Encinitas buddies launch ice cream pop-up in Cardiff

Zach Zien and Steven Segal started out five years ago as neighbors in Leucadia. Then they became friends, as well as surfing and golfing buddies. On Fourth of July weekend, they also became business partners in Scoopy Scoopy, a super premium ice cream pop-up in Cardiff by the Sea.

From 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays only, they’re serving up scoops of Zanzibar Chocolate, Old Fashioned Vanilla and rotating flavors like Kitty Kitty Bang Bang and Exhausted Parent to long lines of customers.

Their home base is the Cardiff location of Bump Coffee, a locally owned business that sells coffee and empanadas from 6 a.m. to no later than 2 p.m.

Zien, a Cardiff resident whose day job is in real estate, said he and Segal bounced around business ideas for years before hitting on the idea of taking advantage of underutilized retail spaces rather than leasing their own. The Scoopy Scoopy partners use Bump Coffee’s retail space and cash register in exchange for a portion of ice cream sales.

Their first venture is an ice cream business, but Zien said there are lots of concepts he and Segal can create to help retailers monetize their space when it’s closed. Their goal is to serve as retail consultants, pairing up complementary businesses that promote each others’ brands without cannibalizing sales.

Zien knows a fair amount about the culinary world and marketing. He’s the youngest son of San Diego celebrity chef Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien, whose YouTube channel has more than 3.8 million subscribers. Last year, Sam’s three sons — Max, the eldest, Jordan and Zach — launched their own YouTube channel, Sons of Sam the Cooking Guy, which now has 32,000 subscribers.

Zien and Segal don’t make their own ice cream. They ship it in from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream in Madison, Wisconsin. Segal grew up in Beloit, Wis., and considers it the best ice cream in the world. He’s not alone. The North American Ice Cream Association has honored Chocolate Shoppe with multiple awards, including naming it a three-time Grand Master Ice Cream Maker.

Scoopy Scoopy sells a 3.5-ounce single scoop for $5. Two scoops go for $7 and three scoops for $9. Chocolate and vanilla flavors are always offered and there’s a rotating variety of five to six other options available from week to week. The scoops are only served in paper cups, since transporting edible cones in and out of the shop could lead to breakage and storage issues.

On Sunday afternoon, a large crowd of adults and children lined up outside the shop for ice cream. One woman visiting with her children told Zien that Scoopy Scoopy is a great addition to Cardiff because there are no other ice cream shops in the immediate area.

Zien said he and Segal, a Leucadia resident, are thrilled with the community’s reception after just five weeks in business.

“People in this community really support their local businesses and neighbors and we feel like we’ve only scratched the surface,” Zien said. “Only about 15% to 20% percent of Cardiff residents know we exist, so we look forward to meeting more of our neighbors.”

Scoopy Scoopy Ice Cream

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays

Where: Bump Coffee, 126 Aberdeen Drive, Cardiff

Online: instagram.com/scoopyscoopyy