Anyone else feel like there head is in a constant state of spin? Somehow we made it to Friday! With a First Communion last Sunday and the boys returning from college on Wednesday, and the Ice Cream Cottage opening yesterday...it's been a whirlwind.
The night before opening day, I sat with Phil and pretended to order things off the menu to make sure he felt prepared no matter what anybody ordered. Let's just say we almost forgot to buy bananas for the banana splits and shortcakes for the strawberry shortcake sundaes, so that was a good lesson.
We moved some things around inside the shop this year, as last year we opened in such a hurry and just kind of made do with the layout. The soft serve machine is now moved away from the takeout windows because it was loud and made it hard to hear the orders. We now offer chocolate dipped waffle cones (that live in the new cone cottage) and we got rid of the chowder and quahogs because the restaurants on either side of us are now open and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We created a new frappe station with a bigger fridge underneath and added blenders to make more frappes quickly. We got a new toppings fridge which looks so much better. Here's a little tour:
Leading up to opening day, the weather showed rain through the weekend, but then on the morning of - sunshine! It looks like a dry (slightly cool and cloudy) weekend which we will take. We can't control the weather but it does affect our takeout business for sure. We had to take the littles to get a treat on opening day (and Ascension Thursday!) after swim practice:
We had a great first day, so many loyal customers came back. We are very blessed to be in this supportive town.
Other than getting the shop open, JP had an interview on his first day back from college, and he got the job! He will be working for an elderly doctor who needs his help as a medical scribe/assistant. JP said this doctor (a general practitioner and a DO) was sooooo nice and when he talked to his former scribe and an office worker, they said he is awesome to work for and that JP will learn so much. So we are all very happy for him! And the office is only about 12 minutes from home, even better. It's actually at the medical group that gave him a scholarship for college when he was a high school senior. Full circle!
He wore a suit to the interview, and when he was leaving, the doc said "You clean up nice but I never want to see you looking that formal again!" haha, sounds like the perfect job for JP :)
Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend everyone! I hope you get exactly what you want!!
Way to go JP! And way to go Martins! It's going to be a great season! I love that you were open to changing things up to better serve your customers and business instead of getting locked into a "this is how we always do it" mindset.
ReplyDeleteThe Cottage will be a work in progress for a long time, God willing!
DeleteI'm loving The Cone Cottage! I know the new variety of cone will feel right at home.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about a college graduate getting a job. And even better that there'll be no suits involved. A wonderful full circle.
I think the undipped cones may feel a little naked :)
DeleteThe shop looks ready for anything, especially hungry customers. Your dad's handiwork on the cone cottage is top notch. The photo of the ice cream with chunks in it? Yum. It looks like peanut butter cups. My fav to mix in ice cream. I'm so excited for JP's job. Great news. Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeletePB cups on vanilla soft serve, Phil's choice. I went with m&ms. Thank you for the encouragement and happy Mother's Day to one of the BESTEST!!
DeleteColleen, with all you have going on, it shocks me that you have time to write a post and hit publish! You, my friend are a dedicated blogger. Congrats on getting the Cottage open again. I suppose this year you've learned so much from last year, you can edit, update and make things easier. I love seeing your Cone Cottage in action.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to JP. This is wonderful news and the office sounds perfect for him.
Thank Suz! We have learned a LOT from year one and hope to never stop learning and growing :)
DeleteThe Ice Cream Cottage looks spectacular and that was definitely a good idea to do a "dry run" and figure out what might be missing! All that shiny silver inside looks so inviting, professional, and clean... definitely all good things! I'm glad you had a good turnout on opening day. The day our local ice cream place opens for the spring is practically a holiday around here and there's a lot of hype about it in the neighborhood Facebook group. I'm sure it will be the same way with your cottage!
ReplyDeleteGood for JP! That's a fantastic job to get some exposure to the real world of how offices work. Not only a good way to make some money but a way to continue his education to boot!
The neighborhoods around The Cottage definitely all come out to support! Kids on bikes and scotters and parents standing around catching up, it's so lovely to see. The doc that JP is working for has some neurological issues and told JP he might need to help him up if he falls. He seems like such a sweet man and JP is ready to help and learn.
DeleteCongratulations to JP! This sounds like the perfect summer job for him! And I hope and pray you guys have a wonderful second year at the Ice Cream Cottage!!!!!
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