Ben & Jerry’s will give away free cones on April 3

Do you enjoy ice cream? Do you enjoy it even more when it's free?

Between noon and 8 p.m. on Monday, April 3, customers can stop by their local Ben & Jerry's shop for Free Cone Day to pick up a scoop of ice cream in a cup or sugar cone free of charge.

The first free cone day dates back to 1979. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield had opened their first store in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt., the previous year, and the free cone day was a way to give back to customers for their support, according to their website.

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"They were really excited that they made it their first year in business, and they wanted to celebrate, so they thought, how could they celebrate with their customers and thank them?," said Jason Sweeney, franchise owner and operator at the Faneuil Hall location.

The first store beyond Vermont to participate in the event was in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 1984, according to the website. And during the event in 2015, the company served more than 1,000,000 free scoops across Ben & Jerry's locations worldwide.

To grab a free scoop nearby, head to Ben & Jerry's locations in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, Braintree, and Natick.

Sweeney said the Ben & Jerry's in Faneuil Hall Marketplace is hoping to surpass its record of 9,945 cones this year by reaching 10,000.

On Newbury Street, Ben & Jerry's will be serving new flavors, including "Lights! Caramel Action!" — vanilla ice cream with salted caramel, graham crackers, and chocolate chip cookie dough — and "Churray for Churros!" — cinnamon ice cream with churros and cinnamon swirls.

The location will also be partnering with the National Center for Race Amity, which works to further cross-cultural and cross-racial friendships, according to their website.

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If you are unsure of which scoop to pick, Ben & Jerry's website has a survey with 11 questions to help determine your ideal ice cream based on your personality. Questions include "What is your favorite food trend?" and "What's your favorite weekend activity?"

"We had to take a break due to COVID, so we’re really excited for [Free Cone Day] to return," said Sweeney. "It's a tradition that our customers love and our staff really enjoys."

Maddie Browning can be reached at [email protected].