Betty Rae’s Ice Cream has signed its first partnership and with that will be expanding way past the metro – all the way to Nebraska.
Zach Molacek is taking a spot at 6307 Center St. in Omaha, Nebraska (near Aksarben Village and Baxter Arena). He hopes to open in early September.
Molacek was born and raised in Nebraska. He moved to the Kansas City area in 2011 for work but recently returned to his hometown and wanted to take Betty Rae’s with him.
Molacek and Betty Rae’s owner, Matt Shatto, are longtime friends.
Shatto started coaching his son, Liam, (now 14) in flag football in kindergarten. Molachek’s son, Lane, (now 15) also was on the team and a year later Molacek became a coach alongside Shatto.
“When he was getting ready to purchase (Betty Rae’s) I said if I ever move back to Nebraska I’m going to talk to you about bringing it back to Omaha,“ Molacek says. “Obviously the ice cream is a great product. Going down to the River Market location, it was a cool setting, cool store. The ice cream was great with a freshly made waffle cone.”
His favorites are the Bee’s Knees and Lavender Honey. He will be shipping the ice cream from Kansas City and later produce it in Omaha. He also wants to do collaborations with Omaha businesses like Betty Rae’s does in the Kansas City market.
Some of its most popular limited edition collaborations have been a barbecue sauce caramel mixed with Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que candied burnt ends, and the current cinnamon roll based ice cream with a frosting drizzle and chunks of McLain’s Bakery cinnamon rolls folded in.
Molacek also would like to eventually open more locations in the Omaha/Lincoln area under the partnership, which they aren’t calling a franchise agreement, at least for now.
“We’re excited about it, excited to do something a little bit different,” Shatto says.
Betty Rae’s is known for its hand-made and hand-scooped ice creams, 26 core flavors such as Lavender Honey, Chocolate Brownie and S’mores.
It has area locations in Waldo, the River Market, Merriam and Olathe. A Prairie Village shop is scheduled to open in August at 5330 W. 95th St.
