Downtown Long Beach is getting a flavorful new addition as The Bascom Group announces a lease agreement bringing San Diego’s popular sports bar chain Dirty Birds to a prime retail space at 200 Pine Avenue.

The deal marks another milestone in the ongoing revitalization of Long Beach, particularly within its bustling downtown entertainment corridor.

A Prime Location in the Heart of Downtown

The newly leased space spans 3,039 square feet on the ground floor of 200 Pine Avenue, a six-story office tower that has undergone significant renovations in recent years. The building, a recognizable fixture in the downtown skyline, includes:

• Class “A” upgraded common areas
• A 123-stall parking structure
• Strong tenant retention history
• Existing retail neighbors like Agaves Kitchen & Tequila and Agaves Ultra Lounge

An additional 4,923-square-foot lower-level space remains available and is already attracting interest for a potential speakeasy-style nightclub concept.

Dirty Birds Brings Its Signature Energy North

Founded in San Diego, Dirty Birds has built a loyal following as a high-energy sports bar known for:

• Award-winning chicken wings with unique flavors like Dirty Blue and Apple Bourbon Chipotle
• A lively, fan-focused atmosphere filled with sports memorabilia
• A diverse menu including burgers, sandwiches, salads, and craft beer

With multiple locations across San Diego neighborhoods like Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and near San Diego State University, the brand has established itself as a go-to destination for sports fans.

Its expansion into Long Beach represents a strategic move into a rapidly growing urban market.

Downtown Long Beach’s Ongoing Transformation

The arrival of Dirty Birds reflects broader momentum in downtown Long Beach, fueled by public and private investment. According to Bascom leadership, the area is experiencing a surge in activity driven by:

• Community events like the DTLB Live! series
• Streetscape and public space improvements
• Increased residential and mixed-use development

Nearby landmarks include:

• Billie Jean King Main Library
• Long Beach City Hall
• Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center

The location also benefits from excellent transit access, including proximity to the Metro A Line.

Olympic Spotlight and Future Growth

Looking ahead, Long Beach is poised for global attention as a key venue city for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The city is expected to host 11 sporting events, making it one of the most active Olympic hubs outside Los Angeles itself.

This global spotlight is accelerating over $1.7 billion in development projects, including:

• Waterfront transformations
• Expanded residential housing
• Infrastructure upgrades through the Elevate 28 program

What This Means for Long Beach

The addition of Dirty Birds is more than just a new restaurant—it’s another indicator of a city on the rise. As downtown Long Beach continues to evolve into a vibrant live-work-play destination, high-profile tenants like Dirty Birds help:

• Strengthen the local economy
• Enhance nightlife and dining options
• Attract both residents and visitors

With an anticipated opening later this year, Dirty Birds is set to become a new hotspot for sports fans and food lovers alike.

Related Links

• 200 Pine Avenue Property Details
• LoopNet Listing for 200 Pine Avenue
• The Bascom Group Official Website
• Downtown Long Beach Plan

At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.

Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience. https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/

Limited-edition frozen drink brings the classic Creamsicle flavor back in a blend-it-yourself format at convenience stores, campuses, and theaters nationwide

Fans of nostalgic frozen treats have a new option this spring. f’real and Good Humor have teamed up to launch a limited-edition Orange Creamsicle Milkshake, a frozen drink inspired by the classic Good Humor Creamsicle Bar.

Available for a limited time, the new f’real Orange Creamsicle Milkshake blends orange and vanilla cream flavors into a sippable frozen drink made with real milk. The concept is simple: take a familiar warm-weather favorite and turn it into a quick, customizable treat for people on the go.

A Familiar Flavor, Reworked for Convenience

The product leans on a flavor combination many consumers already know well. Orange and vanilla have long been tied to the Creamsicle name, and that built-in recognition gives the launch an advantage in a crowded frozen novelty market.

Instead of offering another traditional frozen bar, the companies are betting on format. The milkshake uses f’real’s self-serve blending system, which lets customers grab a cup from the freezer, remove the lid, and blend it in-store in under a minute. Three thickness settings add a level of customization that fits with current demand for quick, personalized snack options.

Where to Find the Orange Creamsicle Milkshake

The Orange Creamsicle Milkshake is now available at retail locations nationwide, including convenience stores, college campuses, and movie theaters. Participating retailers include Kwik Trip, Sheetz, Circle K, Yesway, RaceTrac, Weigel’s, and Royal Farms. The suggested retail price for the 12-ounce milkshake is $3.99.

For consumers wondering where to buy the f’real Orange Creamsicle Milkshake, the company says its store locator can help shoppers find a blender nearby.

Why This Release Stands Out

This launch lands at a time when nostalgic flavors continue to show up across food and beverage categories. That does not guarantee success, but it does give brands a ready-made hook with consumers who respond to familiar tastes tied to memory and seasonality.

The partnership also makes sense on a branding level. Good Humor brings a century-old frozen treat identity, while f’real brings a format built around convenience-store traffic, impulse purchases, and quick preparation. Together, they are not reinventing the category so much as repackaging a recognizable flavor in a way that feels current.

For shoppers, the appeal is straightforward: a classic orange-and-vanilla flavor in milkshake form, available for a limited time during spring. Whether that is enough to turn the product into a seasonal hit remains to be seen, but the nostalgia factor gives it a strong starting point.

Source:
PR Newswire press release from f’real, issued March 23, 2026.

Advertisement

Related external links:

• f’real
• Good Humor
• Rich Products

Easter Is for Adults Now, Too

Ferrero’s latest survey suggests the holiday candy aisle is no longer just about kids. It is also about nostalgia, self-indulgence, and adults openly claiming a place in traditions they were once expected to outgrow.

At some point, adults stopped pretending they were only buying Easter candy for the kids.

Ferrero North America’s latest Easter Candy Survey leans hard into that reality, arguing that the “Adultoween” energy the company has been tracking around Halloween has now fully crossed into spring. According to the survey, 66% of North American adults say they deserve an Easter basket just as much as children do. If that sounds less like a shocking revelation and more like a formal acknowledgment of what has already been happening in grocery store checkout lines for years, that is probably because it is.

The bigger story here is not just that adults like candy. Of course they do. It is that brands are becoming much more comfortable marketing nostalgia, ritual, and seasonal indulgence directly to grown-ups. Easter, once framed mostly as a family holiday centered on children, is increasingly being recast as a shared cultural event where adults are not just participating politely. They are fully in it.

The Easter Bunny Has Entered the Group Chat

Ferrero’s survey of 1,000 adults in the United States and Canada paints a picture of Easter as a holiday that now comes with brunch plans, premium baskets, personal candy stashes, and a surprising amount of competitive behavior. Seventy percent of respondents said Easter is the best time of year for both adults and kids to indulge in candy together. Nearly half said they are likely to host or attend an adult Easter brunch, party, or gathering.

Then there are the confessions, which are really the heart of the whole thing. More than one in three adults said they have eaten their children’s Easter candy without telling them. More than one in four said they have competed with their own kids to find Easter eggs first. Eighteen percent admitted to cheating to win.

None of this is exactly noble, but it is revealing. The modern holiday experience is less about adults facilitating magic from the sidelines and more about everyone wanting in on the fun. Ferrero is smart to recognize that. Seasonal candy marketing has traditionally leaned on childhood wonder. What it is leaning on now is something slightly different: the idea that adulthood is stressful, nostalgia sells, and nobody really wants to age out of joy.

Candy as Culture, Not Just Confection

The survey also suggests that adults are not treating Easter candy as an afterthought. More than half of respondents said they would pay extra for a premium Easter basket, spending an average of $23 on a chocolate bunny or specialty treat. Dark chocolate, peanut butter candy, and chocolate eggs topped the wish lists. More than half also said Easter candy tastes better than Halloween candy, which feels like the kind of claim that could start arguments at a family gathering.

What matters more than the specific rankings, though, is what they signal. Holidays are increasingly being marketed as lifestyle moments rather than fixed traditions. The basket is no longer just for children. It is a seasonal self-care package, a joke, a nostalgic ritual, and a low-stakes luxury purchase all at once.

That shift says something broader about consumer culture. Adults are being invited to reclaim the symbols of childhood not because society has become less serious, but because modern life often feels serious all the time. A chocolate bunny is cheap therapy. A private stash of mini eggs is a coping mechanism with pastel packaging.

Why This Trend Matters

It would be easy to dismiss all of this as clever branding wrapped around survey data, and to be fair, Ferrero clearly knows how to turn consumer behavior into a seasonal narrative. But the company is tapping into something real. The line between kids’ traditions and adult participation has been softening for a while, whether that shows up in Halloween, themed merchandise, collectibles, or holiday food culture.

Easter now appears to be joining that list. Not because adults suddenly discovered candy in 2026, but because they are increasingly willing to admit that these rituals still mean something to them. Not everything has to be optimized, productive, or age-appropriate in the most boring sense of the phrase. Sometimes people just want the basket.

Advertisement

Ferrero’s Easter lineup this year includes products from Butterfinger, CRUNCH, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Nutella, Mother’s Cookies, Keebler, and Tic Tac, among others. The survey was conducted by Golin in partnership with Dynata between January 13 and January 27, 2026, among 1,000 respondents in the United States and Canada, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

External Related Links

• Ferrero North America
• Ferrero Rocher Easter Products
• Kinder Easter Candy Collection
• Nutella Products and Brand Information
• PRNewswire Consumer Lifestyle News

Source: Ferrero North America via PRNewswire

The Food and Drink section at STM Daily News delivers fresh coverage on dining, drinks, recipes, and the food stories bringing communities together.