Snow Daze

Submitted by Dan Stay on Mon, 01/17/2011 - 13:06

One of the most bewildering decisions we have to make is when to close the ice cream shop because of bad weather.  

 
Being from Upstate NY where six inches of snow is a routine occurrence, it makes the decision even harder.  My gut tells me to just push the snow out of the way and get on with things, but it's just not that easy.  If we close, there will probably be a customer that made a huge effort to trudge through the wintry mess and get ice cream for his pregnant wife at home with a wild craving.  I've been there and I sympathize with that customer!  If we don't close, we have a young staff that needs to get home.  Many of them are newer drivers who have probably never driven in snow.  I don't want them to get hurt on the way home from working at my business.  Those that are used to driving in the snow would rather not have to watch the newbies slide around.  There's also a cost issue, during a major storm it will cost us more to plow the lot than we will generate in business for an entire day.  
 
This season, I closed the shop for an entire Sunday when nothing of any major substance happened.  Last season, there were days we stayed open when we clearly should have closed.  It's a true no-win situation.
 
We'll try to do our best to make sensible decisions on this.  We have a new appreciation for what school superintendents go through!  We try to get the word out on this site and facebook if there's a closure but it isn't always possible.  A sure-fire way to make SURE we are open when the weather is lousy is to call us at (410) 295-0025.  Make sure you speak to a real person and not the voicemail,
 
Thank you for being a loyal year-round Bruster's customer.
 
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Dan Stay, together with his wife Margaret, is the Owner/Operator of Bruster's Annapolis. In addition, he is a husband, father of two, broadcast technician and computer nerd.