From left, Ylli Berisha and Henry Kruchko, co-owners of Sweet Dreams in Hartford.
New signage for Sweet Dreams, formerly Mickey’s.
From left, Ylli Berisha and Henry Kruchko, co-owners of Sweet Dreams in Hartford.
New signage for Sweet Dreams, formerly Mickey’s.
HARTFORD — On Nov. 15, 2024, Sweet Dreams made the announcement that it would be opening its third location in Hartford, at what was formerly Mickey’s Frozen Custard, 675 Grand Ave., and now just under four months later it is making its final preparations to open by the end of March.
According to owner of the Sweet Dreams Hartland location and co-owner of its Waukesha location, Ylli Berisha, when he saw that Mickey’s was available for sale, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“Honestly, it’s such an iconic place. It’s a staple around there,” Berisha said. “Us (Sweet Dreams), having the same idea and the same theme kind of made the old owner say, ‘You guys are good to go.’” He added that growing up in the area, he has fond memories of going to Mickey’s every weekend and wanted to see life brought back into the restaurant.
“A buddy of mine had a house [in Hartford] and I remember every weekend I would go there,” Berisha said. “When I found out that it has been shut down I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we need to reach out, because this is a huge deal.’” Berisha, who co-owns the Sweet Dreams Waukesha and now Hartford locations with Henry Kruchko, added that when they made the announcement they had purchased Mickey’s, it was exciting to see the reaction from the Hartford community.
“We put it on Facebook that we bought Mickey’s, and it literally got over 20,000 views for a small video in a day,” Berisha said. “The whole Hartford (community) is super, super excited.”
According to Berisha, because Sweet Dreams and Mickey’s were fairly similar restaurants, customers can expect things to be similar once Sweet Dreams officially opens.
“It’s going to be pretty much the same,” Berisha said. “Me and my business partner, Henry, are both car guys, so there will definitely be car shows and there will be a Twowheel Tuesday like they used to have.
“Honestly, it’s going to be 85% the same. We’re just changing the name and adding some stuff to the menu.”
He added that Sweet Dreams will also be open all year round.
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In addition to some new menu items, Berisha said that there will also be call ahead to-go ordering available at Sweet Dreams once they open.
“You’re going to be able to call-in an order, pull up to a parking spot — we will have numbers on each parking spot — and then we will say ‘pull-up to number six and we will bring it to you shortly’ (for example),” Berisha said. “It’s going to be all-year-round.”
Berisha also said that there may be a few other changes in the future, such as adding interior dining space, but that will be decided at a future date.
“If the first year goes well, we’re going to keep going and possibly expand it where people can actually sit an enjoy their meals in a dine-in area,” said Berisha.
He added that he had been asked about the buildings custard sign, and that will stay, too.
“I know that that was one of the main concerns for people,” said Berisha.
According to Berisha, the plan is to be open by the end of the month, with the aim to be open by the last Saturday of the month.
Once Sweet Dreams is open, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The plan is to be open six days a week, but before finalizing the days, they want to test it out to see which days are slow, according to Berisha.
“We are just super excited,” Berisha said. “Hartford has been super supportive, and we can’t wait. Hopefully at the end of this month, we will be open.”
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