After disappearing earlier this summer, Yoder’s ice cream returned to Maters & Taters Market & Creamery on Friday. 

“It’s a big hit,” store manager Andy Ray said. “I mean, that’s the only ice cream that’s available anywhere that’s decent, from what I understand from my customers.” 

Maters & Taters originally announced the return of Yoder’s in an Aug. 13 Facebook post. 

“We have some great news to share with you in the market,” Maters & Taters said in the post. “This Friday we will have half gallons and pints back in the market! I know you guys missed it.” 

Although Maters still plans to close, pending the sale of the property, store manager Andy Ray wanted to bring back what may well be Maters’ most popular offering in the meantime. 

“We’ve had a lot of customers walk out of here because I had no ice cream—maybe 40%,” Ray said. “One day I counted over 17 customers.” 

The decline in customers led Ray to convince his mother and store bookkeeper, Diane Boyer, to bring the beloved dessert back to the market. 

“I was like, ‘At least they’d be buying something in here instead of walking out and not spending any money,’” Ray said. “‘Plus, what toppings I have left over, they can buy that, too, if they want to dress up their ice cream at home.’”  

After receiving his mother’s blessing, Ray ordered the ice cream from longtime Maters partner Yoder’s Southern Creamery. But how the ice cream sells in the coming days will determine whether Ray will be able to submit another order. 

“I have to meet a minimum on that order, and that minimum I have to meet before than can deliver it to me, because it comes all the way from Sarasota,” Ray said. “Depending on how it does and what my inventory is going to be next week, I’ll place it on Tuesday, and it would be delivered here probably on Friday.” 

Not all flavors have returned, since some are not available in smaller sizes. But flavors like mudslide and cookies ‘n cream are available for purchase. 

“There’s other flavors I want to check on to see if they have,” Ray said. “I think one of them was chocolate peanut butter.” 

Maters & Taters still charges the same amount as before—ice cream pints for $6.99 and half gallons for $14.99. Single scoop ice cream will not be available for the foreseeable future.