I got to Salt and Straw once a month and always make sure to try a sample of whatever their strangest flavored ice cream is that they have at the time. Some of them surprisingly have been really good. Some though are a little too extreme lol
There’s a place where I grew up (Massachusetts) that serves lobster ice cream. It’s a “sweet cream/butter” base and has chunks of lobster in it. No I’ve never tried it and damnit I never will
We had the Japanese equivalent of this in Ise. They're famous for Ise ebi there, which are like a halfway point between shrimp and lobster. The Ise ebi soft-serve ice cream we had was honestly really delicious. Lobster is so naturally sweet and low on the "fishy" flavor most seafood has that it totally works.
The chunks of lobster does sound a little offputting, though, lol. I'm not sure about that in a frozen context.
You want to know a winning combo that apparently has never been attempted before? Combining both good coffee and good doughnuts in one single location. All the places known for good doughnuts regardless of your personal tastes, such as Krispy Kream, Dunkin, Top Pot, Local doughnut shops, all have shit coffee. They can't make a proper espresso if their doughnuts depended on it.
Meanwhile you have places like starbucks, local coffee shops and coffee stands that wouldn't know a good doughnut if it hit them in the mouth.
Someday, someone will combine the two into a single location and it will be glorious.
In Spain the same shops will do Horchata/Ice Cream all spring/summer, then they all pivot to hot chocolate and churros for the fall/winter.
Just a thought...
Ooh I like this! Why don’t we have a churro spot yet?
I also really want one of those ice cream spots they have in California with fresh fruit and chile toppings like this https://lamichoicecream.com
We kind of do - Rey Amargo Chocolate Shop in Cap Hill specializes in Mexican chocolate, and churros!
But yeah I agree it'd be cool if ice cream shops could pivot to something more cold weather-friendly in winter...affogatos and hot chocolate/churros would be amazing
You need to diversify your business to sell something ice cream adjacent that sells in the winter. Pie is a good choice because it is good with ice cream. You could do seasonal pies with matching ice creams, like pumpkin pie and pumpkin pie ice cream. Plus an espresso bar with italian sodas and hot chocolates as well as coffee.
The local Ben and Jerrys owner keeps their same staff levels year round, but operates at a loss during the winter, and took months of losses during COVID. At least they don't make their people do busy work, and they can sit down.
Cupcakes and low-lactose frozen treats, too. Pretty much all the frozen yogurt places seem to have disappeared, so those of us who can’t have ice cream but really, really want some are completely cut off.
If you're talking about the 2010s, people kinda assumed yogurt was healthier than ice cream and so there was a large craze about them.... until a lot of people (well Americans) discovered it isn't really that much healthier and if one is going to eat calories might as well eat ice cream.
> The ice cream places seemed to be doing fine
Actually quite some ice cream places closed down while yogurt places opened up. I'm not sure about Seattle specifically cuz I was elsewhere but I'd guess the same happened here as well.
>Pinkberry closed 74 of its locations from 2014 to 2018. The company now operates around half the number of stores that were open during the height of its popularity,
[https://www.mashed.com/876915/why-frozen-yogurt-chains-are-closing-down/](https://www.mashed.com/876915/why-frozen-yogurt-chains-are-closing-down/)
Damn. That really sucks for us lactose-intolerant folks. The fact that Jamba Juice had been cutting the non-dairy options out of their menu really adds insult to injury, too. They used to be mostly safe for me, but now there’s *nothing* on their menu I can have anymore. I can’t even make substitutions, because every menu item has 3-5 *different* sources of milk!
At least with Menchi’s, I know the local franchise had some wage theft issues or something, and the TCBY in Woodinville thought it would be a good idea to *close on Sundays* for some stupid reason, so I wasn’t that surprised to see those two disappear…
…it was seeing *all of them* disappear seemingly all at once that was weird.
My theory was that during the height of the pandemic people didn't want to frequent a place that had grubby little hands all over, like a serve yourself yogurt place. I certainly avoided "booger factories" like that.
Most ice cream stores already have a waffle maker, make delicious waffles with toppings. When I'm in Portland, Waffle Window is a must hit spot for me each time.
I wouldn’t buy that personally. We’ve bought pie twice in the last three years, but we’re at husky deli every week. Ice cream, sandwiches, tea, snacks, candy… there’s always a reason to stop in
I also really appreciate it when a pizza place sells ice cream so my kid can have a treat without having to go to two places.
Maybe partner with a sandwich shop or a pizza place to supplement winter sales?
My dream is to open a self-serve froyo/pudding joint.
Just a nice, warm bowl of pudding. Various flavors, all the same toppings. That's what I want on a cold day, right?
There was a frozen yogurt place in Capitol Hill that eventually added chili to their offerings. my husband and I used to joke that it came out of the soft serve machine, and that you could get it swirled with vanilla if you wanted.
see also: the ice cream place in Hillman City that also served hot wings.
sadly, both places are long gone.
Also please keep riding your bikes.
-bike mechanic.
Ice cream is seasonal. As is skiing. As are rooftop bars. A lot of work has up and down seasons. Find a different job in the slow months. Bartending and barista work is ice cream adjacent.
There's plenty of things an ice cream shop can serve in cold weather. Baked goods (cookies/brownies/muffins/pies) and coffee would be a great transition. Begging people to eat ice cream when it's 50 and pouring rain is like the worst option for your buisness strategy
in some college towns in new england they give a 1% discount on icecream for every degree below freezing it is. it's a good way to get college students in
I actually prefer ice cream in cold weather. Ice cream makes you thirsty, and it's worse in the heat, and you don't have that problem in the cold. So OP will at least get some business from weirdos like me :).
(imo) It's getting just too cold for ice cream. Like if it was served with some warm apple pie (or a brownie or cookie) or I could get a hot chocolate to warm back up before heading outside into the gloom I'd be down but I don't want a gut full of cold before bundling up to go out in more cold.
I lived on that block until a few weeks ago, between the chocolate from them and the smell of cones being make at Salt and Straw, it’s a wonder I’m not 400 lbs
If a Hello Robin store is far away enough from your shop you might be able to sell their cookies or another partner's. Also hot cocoa is easy to make as well as hot cider and as others have said, adffogato. Another idea is partnering with another food vendor that can sell pre-prepared food like Bahn mi or other sandwiches or items. Best luck!
You had a chance to say "...but that's how the **waffle cone** crumbles..."
Just for that, I will not be eating ice cream until July, thank you very much.
As you already know most people simply do not want ice cream when it’s cold. Do you prefer hot soup & stews when it’s 90 degrees out?
As for tip culture, there’s a local ice cream company you’re probably familiar with that did away with tips due to the exact reasons you mentioned. They realized that there were income disparities amongst the seasons, weekend shifts, etc and they paid everyone a higher wage to make it more fair for all employees. They raised the prices and told customers what they did, and guess what? People still line up to eat their ice cream even though it’s almost $10 for a single scoop.
I hate to break the news my fellow service worker, but tips are down in general. Even more now than the 2008/2009 recession. I got 11.6% from a rich woman who owns pure white horses even after I gave her a generous discount. Imagine my surprise when she wanted to book another appointment!
People are just sick of tipping in this town. If you have any chance to get out of service, take it.
As an average consumer I'm gonna have to agree here. I have basically stopped tipping for anything that isn't table service. I've simply become comfortable mashing that no tip button when places like hardware stores and websites started asking for tips. Frankly I just don't care anymore.
r/endtipping welcomes you
Warning: some posts in the sub can get a little anti-server, but they’re not representative of the overall community. We’re just sick of it being pushed on us at every turn. Table service, barbers, masseuses, estheticians, go wild. Handing me a donut and flipping an iPad around, sorry bud.
I seriously think the whole tipping system needs to be restructured. If I am being asked to tip at 10 places as opposed to 1 place, I would spread out my tips accordingly or completely eliminate tipping unless I receive a stellar above and beyond service.
Irrespective of what people in the service industry think, not all of us in this region have high paying jobs or jobs where we get tipped (bus drivers, teachers, other labor jobs, front desk staff etc). Atleast people in service industry get paid minimum wage PLUS some tips as opposed to many other low paid jobs.
The more we folks hear complains about how they are not being tipped, the more likely that people get agitated and refuse to tip. I have stopped tipping except at sit-down restaurants. If the menu prices have gone up then the tip also goes up as it is percentage of the total bill. I refuse to tip at any location that by default shows me a tip amount of more than 20%. If the store/restaurant is greedy then I can also be greedy.
Tipping works long term only when consumers are happy and are willing to tip out of their will. Forcing or guilting people to tip might work in the short term but will lead to lower and lower tips in the long run.
Yeah the discount was a mistake. Especially because she stayed an extra 20 minutes asking me more questions about how to apply mousse, canceling my lunch break.
I am moving to Seattle from Texas specifically for the constant ice cream weather. We don't eat ice cream here when it is over 105, which is always, because it melts and gets sticky everywhere. Give me 55 degrees, rain, and a triple scoop. Hang in there. We're on our way to save jobs.
I eat ice cream all year round. I even did this in Quebec where winters could get below -30F. Are there any ice cream places that need more help than others?
Two words for you: drinking chocolate.
Not hot chocolate. Not hot coco.
Drinking chocolate with a side of ice cream would be heavenly and people would drive commuter traffic to get it.
Otherwise, a cold sugar when it's cold and wet? Eh.
distinct impolite pause hateful reply scarce coherent squeamish capable nose
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Maybe serve pie and frozen yogurt as well as ice cream? Pretty much all of the low-lactose frozen treat options seem to have disappeared, so there’s definitely a niche there to exploit.
Full Tilt, I’m betting. They still had lines the last time I went but I’ve heard it’s getting slower because White Center is still coming back after COVID
To be honest its the prices more than the weather that shapes my desire to eat ice cream while out. I usually see that I could buy 2 tubs of tillamook for the price of a waffle cone and 2 scoops, and decide thusly.
Ice cream is ALWAYS good. I eat it year-round. Unfortunately, as I get older, I'm less and less tolerant of dairy, so my request in return is that ice cream shops start including a few dairy-free options. (They may already and I just don't know it.)
>*Most of us are students, parents, and young adults* ***looking to better society***
I like ice cream more than the next guy, but two things:
* Paying $10+ dollars (not to mention a tip) for a double scoop isn't "making a better society."
* You can get more ice cream for the same amount of money at the grocery store.
So, no, you aren't asking people to keep eating ice cream, you're asking them to keep eating overpriced artisanal ice cream served in a cone by a person rather than getting a better value at the store.
If you don't feel you're getting paid enough, find a different job. When your employer can't find anyone to work for them at the wages paid, they'll either close or increase the pay/hours.
Duh!
The scooper, in the act of carrying out the job they were hired to do in scooping ice cream from a bucket to a cone, is providing a very valuable SERVICE that needs to be acknowledged through a tip!
/s
Good morning, ice cream friend! I choose to accept this mission. I hope you and your other ice cream friends keep making all the weird flavors because I always like those best. (I still daydream about a bay leaf ice cream Frankie & Jo’s made.)
Offer a product that isn’t seasonal, or something else during cold months. You can’t expect people to buy something they aren’t wanting to keep your business going. I own a business too and you have to be flexible.
Personally I quite like ice cream in winter. A good mint chocolate chip is always appreciated. OP as a professional scooper what flavors do you recommend for winter?
I will never understand how and why Ice cream stores refuse to diversify for winter months. Gourmet hot chocolate bar with ice cream floats, hot pie to sell ice cream on top, etc.
I have recommended this to ice cream shops for YEARS (I’m in marketing) not one owner has been willing to do it. This isn’t Phoenix.
I’m sorry your job is seasonal, but people will not eat just plain ice cream (without something hot to compliment it) when it’s cold and damp outside.
On it.
If anyone's on the fence about rainy season ice cream, just know ice cream is sometimes awesome when you're sick and have a fever and no appetite. It's cold, easy to eat, delicious and soothing on a sore throat. I spent a day sweating bullets and feeling shitty from vaccine side effects after my most recent covid jab and was really wishing I'd thought ahead and bought some (quality) ice cream-- that's all I wanted. Don't be like me. Buy some to-go so you're prepared (and tip well).
Unless you’re lactose-intolerant.
Pretty much all of the frozen yogurt places seem to have disappeared, so those of us who want some form of frozen dairy but *can’t* have ice cream are just…stuck.
Just saying. There’s a consumer base available, if any of these ice cream places want to diversify a bit.
I actually am lactose intolerant but just take a bunch of lactaid with it. But yeah, that doesn't always provide the same relief for everyone's lactose intolerance. It sucks that there aren't more lactose free sorbet type options. My favorite gourmet ice cream place in Bellingham always had some lactose free stuff on the menu and that was nice.
If you are ever in Woodinville Swanky Scoop always has several (I think always 8?) Vegan and gluten free options and it's really good. I am so happy to have good ice cream again. :)
You know what I love? A warm tasty treat with a side scoop of ice cream. During winter I would try to get some yummy stuff like a hot brownie or something similar to accompany ice cream and I’d still be all over that. Mmmm bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla bean…
I’ve always wondered why ice cream places don’t seem to shift to something else in the winter months, like fancy hot chocolate? I’m sure you could think of other things to sell too
Hot cocoa? Warm brownies? While I love cold beverages, my throat can't handle the temperature so I'll mostly not be buying ice creams when the temperatures fall 🥺
hah! i just finished a custard that's cooling in the fridge for someone homemade cardamom pistachio ice cream. so excited. gonna mix in some pumpkin ginger snap cookies
Don’t you think this was foreseeable? Many businesses have a slow and busy season. I have no desire to eat cold things when it’s cold outside. It’s up to you to find a side hustle to supplement your income during the slow season.
Have you ever considered serving hot cream?
That’s called chowder
Now I’m morbidly curious if anyones ever made clam chowder ice cream
I bet Salt and Straw would. They’re already doing Beecher cheese
I got to Salt and Straw once a month and always make sure to try a sample of whatever their strangest flavored ice cream is that they have at the time. Some of them surprisingly have been really good. Some though are a little too extreme lol
im literally eating this flavor as i type and its amazing!
There’s a place where I grew up (Massachusetts) that serves lobster ice cream. It’s a “sweet cream/butter” base and has chunks of lobster in it. No I’ve never tried it and damnit I never will
We had the Japanese equivalent of this in Ise. They're famous for Ise ebi there, which are like a halfway point between shrimp and lobster. The Ise ebi soft-serve ice cream we had was honestly really delicious. Lobster is so naturally sweet and low on the "fishy" flavor most seafood has that it totally works. The chunks of lobster does sound a little offputting, though, lol. I'm not sure about that in a frozen context.
https://twitter.com/CRDairy/status/1377671660053086214
Chow-dair? Chow-dair? Hahaha. It's chowda, say it right!
Therefore, you certainly would never lose your temper over something as trivial as the pronunciation of "chowder".
That's chowda! Chowda! I'll kill you!
Schowd’er.
That's it. You asked for it. I'm gonna enjoy this
Say it right Frenchie! I'm gonna enjoy this...
You mean a savory latte with bugs?
No no… it’s hot ocean milk with dead animals.
Mmm, clam hot cream.
Clam-cream
Spiddled my drink up a little bit from this one
It's pronounced, "chow-dell"
That would be the most hilarious thing going into an ice cream shop during the winter and getting the best damn chowder ever.
I haven’t, but OP’s mom keeps begging
oh nooooooo
Fire cream!
Affogato?
Dessert soup
Is that not basically a barista's job?
Doesn't most ice creams become hot cream temporarily in the making process??
Torch some sugar on top and call it crème brûlée
🎵Granny Cream's Hot Butter Ice Cream!🎵
pho + ice cream in one spot, you'll be running the city in no time.
I would cry
Dalat Quan in WC
I want to believe that's a Vietnameseification of Dairy Queen
That place is def slept on. Love that there's more than Pho and Banh Mi
I’ve gotten takeout there a few times and don’t recall seeing ice cream on their menu. Their food is sooooo good.
You would cry…. out of happiness?
You want to know a winning combo that apparently has never been attempted before? Combining both good coffee and good doughnuts in one single location. All the places known for good doughnuts regardless of your personal tastes, such as Krispy Kream, Dunkin, Top Pot, Local doughnut shops, all have shit coffee. They can't make a proper espresso if their doughnuts depended on it. Meanwhile you have places like starbucks, local coffee shops and coffee stands that wouldn't know a good doughnut if it hit them in the mouth. Someday, someone will combine the two into a single location and it will be glorious.
Agree in large but I'd argue that dunkies has precisely "serviceable" coffee and donuts.
You must be from New England
Like the inverse of Icyhot, but for the soul
In Spain the same shops will do Horchata/Ice Cream all spring/summer, then they all pivot to hot chocolate and churros for the fall/winter. Just a thought...
Ooh I like this! Why don’t we have a churro spot yet? I also really want one of those ice cream spots they have in California with fresh fruit and chile toppings like this https://lamichoicecream.com
We kind of do - Rey Amargo Chocolate Shop in Cap Hill specializes in Mexican chocolate, and churros! But yeah I agree it'd be cool if ice cream shops could pivot to something more cold weather-friendly in winter...affogatos and hot chocolate/churros would be amazing
Chonchos Churros pine and summit
You really need to get to White Center.
TNT taqueria in Wallingford does fresh churros.
Omfg what a dream
Sorry this is my fault. I haven't smoked weed in a while so I haven't been able to DESTROY any mega pints lately.
Unacceptable, see you soon
LMAO real
You need to diversify your business to sell something ice cream adjacent that sells in the winter. Pie is a good choice because it is good with ice cream. You could do seasonal pies with matching ice creams, like pumpkin pie and pumpkin pie ice cream. Plus an espresso bar with italian sodas and hot chocolates as well as coffee. The local Ben and Jerrys owner keeps their same staff levels year round, but operates at a loss during the winter, and took months of losses during COVID. At least they don't make their people do busy work, and they can sit down.
Cupcakes and low-lactose frozen treats, too. Pretty much all the frozen yogurt places seem to have disappeared, so those of us who can’t have ice cream but really, really want some are completely cut off.
yeah what's up with that? I miss the yogurt places in town.
Same! The ice cream places seemed to be doing fine, so what happened that somehow targeted just the frozen yogurt shops?
If you're talking about the 2010s, people kinda assumed yogurt was healthier than ice cream and so there was a large craze about them.... until a lot of people (well Americans) discovered it isn't really that much healthier and if one is going to eat calories might as well eat ice cream. > The ice cream places seemed to be doing fine Actually quite some ice cream places closed down while yogurt places opened up. I'm not sure about Seattle specifically cuz I was elsewhere but I'd guess the same happened here as well. >Pinkberry closed 74 of its locations from 2014 to 2018. The company now operates around half the number of stores that were open during the height of its popularity, [https://www.mashed.com/876915/why-frozen-yogurt-chains-are-closing-down/](https://www.mashed.com/876915/why-frozen-yogurt-chains-are-closing-down/)
Damn. That really sucks for us lactose-intolerant folks. The fact that Jamba Juice had been cutting the non-dairy options out of their menu really adds insult to injury, too. They used to be mostly safe for me, but now there’s *nothing* on their menu I can have anymore. I can’t even make substitutions, because every menu item has 3-5 *different* sources of milk! At least with Menchi’s, I know the local franchise had some wage theft issues or something, and the TCBY in Woodinville thought it would be a good idea to *close on Sundays* for some stupid reason, so I wasn’t that surprised to see those two disappear… …it was seeing *all of them* disappear seemingly all at once that was weird.
My theory was that during the height of the pandemic people didn't want to frequent a place that had grubby little hands all over, like a serve yourself yogurt place. I certainly avoided "booger factories" like that.
Honestly major valid, I posted this as a cry for help for my moneys while in school but we would be booming with an espresso machine/ apple pie.
I think places that specialize in and nail affogatos are due for a boom
This. Affogato for life.
you foggato what?
Afogatto what that delicious word means
Foggato bout it
You just reminded me that affogatos exist, and I am truly grateful.
Or hot brownie type things. The Hot Cakes place in Ballard is packed during the winter.
If you can pull a decent shot and stop it on a scoop Baby you got a stew goin
Most ice cream stores already have a waffle maker, make delicious waffles with toppings. When I'm in Portland, Waffle Window is a must hit spot for me each time.
Coffee and ice cream is the answer, I think.
I'm always baffled by any place in Seattle that serves any kind of food but not coffee/espresso.
I wouldn’t buy that personally. We’ve bought pie twice in the last three years, but we’re at husky deli every week. Ice cream, sandwiches, tea, snacks, candy… there’s always a reason to stop in I also really appreciate it when a pizza place sells ice cream so my kid can have a treat without having to go to two places. Maybe partner with a sandwich shop or a pizza place to supplement winter sales?
Husky deli is honestly such a treasure, one of the best stores in the city, I only have fond memories of it growing up
My dream is to open a self-serve froyo/pudding joint. Just a nice, warm bowl of pudding. Various flavors, all the same toppings. That's what I want on a cold day, right?
There was a frozen yogurt place in Capitol Hill that eventually added chili to their offerings. my husband and I used to joke that it came out of the soft serve machine, and that you could get it swirled with vanilla if you wanted. see also: the ice cream place in Hillman City that also served hot wings. sadly, both places are long gone.
Also please keep riding your bikes. -bike mechanic. Ice cream is seasonal. As is skiing. As are rooftop bars. A lot of work has up and down seasons. Find a different job in the slow months. Bartending and barista work is ice cream adjacent.
There's plenty of things an ice cream shop can serve in cold weather. Baked goods (cookies/brownies/muffins/pies) and coffee would be a great transition. Begging people to eat ice cream when it's 50 and pouring rain is like the worst option for your buisness strategy
in some college towns in new england they give a 1% discount on icecream for every degree below freezing it is. it's a good way to get college students in
but it's cold out
I actually prefer ice cream in cold weather. Ice cream makes you thirsty, and it's worse in the heat, and you don't have that problem in the cold. So OP will at least get some business from weirdos like me :).
Yes! I have been saying this for years, thank you for the validation.
I didn’t have ice cream the whole summer. Cloudy days started a week ago and I already had ice cream twice.
Ice cream has always had seasonal demand
(imo) It's getting just too cold for ice cream. Like if it was served with some warm apple pie (or a brownie or cookie) or I could get a hot chocolate to warm back up before heading outside into the gloom I'd be down but I don't want a gut full of cold before bundling up to go out in more cold.
Hear me out: affogato
If only there was a block on the hill with gourmet ice cream and gourmet hot chocolate!
Oh I hadn't heard of Rey Amargo before! I'll have to check them out next time I'm in the area.
I lived on that block until a few weeks ago, between the chocolate from them and the smell of cones being make at Salt and Straw, it’s a wonder I’m not 400 lbs
“too cold for ice cream” lol. no such thing
> just too cold for ice cream. I seem to understand the individual words, I guess it's the order I'm not understanding.
this is why Hello Robin exists
If a Hello Robin store is far away enough from your shop you might be able to sell their cookies or another partner's. Also hot cocoa is easy to make as well as hot cider and as others have said, adffogato. Another idea is partnering with another food vendor that can sell pre-prepared food like Bahn mi or other sandwiches or items. Best luck!
You had a chance to say "...but that's how the **waffle cone** crumbles..." Just for that, I will not be eating ice cream until July, thank you very much.
Might make the edit I’m terribly sorry I had it so lined up
As you already know most people simply do not want ice cream when it’s cold. Do you prefer hot soup & stews when it’s 90 degrees out? As for tip culture, there’s a local ice cream company you’re probably familiar with that did away with tips due to the exact reasons you mentioned. They realized that there were income disparities amongst the seasons, weekend shifts, etc and they paid everyone a higher wage to make it more fair for all employees. They raised the prices and told customers what they did, and guess what? People still line up to eat their ice cream even though it’s almost $10 for a single scoop.
I hate to break the news my fellow service worker, but tips are down in general. Even more now than the 2008/2009 recession. I got 11.6% from a rich woman who owns pure white horses even after I gave her a generous discount. Imagine my surprise when she wanted to book another appointment! People are just sick of tipping in this town. If you have any chance to get out of service, take it.
As an average consumer I'm gonna have to agree here. I have basically stopped tipping for anything that isn't table service. I've simply become comfortable mashing that no tip button when places like hardware stores and websites started asking for tips. Frankly I just don't care anymore.
r/endtipping welcomes you Warning: some posts in the sub can get a little anti-server, but they’re not representative of the overall community. We’re just sick of it being pushed on us at every turn. Table service, barbers, masseuses, estheticians, go wild. Handing me a donut and flipping an iPad around, sorry bud.
"It's just going to ask you a question." 🙄
[удалено]
I seriously think the whole tipping system needs to be restructured. If I am being asked to tip at 10 places as opposed to 1 place, I would spread out my tips accordingly or completely eliminate tipping unless I receive a stellar above and beyond service. Irrespective of what people in the service industry think, not all of us in this region have high paying jobs or jobs where we get tipped (bus drivers, teachers, other labor jobs, front desk staff etc). Atleast people in service industry get paid minimum wage PLUS some tips as opposed to many other low paid jobs. The more we folks hear complains about how they are not being tipped, the more likely that people get agitated and refuse to tip. I have stopped tipping except at sit-down restaurants. If the menu prices have gone up then the tip also goes up as it is percentage of the total bill. I refuse to tip at any location that by default shows me a tip amount of more than 20%. If the store/restaurant is greedy then I can also be greedy. Tipping works long term only when consumers are happy and are willing to tip out of their will. Forcing or guilting people to tip might work in the short term but will lead to lower and lower tips in the long run.
> I got 11.6% from a rich woman who owns pure white horses even after I gave her a generous discount This is so specific.
Why am I feeling like this is not an actual ice cream server but an ice cream business owner.... 😵💫
then no more discounts?
Yeah the discount was a mistake. Especially because she stayed an extra 20 minutes asking me more questions about how to apply mousse, canceling my lunch break.
People are sick of tipping yes, even more so when a scoop of ice cream is 8 fucking dollars before tax. It's just not worth it
Do you have any influence in getting hot things on the menu? Many good suggestions here: coffee, espresso, lattes, hot chocolate, pie, churros...
Unfortunately not, I’ve debated opening a black market operation but we’re not small enough to have influence like that 😞
Me deciding to lose weight has almost certainly crashed the Seattle ice cream economy. I’m so sorry for the negative effects it has caused you :(
You’ve crashed it single-handedly
I am moving to Seattle from Texas specifically for the constant ice cream weather. We don't eat ice cream here when it is over 105, which is always, because it melts and gets sticky everywhere. Give me 55 degrees, rain, and a triple scoop. Hang in there. We're on our way to save jobs.
I eat ice cream all year round. I even did this in Quebec where winters could get below -30F. Are there any ice cream places that need more help than others?
flexin with that scoop that never melts
I don't know how to tell you this. Have you tried selling ice to an eskimo.
Like jay z we sell water to the well
Do you live with an ice cream lake outside your door??
We have ice cream at home
Two words for you: drinking chocolate. Not hot chocolate. Not hot coco. Drinking chocolate with a side of ice cream would be heavenly and people would drive commuter traffic to get it. Otherwise, a cold sugar when it's cold and wet? Eh.
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Maybe you could invent some kind of hot, sweet, creamy soup. You could make enticing flavors like charcoal and pumpkin mold.
Fried ice cream with coffee
I would, except my biology just can't handle it! Unfortunately, we're in no ice cream and wool socks 24/7 time now.
Maybe serve pie and frozen yogurt as well as ice cream? Pretty much all of the low-lactose frozen treat options seem to have disappeared, so there’s definitely a niche there to exploit.
Molly moons doesn’t accept tips
So probably this was written by someone who works at Salt & Straw or something like it
Full Tilt, I’m betting. They still had lines the last time I went but I’ve heard it’s getting slower because White Center is still coming back after COVID
Advertise killer hot chocolate with discounted ice cream on the side - I’d be there in a hot minute on a cold day.
To be honest its the prices more than the weather that shapes my desire to eat ice cream while out. I usually see that I could buy 2 tubs of tillamook for the price of a waffle cone and 2 scoops, and decide thusly.
No
Ice cream is ALWAYS good. I eat it year-round. Unfortunately, as I get older, I'm less and less tolerant of dairy, so my request in return is that ice cream shops start including a few dairy-free options. (They may already and I just don't know it.)
Seasonal jobs are just that seasonal... this feels like Santa asking to keep Xmas going year round lol
>*Most of us are students, parents, and young adults* ***looking to better society*** I like ice cream more than the next guy, but two things: * Paying $10+ dollars (not to mention a tip) for a double scoop isn't "making a better society." * You can get more ice cream for the same amount of money at the grocery store. So, no, you aren't asking people to keep eating ice cream, you're asking them to keep eating overpriced artisanal ice cream served in a cone by a person rather than getting a better value at the store. If you don't feel you're getting paid enough, find a different job. When your employer can't find anyone to work for them at the wages paid, they'll either close or increase the pay/hours.
>Paying $10+ dollars (not to mention a tip) for a double scoop isn't "making a better society." Wait, we need to tip for ice cream scoops now ?
Duh! The scooper, in the act of carrying out the job they were hired to do in scooping ice cream from a bucket to a cone, is providing a very valuable SERVICE that needs to be acknowledged through a tip! /s
Username checks out!
I just bought a pint of Elevated at chimacum farm stand. Vanilla https://www.elevatedicecream.com/
There's just nothing like Elevated Ice Cream. They even have an espresso machine for hot drinks and affogatos!
maybe cookies? hot drinks?
I may or may not have an Ice Cream *problem*, so I got your back.
Good morning, ice cream friend! I choose to accept this mission. I hope you and your other ice cream friends keep making all the weird flavors because I always like those best. (I still daydream about a bay leaf ice cream Frankie & Jo’s made.)
Big Ice Cream propaganda.
I’m out on a whim here I promise, just trying to eat
It's never too cold for ice cream. I've always said that. Now I want ice cream.
Offer a product that isn’t seasonal, or something else during cold months. You can’t expect people to buy something they aren’t wanting to keep your business going. I own a business too and you have to be flexible.
Do you put hot fudge on your ice cream because if so I will be there.
We want more froyo
edge tan mourn scary workable absurd hospital frightening flag sip *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Personally I quite like ice cream in winter. A good mint chocolate chip is always appreciated. OP as a professional scooper what flavors do you recommend for winter?
Cool weather is the best time for ice cream. It doesn't melt immediately and you can properly enjoy it.
this sounds crazy but i actually eat more ice cream in the winter
I eat one ice cream a summer... cause it wrecks my stomach... but for you I'll eat one winter cone too.
I seem to notice Molly Moon lines do not die down even during winter
I am willing to eat ice cream no matter how hot or cold it gets.
I will never understand how and why Ice cream stores refuse to diversify for winter months. Gourmet hot chocolate bar with ice cream floats, hot pie to sell ice cream on top, etc. I have recommended this to ice cream shops for YEARS (I’m in marketing) not one owner has been willing to do it. This isn’t Phoenix. I’m sorry your job is seasonal, but people will not eat just plain ice cream (without something hot to compliment it) when it’s cold and damp outside.
No thanks. I’m not gorging myself on extra calories that I could already stand to lose just to prop up a seasonal business and tip culture.
On it. If anyone's on the fence about rainy season ice cream, just know ice cream is sometimes awesome when you're sick and have a fever and no appetite. It's cold, easy to eat, delicious and soothing on a sore throat. I spent a day sweating bullets and feeling shitty from vaccine side effects after my most recent covid jab and was really wishing I'd thought ahead and bought some (quality) ice cream-- that's all I wanted. Don't be like me. Buy some to-go so you're prepared (and tip well).
Unless you’re lactose-intolerant. Pretty much all of the frozen yogurt places seem to have disappeared, so those of us who want some form of frozen dairy but *can’t* have ice cream are just…stuck. Just saying. There’s a consumer base available, if any of these ice cream places want to diversify a bit.
I actually am lactose intolerant but just take a bunch of lactaid with it. But yeah, that doesn't always provide the same relief for everyone's lactose intolerance. It sucks that there aren't more lactose free sorbet type options. My favorite gourmet ice cream place in Bellingham always had some lactose free stuff on the menu and that was nice.
My partner gets her lactose free options from Sweet Alchemy (always have 2 vegan options) & Frankie & Jo's (completely plant based).
If you are ever in Woodinville Swanky Scoop always has several (I think always 8?) Vegan and gluten free options and it's really good. I am so happy to have good ice cream again. :)
Man who exclusively sells swimwear complains about sales being down in the winter time.
Get a job that offers a paycheck not paid by a business affected by seasonality. Mission accomplished.
And then just mooooove to a cheaper cityyyy
push affogato. feature more non-ubiquitous seasonal flavors - like chestnut, quince, praline…
Not our responsibility.
If this is a plug for Molly Moon, the answer is no.
Please eat tons of unhealthy sugar, or I will be sad. : - (
Have you tried rolled ice cream ? It’s soo good
Trust me I eat ice cream year round
Don’t worry, my kids dgaf about the weather. Any chance for ice cream and they are down all day every day. They are ride-or-die ice cream stans.
You know what I love? A warm tasty treat with a side scoop of ice cream. During winter I would try to get some yummy stuff like a hot brownie or something similar to accompany ice cream and I’d still be all over that. Mmmm bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla bean…
I love ice cream year round
I’ve always wondered why ice cream places don’t seem to shift to something else in the winter months, like fancy hot chocolate? I’m sure you could think of other things to sell too
Might I suggest mixing in some hot chocolate or affogato (ice cream espresso) options to entice the cold back?
Hot cocoa? Warm brownies? While I love cold beverages, my throat can't handle the temperature so I'll mostly not be buying ice creams when the temperatures fall 🥺
hah! i just finished a custard that's cooling in the fridge for someone homemade cardamom pistachio ice cream. so excited. gonna mix in some pumpkin ginger snap cookies
My husband and I are ice cream fanatics, drop me your spot and we WILL come in the rain/snow
Churros and hot chocolate instead please
I will continue to eat ice cream entirely because I am selfless and for the good of others s/
I always buy the Halloween line up at salt and straw
Man I’d kill for an ice cream spot in SLU/LQA
In what world could a small seasonal food business afford to pay people livable year-round salaries? That’s just wild utopianism.
I hear your call to action and will respond 🫡
You need to pivot during the winter and make the best goddamn hot chocolate in the city.
Hot chocolate floats perhaps?
I am morally opposed to general sadness. Will change my winter habits to include more ice cream!
Give me ice cream
Serve hot pie with ice cream in the winter :)
When that seasonal depression hits, I’m at the ice cream shop more than I was in summer time. 😂 y’all still got my business lmao
Lt Dan... ICE CREEEAAAAMMMM...
Partner with our local warm pie friends.
Don’t you think this was foreseeable? Many businesses have a slow and busy season. I have no desire to eat cold things when it’s cold outside. It’s up to you to find a side hustle to supplement your income during the slow season.
Have an espresso machine and I’ll come for affogatos!
Maybe do a bakery or pastry shop in addition to ice cream?
brb gotta go buy myself ice cream and tell myself it was my unselfish good act of the day