Ice Cream, one of the cornerstone desserts in the world. Most notably, the Pennridge community is the place for some of the county’s most delicious ice cream shops. The reviews of all of the places are overflowing with positivity, whether it’s their delicious ice cream with dozens of different flavors or the cleanliness of their shops and parlors. In addition, this includes the popular chains, Dairy Queen and Rita’s, in town. The perfect summer treats that always keep their sweetness!
Before diving into the different shops around town, it’s important to take a look at some of the standards for when it comes to owning an ice cream parlor. The number one thing that always comes first is the cleanliness of the parlor. If the place is clean and tidied up, then that’s the first step to owning a successful shop. Joanna Benner, who works at the popular chain Dairy Queen, was told all about keeping the place clean: “I was first taught to practice good hygiene, to do things like washing my hands and keeping things as clean as possible.” Bree Girth, who works for the popular location Hickory Stick, has cleaning in her routine, too. “We have to sweep everything, wipe stuff down, and make sure everything is mostly clean.” It’s not only the biggest thing for ice cream parlors, but stores, restaurants, and almost everything that involves customer service.
Additionally, customer service is also a large component. Treat the customers well and they will treat you well. It builds up a reputation within the community, and as a result, your business grows, and customers will come. The last yet important thing has to be social media. With the way the world is growing now, it has become a very important component for growing businesses. In this day and age, you cannot run a business without using social media in some way. Now that the standards have been set, it’s time to look at the businesses themselves.
Starting off with the Hickory Stick, located in Hilltown, this parlor originally started as a schoolhouse named the “Gehman School” through the 1950s. As time moved on and schools started getting bigger, they renovated the school into an ice cream parlor and a shop for tasty treats. The parlor prides itself on giving its customers a fair price as well as a fair return. “The smallest serving size for a cup is one and a half scoops, which is unlike other places where a small is the only one,” said Bree Girth, who has been a longtime worker at the Hickory Stick. The parlor is famous for its Mango ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and waffle cream. They also serve Coffee, Stocks Pound Cake, and various other desserts. The customer reviews are mixed: many rave about the great quality of the ice cream, but customer service might be something they can improve upon. Some people said that the interactions with the staff were overall exemplary, but others spoke of having poor interactions with the owners. Regardless, it’s one of the best places in the area for its tasty sweets.
Next, it’s important to look at a popular chain and show how they demonstrate the standards here in the area, which is why we took a look at Dairy Queen. Dairy Queen began in 1938 with a soft serve recipe created by J.F. McCullough and his son Alex. They opened the first store in 1940 and grew it to over 5,700 different locations all over the world. Most notably, the location within Perkasie is a drive-in type of location with only a drive-through and an option to eat outside as well, similar to how some other parlors may be. Dairy Queen sells ice cream, pretzels, burgers, and other meals as well. They also pride themselves on providing good customer service and always being polite and cordial. When asked the qualities of making someone successful in the role of an ice cream server, Joanna Benner replied, “Someone who has a good personality, and someone willing to do more than what is expected of them and not take the easy way out.” Like many other chains, this Dairy Queen, in particular, has received many good reviews. But like all the others, there are plenty of things to improve.
Overall, the Pennridge community has a lot of important parlors and chains that provide tasty treats to their customers. Whether it’s a local parlor that started in the roots of Pennsylvania, or even the local chains that may have begun elsewhere and made it’s way here to leave an everlasting impact. Ice Cream is one of the most tasty and delicious treats in the world, and Pennridge has always done its best to provide that for all of its customers.
Sources:
https://www.hickorystickicecream.com/
https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/perkasie/the-hickory-stick-/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g53430-d12857551-Reviews-The_Hickory_Stick-Perkasie_Pennsylvania.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g53430-d12857551-r808550422-The_Hickory_Stick-Perkasie_Pennsylvania.html
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https://businessconceptor.com/blog/ice-cream-shop-profitability/
