith can’t complain. Customers have been coming out in droves since the COVID-19 lockdowns, when he had to increase his staff. Back then, people were showing up not just for ice cream, but for some semblance of normalcy and joy.
“I wish I would’ve taken some photos,” Smith says. “The lines started getting longer and longer and longer. Ice cream is one of those deals that you don’t need, but you enjoy it. I don’t see grumpy people eating ice cream very often, except for the little kids who didn’t get the flavor they wanted and they’re screaming.”
Those pandemic customers got hooked and spread the word, and for good reason. Smith has a couple dozen flavors available at a time and he is currently working with well over 100 recipes. One popular seller is Caramel Crack. Based on “Christmas Crack” toffee, it includes saltine cracker, toffee, chocolate, and Heath bar pieces. It was initially meant as a seasonal item, but Smith has kept it in stock to avoid a deluge of e-mails and Facebook messages from disappointed customers.
But he has even more creative recipes, sometimes inspired by his days as a firefighter, which he compares to living in a fraternity.
“I’ve always loved the food industry, and I was always the cook throughout my career at whichever fire station I went to,” says Smith, who opened Tongue in Cheek in 2019 when he retired from the Richardson Fire Department after 25 years. “I leaned more towards spicy peppers. I love Hatch peppers. So, I incorporated that into ice cream.”
Indeed, his Hatch Pepper Butter Pecan recipe adds spicy Hatch pepper jelly swirls to butter pecan ice cream. Other love-it-or-hate-it sweet and savory options include Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Old Bay Seasoning with Cajun caramel.
Smith also has a very simple way of getting people to keep an eye on his social media and tag their friends. Every day the shop posts a few first names, and anyone with a name on that list can come in for a free scoop for the rest of the day.
“Luckily I got my wife to take that over because I got to a point where I couldn’t come up with names,” Smith says. “But we put an option on our website to submit your name, so we have thousands of names right now.”
With Smith running the show, Tongue in Cheek has a vibe that is very different from a traditional ice cream shop.
“I definitely didn’t want the butterflies and unicorn approach,” Smith says. “My wife said I had to do something with my personality, but we couldn’t call it Smart Ass. My son used to make a face every time you asked him a question and stick his tongue out. I took a picture of it one day and said, ‘That’s perfect right there.’ And the name was available.”
Tongue in Cheek Ice Cream is located at 526 W. Arapaho Road in Richardson. A second location at 3505 E. Park Blvd., Suite 300, in Plano will open in 2022. tongueincheekicecream.com.
