Christy Creme celebrates 72 years in the 712
Christy Creme has seen all four seasons' worth of weather since opening for the year on Feb. 13, but owner Matthew Preston said it's been a sweet start for the ice cream and burger joint's 72nd year in operation.
"It's been great," Preston said on what felt like a scorching summer afternoon on March 21. "People are happy to be back. We've had, for the year, great weather on the whole. We had a snow day last Sunday but now it's 90 today."
Christy Creme, located at 2853 N. Broadway, was founded by Arthur and Jeanne Christiansen in 1954. When they retired in 1972, they sold the business to someone outside the family, and it changed hands several times in just a few years.
The Christiansens’ son, Dave, bought the restaurant back in 1976 and operated the shop with his wife, Sue, for almost 40 years before selling it to Preston, their son-in-law, in 2015.
Preston has been running it ever since with his wife, Jordan, who is a local teacher and daughter of the Christiansens, making it the third generation of family ownership.
As waves upon waves of customers made their way to the restaurant for lunch or ice cream last Saturday, Preston said they're blessed to have so many dedicated customers in the community.
"It's just great to see the support," he said. "We have such a loyal customer base that comes back year after year, which we really enjoy. It's nice to see all the faces."
Christy Creme owner Matthew Preston poses for a portrait inside the long-running ice cream and burger joint, 2853 N. Broadway, on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Christy Creme opened for its 72nd season of operation on Feb. 13.
Preston has been working at Christy Creme for 22 years now, and he said it's special seeing people who were once children visiting the restaurant back in the day now grown up and bringing their own kids in now to take part in the tradition.
"Watching the community grow up and then bring their kids, it's just neat to see," he said.Â
It's even more special seeing his own kids who grew up behind the scenes now working alongside him.
"It's just great to be a part of the community," Preston said. "It's a family business. I have my daughter working here today. I love that part of the business."
Christy Creme employs many local teens to help run the shop each season, and Preston said that trends also spans generations.
"We have a couple kids that just started this year whose parents worked here when I first started," he said. "To have that family orientation is important to us. Watching those kids grow up, it's great."
From hot, savory meals to cold, sweet treats, Christy Creme has all the staples of a mom-and-pop ice cream shop.
Avery Lullo, 9, left, and his brother, Ollie, 6, enjoy some ice cream cones on the Christy Creme patio on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
The burgers are the main attraction on the hot side of the menu. Ordered with or without cheese, and bacon as well, the Christy Creme burger is a classic served with "everything" — meaning pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard. They also offer grilled or fried chicken sandwiches and the Iowa staple sandwich, the pork tenderloin.
When lunch or dinner is finished, or if people want to just jump straight to dessert, Christy Creme has a plethora of ice cream-based treats to satisfy one's sweet tooth.Â
Homemade soft serve ice cream can be served in a cone or dish, as a milkshake, the base of a sundae or part of a confection like a dipped treat on a stick.
Sherbet is also a big attraction on the menu, and they offer a different flavor every day of the month during their open season. The flavor calendar is always released ahead of time to let people plan for their favorite styles.
They also offer monthly sundae specials. March's special, a nod to St. Patrick's Day, was the O' Sundae, which features vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge, a chocolate dip top, Andes mint chocolate chunks and a mint syrup.
April's feature will be German chocolate, which will come with chocolate ice cream topped with caramel, coconut and pecans.
The hamburger, French fries and chocolate milkshake served at Christy Creme, 2853 N. Broadway in Council Bluffs.
Preston said the restaurant has been doing things basically the same way since 1954, and he said the formula has been working ever since. The business operates on a "if it's not broken don't fix it" approach.
"We haven't changed anything," Preston said. "People keep coming back and it seems like it works, so we're just gonna keep doing it."
It's been an all in the family kind of place on both sides of the counter for generations, and he said it's always great to see new faces become part of the Christy Creme tradition.
"Good burgers, great fries and just a friendly place," he said. "It's a good place to come and bring your family."
While 72 years of business is a huge milestone, Preston said there's no sign of stopping anytime soon.
"We're going to keep doing it," he said. "We're looking forward to 73."
Keep up to date on news, specials, the sherbet calendar and more on the Christy Creme Facebook page or the restaurant's website,christycreme.com. Christy Creme is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
Christy Creme employee Sydney Doughman, right, hands a pair of milkshakes to Ben Flugge, 10, at the walk-up counter on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Milo, a corgi mix owned by Mike Large, enjoys a dish of soft serve ice cream outside Christy Creme on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
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