March 1, 2022

With highs in the 50s for a couple of days, it’s a perfect time for the seasonal B&G Milkyways to begin reopening – and later this year, there might be a new one in Hartford.

The location on East 41st Street near Harmodon Park was the first to open, beginning to sell soft-serve twists, Avalanches and footlong hot dogs today. Other locations will follow this week and into April.

A new site in Hartford would be the ninth for the locally franchised business.

“We’ve got a party that’s interested and taking the steps needed to get a store there,” said Bruce Bettmeng, who owns the overall franchise with his wife, Pam. They own the shops on 12th Street and West 41st and sold the first franchise in 2001.

“They’d like to open this summer, but there’s a lot of variables out there.”

Earlier this year, Bettmeng bought land along Louise Avenue at 86th Street for an eventual relocation of the B&G on 69th Street near Louise.

“The congestion is reason why,” he said.

Cars often are backed up on the street as customers wait to go through the drive-thru, and access to the B&G, which opened in 2006, is shared with a salon, sometimes making it difficult for those customers too, Bettmeng said.

“We plan on doing that for next year,” he said, noting that he’s watching interest rates and inflation. “The plan is to be open next spring for that store.”

The new building will be identical to the current one but will sit on a bigger lot that offers twice as much parking, he said.

What else is new this year?

“Oh, the prices. Surprise,” he said of slight increases.

Besides a “a little different” barbecue beef that will be rolling out this season, there aren’t any menu changes this year.

Many lobbies will remain closed again this season, he said, although that decision is up to each franchise owner.

“Harmodon might be the only one that’s open.”

His location on West 41st Street will remain drive-thru only because he doesn’t have enough workers to staff both that and the lobby.

While the forecast calls for cooler weather and snow later in the week, “that’s March,” Bettmeng said. “It gives us a chance to work out the cobwebs. You don’t want to be too busy too early.”

Here’s the opening date or time frame for each location:

• Harmodon Park: Open
• 69th Street: Wednesday
• Sycamore Avenue: Wednesday
• West 41st Street: Thursday or Friday
• Brandon: March 9
• Tea: March 9
• Harrisburg: March 16
• West 12th Street: Late March/early April