PHOENIX-- Scott Mills, co-owner of The Yard Milkshake Bar in Downtown Phoenix loves ice cream. His favorite flavor in the local dessert shop is their Peanut Butter Overload. Mills described the flavor as a melding of chocolate and peanut butter but acknowledged that it is on the sweeter side of the flavor scale.
The Yard is a chain of specialty dessert bars, selling picture-worthy milkshakes, ice cream and edible cookie dough. The chain began with husband and wife Logan and Chelsea Green, who opened the chain in May 2017 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The chain currently has 31 locations in the United States, most of which are clustered in the Southeast region.
“There's not a lot for dessert places downtown…we were kind of the only devoted dessert place when we opened up in May of 2021,” Mills said.
Mills and his wife are co-owners of the Downtown Phoenix location. They first found themselves interested in the franchise during a boring day in a Lake Havasu hotel.
“We didn't realize that it's kind of a town that you need to have something with motorsports if you're gonna go there,” Mills said. “So we were sitting in the hotel room and the Shark Tank [episode] for The Yard corporate came on, and we watched it.”
After watching the episode, the couple had a bad experience at another ice cream shop. They waited in line for an extended period only to be disappointed by the product they received. The experience reminded them of The Yard’s Shark Tank episode, and they began their journey into the franchise process.
With a 27-foot food truck trailer and a limited menu, The Yard brings its milkshakes all around the Phoenix Metro area. According to Mills, it is one of the most enjoyable parts of running The Yard.
Mills said that the bar is one of the only ice cream-based shops in the Valley of the Sun. Each location has a specialty milkshake that is only sold at that location. The Downtown Phoenix location has the Camelback Mountain milkshake, which features orange-flavored ice cream.
“Because really, the appeal of a lot of our product is the fact that it's shareable on social media,” Mills said.
As for Taijon Cooks, assistant store manager, his favorite ice cream flavor at the bar is Cookies and Cream Cheesecake.
The larger-than-life quality of the shakes is not the only unique dessert Mills offers at The Yard. With seven returning and two rotating flavors, the house-made edible cookie dough is a customer favorite, according to Mills.
“We make quite a bit of it, probably 100, 200 pounds of …it's just something that adds a distinct flavor to a lot of the milkshakes,” Mills said.
Flavors of cookie dough include Birthday Dunk A Dough, Oatmeal Dream Pie and the seminal classic Chocolate Chip. Mills said the latter is the shop’s most popular.
General Manager Alexis Batts said her favorite part about working at The Yard is meeting new people.
“Being downtown, it's a great place to get connections,” Batts said.
The Yard offers many sweet treats, including ice cream, cookie dough and milkshakes. Customers can enjoy everything from a root beer float to a sundae. Whether you are a devout Instagram poster or just want to try some novelty ice cream, find The Yard’s menu here.