Our readers say this ice cream shop run by two best friends is Fort Worth’s best
When the Star-Telegram asked readers to nominate and vote on the best ice cream shop in Fort Worth, they declared Woolley’s Frozen Custard as the winner.
Woolley’s finished second in the opening round of voting, but stormed back in the final round for a commanding victory. Find the full list of nominees here.
Winning the contest is high praise for co-owners John Woolley and Brett Allen.
“We’ve never been the type that are looking for the pat on the back or anything,” Woolley told the Star-Telegram. “We just kind of do what we do and want to pay the bills, but it’s nice to win something like that.”
Woolley’s Frozen Custard’s early beginnings
After over two decades of business, Allen and Woolley still remember how they felt on April 25, 2003.
“Really nervous,” Woolley said about the shop’s opening day. “Didn’t feel like we were ready to open yet.”
The duo, friends since their time at Richland High School, were both 28 and only a few years removed from graduating at UNT.
They had given the corporate world a go: Allen as a manager at Chili’s and Woolley at a car dealership. While they were making money, they both said they hated their jobs and wanted to do something that mattered to them.
Frozen custard was commonplace for Woolley, who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, but not so much for Allen as a native Texan.
“John would say, ‘Hey, I’m looking for the frozen custard shop?’” Allen said. “I looked at him confused and said, ‘What are you talking about?’”
After having grown up thinking about opening their own store, and before they even had a loan for the business, they both said “sayonara” to their old life.
“You’re going to pretty much work a third of your life, you’re gonna sleep a third of your life and you’re gonna have a third of your life to do what you want,” Allen said. “If you don’t like your job, you’re wasting a third of your life.”
Woolley’s Frozen Custard owners on 22 years of business
For the first six months of business, Allen and Woolley were the only people clocking in and out each day.
Woolley said they didn’t want to open out of the gate with a full house and then have to let people go if business went south. They hired their first employee not long after that mark and have had “really good” employee retention since then.
Being in charge of people is something the pair take pride in since they’ve had their fair share of bad and good bosses.
“We believe happy employees are productive employees, and we let them do some homework at work and stuff like that,” Allen said. “I mean, I think it’s all how you treat people, too.”
Like any longstanding business, Woolley’s has seen highs and lows.
The pair are quick to celebrate the community they’ve served over the last 22 years, including the many regulars. In fact, there’s times when an employee will have a customer’s order ready to go before they even walk in the door since they get the same item every time.
Having the shop has also given them the freedom to experience their own personal joys, such as attending the Texas Rangers home opener every year and taking summer vacations with their families.
On the flip side, Woolley said working through the pandemic was a tough endeavor as they had to operate as to-go only.
They turned to neighborhood Facebook groups to keep things flowing, taking orders through a Google Form and then delivering for free. Sometimes they would be up till the early hours of the morning making custard and heading out just a few hours later on delivery.
“When it’s your livelihood, you got to figure out how to make it work,” Woolley said. “I guess we’ve figured that out for 22 years so far.”
What’s on the menu at Woolley’s Frozen Custard?
Woolley’s makes their custard daily and the process starts early each morning, usually around 5:30 a.m.
The duo have stuck to the same recipe over the years for their two main flavors: vanilla and chocolate. There’s also a rotating flavor of the week. When the Star-telegram visited this past week, it was dreamsicle.
From there, most customers go for a “concrete,” which is custard mixed with a topping. Speaking of toppings, Woolley’s has more than 40 options, from bananas and coconut to M&M’s and Snickers.
Woolley said customers love to mix and match toppings, although some orders like a Butterfinger and pineapple mix have him scratching his head.
“It sounds disgusting to me, and I’ve never even tried it, but [this customer] ate it every time and loved it,” Woolley joked. “I’m just like whatever ... I’ll make it [laughs].”
The frozen custard shop also serves a variety of sundaes, splits and malts.
For those visiting Woolley’s for the first time, the duo recommend “John’s Favorite,” which is vanilla custard with brownie chunks and caramel. Another highlight is “Mona’s Favorite,” AKA vanilla custard with cheesecake and strawberries.
As for the next 22 years of Woolley’s, the duo says that’s a hard question to answer.
People always tell Woolley to open more stores, but nowadays, he’s getting to the age where one shop is all he needs. For Allen, there’s always the possibility they could start another business.
Either way, the old friends know they’ll stick together.
“Everyone always said, ‘Don’t go into business with your best friend, it’s never going to work,’” Allen said. “I trust him with my life, he trusts me.”
Woolley’s Frozen Custard is open noon to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 7630 North Beach St. suite 166.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 12:11 PM.
