A cute, yet vampire-esc dessert shop recently opened in Idaho Falls.
Vampire Penguin offers unique snow-like treats. It was founded by brothers Paolo and Leo San Luis in California in 2013. They have more than 40 locations throughout the U.S.
Susan Lopez and her boyfriend Vernon Glasscock are the owners of the local Vampire Penguin. They moved to Eastern Idaho from Georgia so Glasscock could work at the Idaho National Laboratory. Lopez found work as a nurse at the Saint Anthony Work Camp.
Lopez planned to buy a house, but Glasscock had other plans.
“He came up with the bright idea to open a Vampire Penguin, so I wasn’t completely convinced that that was what I wanted to do with the money,” Lopez said.
That’s until after pondering the decision, Lopez remembered her late son who died 15 years ago.
“One day when I was on my way to work, I had a memory of my son. I remembered that he loved penguins, so it kind of became my final deciding factor on going forward with opening a Vampire Penguin,” Lopez said.
She had always wanted to open a restaurant, and this was her chance.
Not only do they sell the gourmet-style snow, but they also sell food like hamburgers, wings and fries.
Finding a building to lease wasn’t easy for Lopez and Glasscock. After looking around town, they saw a for lease sign on the west side of the river. The building at 525 River Pkwy., which also houses the Westbank Convention Center, was up for grabs.
It’s the largest Vampire Penguin in the nation.
“The founders were kind of nervous because the space was a little large. They recommend a space that is about 1,000 square feet,” Lopez said.
The building is over three times that size.
The location is right along the River Walk and the falls. Lopez feels it’s a great location.
“I just knew this is the perfect place to do this; the view is beautiful, we’ve got the greenbelt right here, we’re surrounded by hotels and it just seemed like the perfect fit for what we wanted to do,” Lopez said.
They hope to hold different seasonal events. Lopez wants to tap into the spooky styled atmosphere and host a Halloween party.
“I was thinking if that is successful, we’d like to do something maybe for New Year’s Eve as well,” Lopez said.
They may even be open to private parties as well.
You can learn more about Vampire Penguin on their website at vampirepenguinif.com or view their menu here.