About Us

The original Milkyway was opened by Ray Starks at 2410 W. 12th St. in Sioux Falls, SD around 1953 and is still in operation today. The story of the original Milkyway doesn’t even begin with the Milkyway. Prior to constructing the Milkyway, Starks operated a drive-in restaurant named Ray’s Diner at 1200 W. 12th St. The drive-in was far from town and seemed as though it would only appeal to people traveling about for the dance clubs in the area. Against the odds, the restaurant was a hit! This success led Starks to construct a walk-up ice cream business named the Milkyway around 1953.

In the mid-1960s, Starks sold the drive-in to Bertha and Guy (B & G) Higgins. They changed the name to B & G Milkyway, and it has remained the same since. After the passing of Guy Higgins in 1970, the business was sold to Gerry and Pat Bruget, who operated the Milkyway until 1992, when they sold it to the current owners, Bruce and Pam Bettmeng.

In spite of its decades of operation, B & G Milkyway remains much the same. The buildings that stand today are the same as those your grandparents saw when they got ice cream in their younger years. These simple red and white buildings still boast delicious frozen treats and good food. The original menu offered hot dogs and an assortment of ice cream, such as cones, malts, and sundaes. Over the years, the menu has changed only slightly, adding popular items such as slushwhips and sloppy joes, which are made from our original recipe.

Offered since B & G Milkyway opened its doors, our creamy soft serve ice cream and mouthwatering footlongs have stood the test of time and maintain their place as menu staples.

In the early days of Milkyway, ice cream came in five-gallon tin cans. After the ice cream reached the Milkyway, the employees would pour it into one-gallon containers. Sold by the gallons, our homemade strawberry ice cream has long been the most popular item on the menu. Our customers have cooled off with our sweet treats for decades. From the beginning, our strawberry ice cream has been made by filling an old five-gallon stainless steel milk container with vanilla ice cream and our secret ingredients before mixing it with a long metal stirring rod. We still make it the same way today!

Originally, the Milkyway had two shifts, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm. There was no telephone in the building so if it got too busy, an employee would run across the street to the pay phone and call the owner, who would then send in another employee or often come to the rescue himself. This idea of hands-on ownership continues to be a key part of the success of every location–of course, the employees no longer have to run to a pay phone to reach us.

The second B & G Milkyway was started in 1976 at 5508 W. 41st St., Sioux Falls, SD, and is still in operation today. Our role as hands-on owners prevented further expansion until 2001, when our first franchise opened at 721 S. Sycamore Ave., Sioux Falls, SD. This expansion allowed a separate owner to operate their own B & G Milkyway while ensuring our customers received the same quality service provided by a hands-on owner. Across the years and various locations, our focus is to always offer good food served by good people. You can count on employees counting back your change and saying a cheerful “thank you” to each and every customer for many years to come.