The Coaster
Monday, January 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Subscribe / Renew
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Coaster
No Result
View All Result
Home Bradley Beach

Making Ice Cream is a Family Affair in Bradley Beach

by The Coaster Editorial Staff
August 20, 2015
in Bradley Beach
8
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare via EmailShare on Twitter

 

Coaster Photo - Pete and JoAnn Becker operate Four Boys Ice Cream in Bradley Beach.
Coaster Photo – Pete and JoAnn Becker operate Four Boys Ice Cream in Bradley Beach.

By JOSEPH SAPIA

There is Mom and Dad Becker. Four boys. The rest is family and business history.

The Beckers — JoAnn, 54, Pete, 55, and their four sons, Danny, 30, Dave, 26, Luke, 20, and Jake, 17 — recently opened their third Four Boys Ice Cream stand, at the corner of Ocean and Third Avenues in Bradley Beach. It is a summer season location, opening in May and planning to stay open to about Sept. 15.

“We love it here,” Pete said.

“People have been so nice,” JoAnn added. “I love the town.”

The Beckers, all of whom live in Manalapan, also have ice cream stands in Englishtown, their flagship store, since 2005, and Jamesburg, since 2012, where they took over sites that had been ice cream stands.

The Beckers are no strangers to doing business at the Shore. In 2014, for example, they had an ice cream trailer at Ocean and 13th avenues.

The Beckers’ ice cream business goes back to 1999, when they began neighborhood ice cream truck routes — because Danny suggested the family get an ice cream truck. At one point, they had five trucks, working neighborhoods in the Freehold, Manalapan and Marlboro area. They ended the neighborhood truck part of their business about eight years ago.

The family business also includes Four Boys Concessions, which sells ice cream and other food at events. The Beckers started doing events in 2003 with pretzels and, then, ice cream in 2004.

Pete and Danny are the full-time workers in the family business. Luke, a student at Brookdale Community College, works full-time in the summer.

JoAnn is off during the summer from her regular job as a special education teacher at Freehold Township High School. Dave, who works full-time for the Manalapan public works department, and Jake, help out with the family business.

As for the ice cream, Danny makes all the ice cream from his own recipes.

“We make every drop of ice cream,” JoAnn said. “Not many places can say that.”

The Bradley Beach location also sells such items as funnel cake, fried Oreo cookies, lemonade, iced coffee and cotton candy.

The Beckers found their way to Bradley Beach because Danny was looking for a Shore location — with the first stop in Belmar last year. They found the empty Bradley Beach location and Luke found a photograph on the Internet showing a previous smoothie business at the site having a line of people.

“OK, we’ll try it,” JoAnn said. “It’s really worked well. It’s a nice little third place.”

JoAnn’s family had owned Bayshore Air Freight in Matawan. The couple, married 32 years, worked there. When that business was sold, the two opened Parcel Place Messenger Service in 1983 and ran it until they sold it in 2007.

“We’ve re-invented ourselves so many times,” JoAnn said.

In winter, the Beckers organize for the next season — drumming up business for the coming season at events and doing maintenance work. The family also plows snow during the wintry season.

Now, the Beckers are thinking of opening a fourth ice cream stand, although they do not have a specific location in mind. As in the past, they and the locations kind of found each other.

“We’re always looking for other locations,” JoAnn said. “We have people call us now.”

As for Bradley Beach, JoAnn said, “We’re going to come back (in 2016).”

Related Posts

Asbury Hotel Employee Charged with $400,000 in Theft

Bradley Beach Police Blotter

January 25, 2023
Intrigue Continues Over Anonymous Requests

Shop Local Campaign to Boost Businesses in Bradley Beach

January 3, 2023
Intrigue Continues Over Anonymous Requests

Judge Orders Recount in Bradley Beach

December 6, 2022
Holiday Giving Drive Opens in Bradley Beach

Holiday Giving Drive Opens in Bradley Beach

November 2, 2022
Project Will Identify and Document  All Main Street in Bradley Beach

Project Will Identify and Document All Main Street in Bradley Beach

October 26, 2022
Intrigue Continues Over Anonymous Requests

Judge Rules Bradley Beach Violated Open Public Meetings Act

October 26, 2022

Trending This Week

Ocean Grove Ladies Auxiliary Raised $58,000 for Projects

Pilot Parking Program is Topic Of Special Meeting in Ocean Grove

January 25, 2023
Developer ‘Cares Deeply About Boardwalk’ As Iconic Asbury Park Buildings Deteriorate

Developer ‘Cares Deeply About Boardwalk’ As Iconic Asbury Park Buildings Deteriorate

January 25, 2023
Stabbing Incident at Asbury Park High School

Red Bank Man Charged With Numerous ‘Upskirting’ Offenses

January 24, 2023
Disussions Continue to Preserve Asbury Park Historic Sites

Disussions Continue to Preserve Asbury Park Historic Sites

January 25, 2023

Advertise Online with The Coaster

Advertise on The Coaster to reach countless new customers for your local business.

START ADVERTISING TODAY

E-mail Newsletter

Sign up to get a free weekly newsletter to your inbox.

Subscribe

Contact Us

The Coaster
1011 Main St
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Phone: 732-775-3010
FAX: 732-775-8345
editor@thecoaster.net

Email Newsletter »

All Articles

Search Our Site

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 The New Coaster, LLC. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Browse News by Town
    • Allenhurst
    • Asbury Park
    • Avon
    • Bradley Beach
    • Deal
    • Interlaken
    • Loch Arbour
    • Long Branch
    • Neptune
    • Neptune City
    • Ocean Grove
    • Ocean Township
    • Tinton Falls
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Subscribe / Renew

© 2023 The New Coaster, LLC. All rights reserved.