Bob's Eye View Blog

Upon my return from Key West, I learned the sad news that Irvine Robbins, the co-founder of Baskin-Robbins, died on May 6, which also happens to be my birthday. Since learning this devastating news, I have not been able to eat anything (except for a pint of ice cream).

In high school, I was voted "most likely to do nothing but consume massive amounts of ice cream." In high school, I once wrote a paper about the man I most admired. Was it Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine? Was it John F. Kennedy? No, it was Irvine Robbins, inventor of "Pralines 'n' Cream."

Reading his obituary, I learned that it was Baskin-Robbins corporate policy to allow employees to eat all the ice cream they wanted. Mr. Robbins had said the reason for this policy was "I don't want my employees stealing."

Had I known about this eat all you want ice cream policy before I went to college, I never would have wasted those four years! As soon as I was of legal working age, I would have gone to work for Baskin-Robbins, and still be working there today.


In honor of the late Irvine Robbins, I asked 51 people on line at my local Dairy Queen what their favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor is. The margin of error of this poll is 385 calories and 7 grams of fat.

16 people said Rocky Road
14 people said Chocolate Chip Mint
11 people said Vanilla (what is wrong with those people?)
9 people had no opinion
1 person said my question distracted him, causing him to drop his cone, and insisted that I buy him a new one

Let us all lift a glass containing your favorite flavor milkshake, and toast Mr. Irvine Robbins.

See you tomorrow.