Big Buck's OBX

Big Buck's traces back to 1994, when Belinda opened the first shop in the then-new TimBuck II shopping center in Corolla, North Carolina. The business has stayed woman-owned and family-supported through more than three decades of growth, expanding from that single Corolla counter to additional locations in Kitty Hawk, Manteo and Duck; the Kitty Hawk shop sits in the Buccaneer's Walk Shopping Center on the Outer Banks' main commercial strip. Each location makes its ice cream fresh daily on-site, using fresh milk, cream and sugar pasteurized into a dense, super-premium base rather than buying in a wholesale mix -- the same from-scratch approach across every store rather than a central commissary. The menu pairs that homemade ice cream with handmade Belgian chocolates and espresso drinks, plus ice cream cakes and frozen lemonade for takeaway. It suits beach-town visitors looking for a walk-up cone or sundae rather than a sit-down dessert restaurant, with the chocolate and espresso counter giving it more range than a typical seasonal ice cream stand. Three decades of continuous operation under the same family ownership is unusual for a beach-town seasonal business, and it shows in the multi-location footprint the original Corolla shop has since built.