Levain Bakery is scooping up summer traffic with ice cream collaborations

Levain Bakery is doubling down on its ice cream offerings this summer as it diversifies its product assortment beyond its signature cookies. The ice cream program was conceived based on seasonal customer demand, with summer sales slowing compared to fall and winter, when warm baked goods are top of mind. 

This summer, Levain brought back its cookies à la mode, which it tested in select locations during the 2025 season. The New York City-based bakery has also launched mini ice cream sandwiches and affogatos to draw in crowds throughout different times of the day. In addition, Levain has added rotational flavors and more ice cream partner suppliers across new cities for 2026. Already, ice cream has become one of Levain’s strongest-performing seasonal launches, rivaling the bakery’s popular holiday-season drops.

In the first two weeks of June, roughly one in seven in-store transactions included an ice cream SKU. Additionally, after-dinner orders, those placed at 6 p.m. or later, now account for 34% of total daily orders, compared with 31% before the ice cream launch. Interestingly, secondary markets like Boston and Chicago have been top performers in ice cream sales.

Continue reading this article on modernretail.co. Sign up for Modern Retail newsletters to get the latest on the shifting dynamics between retail’s old and new guards.