Customers can select from a variety of flavors and toppings for their liquid nitrogen-chilled treats at Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream.
Daniel Golik was taking a year off school to study for the Medical College Admissions Test in 2012 when he came across a novel idea: nitrogen ice cream. Given his family of entrepreneurs, he decided to pitch the idea to his mother, Donna Golik.
“It was kind of a little mini ‘Shark Tank,’” Daniel Golik said. “My family’s always been super entrepreneurial and I was encouraged to come up with ideas growing up.”
Like the founders appearing on the show, Golik gave a full demonstration to convince his potential investors. Pouring his own liquid nitrogen and mixing the cream until iced, Golik showed his family the effect of both the showmanship and taste. His mother gave him a condition: If this doesn’t succeed, it’s back to medical school.
Twelve years later, Golik runs Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream. With the help of CEO David Leonardo, the Miami-based brand has grown to 16 units.
Chill-N has six bases ranging from ice cream to yogurt to oat milk, and customers can choose from a variety of flavors and mix-ins, such as graham crackers, Fruity Pebbles cereal and gummy bears.
The whole process takes place fast, and the liquid nitrogen is stored in pressurized tanks at each location.
At about 320 degrees below zero—so cold it burns bare skin—the liquid nitrogen flash freezes the base, resulting in a smoother and richer finished product. The deep freeze also means delivery is an option, even in the notoriously steamy Florida summer. That sales channel gained more traction during the pandemic, since ice cream is difficult to make at home.
“The machines we have take care of microdosing the nitrogen directly into the bowl at the right amount,” said Golik. “There’s a lot less human error involved.”
Daniel Golik
These measures make the concept easy to replicate for franchisees. Wesley Langlois, an operator in Nashville, has been in the restaurant industry nearly his whole life. His parents owned restaurants, and he spent 15 years in hotels and restaurants in several management roles.
When the pandemic started, the hospitality industry was scrambling and Langlois “didn’t see us coming out of it anytime soon.” He started working in robotics for Amazon just months before becoming a Chill-N franchisee with wife Angela.
“Through the pandemic, we had a lot of extra time on our hands,” Langlois said. “So we started to explore a little bit more.”
Signing the agreement in 2021 and opening in July 2023, Langlois’ unit is the farthest north the brand has gone. The summer opening helped sales start strong. Four weeks later, school was back in session and traffic went down, but delivery kept orders flowing and customers engaged with the brand.
Langlois pivoted marketing efforts to emphasize the delivery aspect of Chill-N as foot traffic died down. As anyone who experiences winter can tell you, while ice cream is always delicious, going to go get it is a little less tempting in cold weather. Delivery kept sales steady, and business picked right back up as the weather warmed in 2024, Langlois said.
The ability to tailor his marketing and operations to delivery channels meant Langlois also stayed in close communication with Golik and Leonardo, keeping them apprised of his approach and what he learned in the process. In turn, the head office offered plenty of support.
“I have their direct cell phones and it’s not like I need an appointment or calendar invite to speak to them,” said Langlois. “I just pick up the phone and call, and if they’re available, they’re available. If not, they call back.”
Golik and Leonardo are next pushing more franchise expansion outside of Florida, with open locations in Texas and South Carolina. The cost to open a Chill-N Ice Cream shop ranges from $462,000 to $679,000. Other ice cream concepts with a liquid nitrogen component include Sub Zero Ice Cream, Creamistry and Wicked Lick.
“I pitched it originally as getting to 30 locations in Florida, and we’re about halfway there” said Golik. “It’s taken us a little bit to get there, but it’s evolved quite a bit and been a lot of fun.”