Blue Bell ice cream is back in Fort Worth stores.
The first Blue Bell truck pulled up to the Kroger on S. University Drive at 5:45 a.m Monday. It was the truck’s second delivery of the morning. The truck had six more stops to make on its first route since April.
It’s been more than six months since the company was forced to shut down production at its Brenham, Texas plant because of a listeria outbreak.
A few Blue Bell fans were there at 6 a.m. when the store opened to get their hands on one of the five flavors available: Dutch Chocolate, Cookies ‘n’ Cream, Buttered Pecan, the Great Divide or Homemade Vanilla. Fort Worth stores sold gallons, pints and 12-packs of 3-ounce cups.
Some shoppers were disappointed not to see some of their of favorite flavors, like Moo-llennium Crunch and Mint Chocolate Chip, on the shelves yet.
The ice cream is selling fast. The Kroger on S. University started limiting purchases to two gallons per customer around 10 a.m. “We just wanted every customer to get the chance to have a little taste,” said Kurk Glaspui, the store manager. “They’ve been waiting so long.”
The shipment Fort Worth stores received today is only enough to last one day. For the next week or so, each store will get a new shipment every morning.
“We only got what we had room for on the shelves,” Glaspui said. “We haven’t even gotten to our busy time yet, which will be from 3 to 7.”
The Kroger on S. University had about two-thirds of its supply left at noon Monday. Most stores are expected to run out of Blue Bell ice cream Monday night. But Tuesday morning, shelves will be fully restocked for the next round of sales.