Jeremiah's Italian Ice is running a three-month limited-time campaign built around returning OREO-branded frozen desserts and a new Jelati Cake lineup, targeting incremental sales for its 175-plus locations open or in development through September 30, 2026.

The Cookie Jar Lineup

The Cookie Jar campaign revives three Italian Ice flavors — OREO Creme, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Brownie Batter — that previously drove traffic during the brand's OREO-Palooza and Batter Up limited-time windows. Four Flavorite combinations round out the menu, including the Cookie Jar Smash-Up, which layers all three Italian Ice flavors with vanilla soft-serve and OREO cookie crumbles. Three Jelati Cake varieties mirror the campaign's cookie theme: OREO Double Stuf, Double Fudge Brownie, and a Cookie Jar Smash-Up cake. The cakes rotate monthly in-store and are available for pre-order via the brand's app and website throughout the full campaign window.

Michael Keller, President and CEO of Jeremiah's Italian Ice, framed the LTO in explicitly commercial terms. "Limited-time offerings are one of our most powerful tools for driving traffic, increasing check average, and keeping our menu fresh and exciting," he said. "When we bring back best sellers with new creative energy behind them, it's a win for our guests and a win for our franchise partners."

Franchise and Category Context

Founded in Orlando in 1996 and franchising since 2019, Jeremiah's has expanded to markets across Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and seven other Sun Belt states. The brand ranked No. 211 on Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500 list and placed in Technomic's top 500 U.S. chain restaurants — metrics that matter to prospective franchisees evaluating system health.

The OREO co-branding lends licensed marquee power that frozen and chilled beverage programs at c-stores have increasingly leaned on to justify premium price points. Co-branded LTOs in the frozen dessert segment tend to outperform generic flavor introductions on both trial and repeat-visit rates, according to menu research firms tracking foodservice innovation trends. For Jeremiah's franchise partners, the rotating Jelati Cake SKUs create an upsell occasion beyond the standard walk-up Italian Ice order, extending the average transaction without requiring additional labor investment.

What It Means for Operators

The campaign's structure — proven core flavors anchoring the menu, rotating premium cake formats available online — reflects a broader franchise-system playbook aimed at reducing franchisee risk while sustaining guest engagement across a full quarter. Erin Buono, Director of Research and Development at Jeremiah's Italian Ice, noted that returning best sellers carry built-in guest demand. "There's something really special about a flavor that guests remember and come back for," she said.

With prime franchise territories still available nationwide, the Cookie Jar campaign also serves as a system showcase during peak selling season — a common strategy among emerging QSR and frozen dessert franchisors trying to attract qualified operators. The J-List loyalty program, accessible via the brand's app, is positioned to capture repeat-visit data through the campaign window.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.