Business of the Week: Jeni’s Ice Creams Opens in Peachtree City at The Avenue

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has arrived at The Avenue in Peachtree City, bringing its creative ice cream flavors to South Metro Atlanta and celebrating with free scoops at its grand opening Thursday, November 5.

I stopped by the new shop the day after its soft opening to taste Jeni’s ice cream for the first time. I also met franchise owner Missy Moon, whose career has taken her from psychiatry to more than two decades in the restaurant business.

Moon has an M.D. and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She practiced psychiatry before leaving medicine for restaurant franchising, eventually opening and operating dozens of restaurants and bakeries, including several familiar to Fayette and Coweta County residents.

Now, at 58, she believes she has found the business she wants to keep.

Ice cream worth getting excited about

When I visited Jeni’s, Moon brought out samples of three flavors: Gooey Butter Cake, Brambleberry Crisp, and a limited October flavor, Sweet Potato Marshmallow Brûlée.

The Gooey Butter Cake was particularly good. It combines rich, buttery ice cream with pieces of cake, creating a dessert that tastes considerably more indulgent than an ordinary scoop of vanilla.

Moon told me Gooey Butter Cake is her personal favorite, and she has enjoyed it for years at Jeni’s Avalon location in Alpharetta.

Jeni’s is known for its unusual flavor combinations and premium ingredients. Its ice cream is produced in Columbus, Ohio, rather than made inside individual scoop shops.

“It’s the premium,” Moon said. “They don’t sacrifice ingredient to make a flavor.”

The company’s rotating seasonal menu means that some flavors are available for only a limited time. And the new holiday collection, which launched November 4, offers plenty of reasons for another visit.

A sweet new gathering place

The new Jeni’s is as inviting as the ice cream. White subway tile gives the shop a fresh, clean look, while the open, airy dining space offers plenty of room to sit and enjoy a scoop. Outside, a generous patio provides additional seating for shoppers, families, and anyone looking for a sweet stop along Peachtree City’s golf cart paths.

While Moon and I sat chatting, former Peachtree City Mayor Vanessa Fleisch stopped by for ice cream with her sister. It was one of those spontaneous encounters that make living in a smaller community special.

I suspect Jeni’s will become that kind of place. Somewhere you run into neighbors, catch up with friends, or see families enjoying an afternoon together. A place where people stop in for something sweet, creamy, and cold, and sometimes stay a little longer because they’ve run into someone they know.

Sticky Toffee Pudding and five more holiday flavors

Of the six flavors in Jeni’s new holiday collection, the one I’m most excited to try is Sticky Toffee Pudding.

It’s a new flavor this year, combining vanilla and date custard with brown sugar cake and buttery toffee sauce. If you enjoy the traditional British dessert, the idea of transforming those rich, caramel-like flavors into ice cream is pretty appealing.

The other five holiday flavors are:

• White Chocolate Peppermint: Pink and white peppermint ice cream swirled together with white chocolate pieces.
• Pistachio Macaron: Roasted pistachio cream with honey, almond, and a savory finish, inspired by the French cookie.
• Black Tie Tiramisu: Mocha and mascarpone ice creams with ladyfinger cookies and chocolate drizzle.
• Cranberry Panettone with Chocolate Sprinkles: A custard inspired by Italian holiday bread, featuring cranberry-orange jam and chocolate sprinkles.
• Boozy Eggnog: Egg custard with nutmeg and whiskey, available in pints only.

The holiday collection will be available for a limited time, while supplies last.

Jeni’s also offers ice cream sandwiches and bars, along with pints to take home.

For those who want to sample the flavors before committing to a scoop, Jeni’s offers complimentary tastes. The company also encourages combining flavors, offering half scoops so customers can create their own combinations.

From psychiatry to restaurant franchising

Moon’s path to owning Jeni’s is not typical.

Originally from South Korea, she immigrated to the United States with her family in the 1980s. She earned both her medical degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and worked as a clinical psychiatrist at Greenleaf Center in Valdosta.

She later accepted a position involving the Georgia prison system, but discovered that psychiatry wasn’t the career she wanted to pursue for the rest of her life.

“I couldn’t sit in an office and collect $500 an hour, right?” Moon said. “But if you don’t enjoy something, it just wasn’t for me.”

Instead, she entered the restaurant industry through marketing and franchise development, initially working with Quiznos before becoming one of the early Five Guys franchise operators in Georgia.

Over the years, her businesses have included Newk’s Eatery, Super Chix, and Nothing Bundt Cakes. Moon said she has been involved in building more than 40 restaurants and bakeries.

She and her business partners brought Super Chix to Peachtree City approximately eight years ago and later opened another location in Newnan. She has also operated Nothing Bundt Cakes bakeries in the area.

Moon said she built eight Nothing Bundt Cakes locations before selling them after changes in the company’s ownership.

She explained that the relationship between a franchise company and its operators can vary significantly. Some brands concentrate on opening more locations, while others build lasting relationships with their franchise partners.

Moon said she hadn’t previously found a franchise brand she wanted to retire with, but she now believes Jeni’s is that brand.

She said she was the first franchise partner to sign an agreement when Jeni’s began expanding through franchising. However, construction and permitting delays meant that the Peachtree City shop became the third franchise-owned location to open.

She has been impressed with the company’s support, from the initial franchise application through construction and opening.

A personal connection to Jeni’s

There’s another reason Jeni’s matters to Moon, and it has nothing to do with business.

About five or six years ago, her father was battling stage-four lung cancer. Near the end of his life, he struggled to eat many foods, but he could still enjoy Jeni’s ice cream.

Moon would stop at a Jeni’s shop and bring home pints for him while he was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.

“I have a really strong connection with them,” Moon said.

The experience stayed with her.

Years later, she found herself telling her mother that she wished she could open a Jeni’s of her own. When the company began accepting franchise partners, the opportunity arrived at the right time.

Moon sold her remaining franchise interests to concentrate on Jeni’s. She hopes to eventually pass the business along to her daughter and nephews.

“I want to stay here, and then this is kind of like a legacy thing,” she said.

She also enjoys the family atmosphere of an ice cream shop, where customers might be celebrating a special occasion or simply stopping by for an after-school treat.

Newnan is next

Peachtree City is only the beginning of Moon’s plans.

She expects to open a second Jeni’s location in February 2027 in the new development adjacent to Ashley Park in Newnan.

Moon said she hopes to eventually operate at least six locations, with Cumming and McDonough among the markets she is considering.

The Peachtree City shop has approximately 25 employees, and Moon expects to hire another 20 to 25 for the Newnan location.

When selecting employees, she said, previous restaurant experience matters less than personality, initiative, and a willingness to learn.

“I’m always looking for the dynamic personality,” Moon said.

Moon, who lives nearby, can even travel to the Peachtree City shop by golf cart.

And unlike some of her earlier franchise ventures, she doesn’t expect to sell Jeni’s and move on to something else.

She wants this one to last.

Grand opening Thursday with free ice cream

Jeni’s will celebrate its official grand opening at The Avenue on Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 10 p.m.

The company will offer free scoops throughout the event, including selections from the new holiday collection.

The first 50 guests in line will receive Jeni’s merchandise, and five guests will have an opportunity to win free ice cream for a year, equivalent to 52 scoops each. To enter, guests must join Jeni’s Splendid Rewards program through the company’s app and scan it during the event.

The Fayette Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting earlier that afternoon, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Jeni’s is located at 232 City Circle, Suite 800, at The Avenue Peachtree City.

Regular hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, visit Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.