Could The Bangor Gifford’s Be Getting A Drive-Thru Window?

There's nothing like deciding to go for a drive on a warm summer evening, and pulling through the drive-through at your local ice cream shop to grab a cool cone of frozen goodness!

Most of the ice cream spots in Eastern Maine are set up with drive-throughs. But one of the last hold-outs has been a hometown favorite, Gifford's in Bangor.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is some nostalgia involved in the process of driving in, parking, standing in the line, and looking up at their huge board full of fabulous flavors and choosing which one(s) you're going to try.

But on those occasions where there's a van full of hot, excited kids, a drive-through option to keep all that mess contained can be a more appealing choice.

Getting a scoop of ice cream from Gifford's Famous Ice Cream Stand on Broadway in Bangor could get a little easier in the future.

It would appear that the ball is rolling on a project that would see a drive-through and some revamped parking spots at some point down the road.

Jeff Wallace, Director of Code Enforcement for the City of Bangor, says some changes had to be made to the zoning, and the contract language before the folks from Gifford's could move forward with a drive-through.

"In February of 2021, they had a zone change request approved. The change was from 'Shopping and Personal Services District, Contract' to 'Shopping and Personal Services District'. In any district, contract language could be added to further restrict the use of the property. In this case, there was a contract zoning that stated 'no take out service'. Any contract language can be requested to be removed. That is what they applied for and received approval for in February of 2021, allowing for the drive-through."

Wallace says now that those changes have been made, plans can move forward to work towards the construction of an eventual drive-through on site. The next step would be to apply for a building permit, which has yet to be filed with the City.

"On December 30, 2021, a Land Development Permit was approved by the PB [Planning Board] to construct a 135 square foot addition for the drive-through as well as for updates to parking and green space areas. No building permit for the 135-square-foot addition has been applied for as of yet."

We reached out to the folks at Gifford's to see what a possible timeframe would look like, but we imagine they've had their hands full, scooping cone-fulls of Moose Tracks or Muddy Boots.

But we'll be sure to update the story once we know more. Until then, it's certainly something to look forward to!