Mr. MilkShake & Espresso Bar is not your typical ice cream shop. With extravagant, sugar-rush-inducing concoctions, owner Colin Odinet hopes to provide a much grander milkshake experience.
The shop, which also has a traveling food truck, opened its first brick-and-mortar in Denham Springs in June 2021. On the menu: south Louisiana-themed milkshakes like “Louisiana Turtle” and “Big Easy Foster.” Some milkshakes are piled high with full slices of cake, cheesecakes or cannolis. The shop also serves ice cream sandwich and float creations.
“I have a saying: ‘Eye appeal is buy appeal,’” Odinet says. “I want it to be a whole experience when you come, not just getting some ice cream. You can sit at my bar and talk to the bartender and watch them make the shakes. It helps customers interact with us.”
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At an event in late June, Odinet celebrated the store’s one-year anniversary. In addition to the bustling blending and incessant slurping, Odinet livened up the afternoon with live music, stand-up comic performances and a face painting station. As he looked out at the crowd, he was also thinking about the future.
He wants to open a location in Lafayette by Christmas and later, St. Tammany Parish. After that, he’ll look to expand to other states, starting around the Gulf Coast.
Odinet says his business has come a long way since 2021. With the challenges of opening during the pandemic, from continuing supply chain issues and a tough labor market, Odinet is simply grateful to have made it to the one-year milestone and to be able to look forward to a future expansion. He says throughout culinary school and working in New Orleans fine dining, he has always hoped to spread an appreciation for Louisiana cuisine across the country.
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“(For our anniversary), I wanted to thank customers,” Odinet says. “My slogan is ‘Let’s get milkshake wasted. … Come here and get a real experience; something different than an ice cream shop. I want it to be an experience from when you walk in until you leave.”
Mr. Milkshake is at 240 Range 12 Blvd., Suite 107, Denham Springs. It is open Monday-Thursday, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, 3-10 p.m.; Saturday, noon-10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-8 p.m. Find it on Facebook to see it latest food truck routes.