Our Story

About Us

About Us
The Chocolate Moose, established in 1933 as May’s Café during the Great Depression, evolved from an ice cream parlor named the Penguin in the 1950s to its current form as The Chocolate Moose since 1983. Founded by Cletus May, downsizing to an ice cream parlor was a response to the economic challenges of the time. After changing hands through the May family, Tim Doran, and Jeff Grossnickle, Justin Loveless assumed ownership in 2013, ensuring the legacy of this beloved establishment endures.

We take our ice cream seriously. Whether you want it in a cup, on a cone, mixed into a shake, or blended up with one of our many stir-ins, we want to make sure it exceeds your expectations. We make all of our homemade ice cream on site to ensure you consistently get the best ice cream around.

If your sweet tooth is lacking, try one of our delicious hot sandwiches, with meat sliced in house. We also offer delicious Hot Dogs, Coney Dogs, Vegetarian Burgers, and our famous Spanish Burger. While we are blessed to have many regulars, don’t be intimidated if it’s your first time. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to help you find something that hits the spot.

Many of Bloomington’s best restaurants also carry our premium homemade and vegan ice cream on their menu. Some even carry their own exclusive flavors! Check out these local eateries to see how they utilize our tasty treats: ✅Upland Brewpub ✅Lennie’s ✅Baked! of Bloomington ✅Pizza X ✅Western Skateland ✅ Short Stop Convenient Mart ✅ Indiana Memorial Union ✅ The Vault Pub ✅ Coaches Bar & Grill