Popular ice cream shop chooses Bradenton for national franchise debut

A Chicago company known for its ice cream cones is franchising outside of its home state of Illinois for the first time ever with a new location to debut in Bradenton later this month. 

The Original Rainbow Cone has plans to celebrate with a grand opening at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26. The first 50 people there that day will receive a free rainbow cone, which is a five-flavor ice cream cone that features slabs of chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, orange sherbet and palmer house. The palmer house flavor is described as being vanilla with cherries and walnuts.

The location, 4414 53rd Ave. E., is in east Manatee County in a busy Publix-anchored shopping center.