Celebrate soft-serve's 85th birthday with 85-cent cones at Carvel

LOS ANGELES - It's been 85 years since Tom Carvel invented soft-serve, and Carvel ice cream shops around the country are celebrating by giving soft-serve lovers 85-cent junior soft ice cream cones or cups all day Thursday, May 2. 

Most participating shops will be offering vanilla, chocolate, or cold brew coffee flavors as part of the promotion.   

In the summer of 1934, industrious Tom Carvel was ramping up his new business venture — an ice cream truck which he hoped would put smiles on his customers' faces by delivering delectable sweet treats and an experience that was a happy escape from the mundane.

Carvel originally intended to sell regular ice cream, but a truck malfunction on a hot summer day inspired him to go in a different direction. After his truck broke down by the side of the road one day, Carvel continued to sell his ice cream, despite the fact that it was melting. 

What he discovered was that people loved the softer, smoother version of ice cream, and he never looked back. Carvel established his first shop in the spot where his truck had broken down, and he served soft-serve ice cream from then on. 

Carvel has since spread across the country with more than 400 locations in the U.S., and you can find out which shops are participating in the 85-cent cone day here.