Baskin-Robbins' franchise founding (1945)
Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins opened the first Baskin-Robbins in Glendale, California, in 1945, building the chain on a franchise model. Each shop was owned and run by a local franchisee, not the company itself.
The chain expanded rapidly, and its 31-flavor rotation became a signature.
Franchising made individual location openings and closings a routine part of the business.
This Louisville shop's licence dates from 1988, well within that franchise era. A single location vanishing from a licence list is a normal event in a network of locally run stores.
