Preeti Bajaj, a Plainsboro resident, is set to launch a new business venture in New Brunswick, inspired by her daughter Sanjana’s love for a popular dessert chain.
Sanjana, a 21-year-old student at the University of California, San Diego, introduced her mother to The Baked Bear, a cookie ice cream sandwich chain that originated in San Diego. After enjoying the concept, Sanjana suggested to her mother, “We really need something like that in Jersey,” pointing out the lack of competition in the area.
The first Middlesex County location of The Baked Bear will open at 11 a.m. on March 8 at 72 Easton Ave. in New Brunswick, just a short distance from the Rutgers University campus. The opening event will offer free cookie ice cream sandwiches to the first 50 customers.
The shop specializes in custom ice cream cookie sandwiches, where customers can select from a variety of cookies, including chocolate chip, cookie monster, white chocolate macadamia nut, cookies and cream, and butter cake. Gluten-free options will also be available. For the ice cream, customers can choose from flavors like dark chocolate, cookies and cream, mint chip, mud pie, bear batter, and blackberry crumble. The sandwiches can be further customized by rolling them in toppings such as brownie bites, mini M&Ms, almonds, sprinkles, hot fudge, hot caramel, and whipped cream.
In addition to the iconic cookie sandwiches, The Baked Bear will feature two rotating cookies of the month, as well as a seasonal ice cream flavor. Other menu items include ice cream, cookies, sundaes, and warm cookie or brownie bowls topped with ice cream.
The New Brunswick location will be the second in Central Jersey, following the recent opening of a store in Westfield. Preeti Bajaj believes the New Brunswick area, with its mix of hospitals and university students, will be a perfect fit for the dessert shop. “A good dessert can bring a smile to the faces of most of the people in those institutions,” she said.
The new store will occupy a 1,100 square-foot space, formerly home to Sparks Hair Design, and will offer around 10 seats for customers.
The Baked Bear was founded in 2013 by childhood friends Rob Robbins and Shane Stanger, who left their previous careers to pursue their dream of opening a cookie ice cream sandwich shop in San Diego. Since then, the brand has expanded to locations across the United States, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
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