VCA spotlight: Videri Chocolate Factory to keep soft serve ice cream on the menu

When Videri Chocolate Factory opened in 2011 in the old home of Ess Lounge, soft serve ice cream was definitely not on the menu.

The bean-to-bar production factory and retail store added a coffee bar with hot chocolate and mochas the following year.

Videri's chocolate bars and confections have taken home Good Food Awardsand were even featured in GQ.Their most recent award was the 2019 WRAL Voters' Choice Award for best chocolate, an award they have taken home five years in a row.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, owner Sam Ratto came up with an idea to keep customers coming to the shop by adding a walk-up window serving soft serve ice cream. You can get vanilla, chocolate and swirl topped with rainbow sprinkles, candied cocoa nibs, toffee, chocolate cookie crumble, maple granola, chocolate fudge and caramel sauce.

The window is open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

When the weather gets cooler, Videri will be bringing back its hot chocolate and serving it at the window as well.