Chocolate Twist to close downtown shop

After seven months, The Chocolate Twist is closing its downtown location.

The ice cream parlor, which is operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester, says its final day at 311 South Broadway will be October 7.

Chad Campbell, executive director of the Club, told us this week that the organization is now considering what a 2.0 version might look like.

While there are not any specifics in place, he said “a lot of really great things happened” in the brief time they have been open — and he remains confident that another iteration of the Twist will emerge in due time.

“We don’t look at this as walking way from the idea of a revenue-generating business to fuel the mission of the Club … or helping kids with workforce opportunities,” said Campbell. “All of that we still want to do.”

Campbell said the Club will explore other business models, including those that do not require a brick and mortar location. He noted that events, such as Thursdays on First & Third, were highly successful for the Twist.

“We want to take the lessons learned along the way” to make the business model “more sustainable for the long run,” said Campbell.

You can read our initial report on the Twist here.