Area ice cream parlors feel chill of winter lull
By: Rachel Silverman
Wintry weather builds an appetite for just about every sweet concoction you can name.
Mom’s apple pie.
Fresh banana bread.
Starbucks’ venti-sized mint mocha steamers.
But ice cream often too often, it seems gets the short end of the stick.
During the snowy season, sales of the sweet stuff dip very low, according to some of Princeton’s premier ice cream vendors.
Jerry Reilly, owner of Halo Pub, estimates his stores see revenues drop 20 to 30 percent during the winter months.
"We simply accept the fact that people switch to other foods on a seasonal basis," he said.
Thomas Sweet Manager Ellen Abernathy concurred.
"We get as much in an hour or two in the spring as we do during a whole day in winter," she said.
"We know it’s coming," Ms. Abernathy continued. "We kind of prepare for it every year."
To weather the storm, these entrepreneurs often market seasonally appetizing ice-cream flavors.
Halo Pub, for example, offers egg nog, rum raisin and brandied hazelnut ice creams. Thomas Sweet lures in patrons with pumpkin-flavored ice cream around Thanksgiving, candy cane-flavored ice cream near the holidays, champagne sherbet-flavored ice cream for New Year’s and a chocolate-raspberry medley called French Kiss on Valentine’s Day.
At The Bent Spoon, seasonal ice cream blends include pumpkin pie, cranberry relish, sweet potato and wild turkey, made with wild-turkey bourbon and chocolate-covered pecans. Around Christmas and New Year’s, the gelateria tempts patrons with organic-pear prosecco, egg nog, citrus and peppermint offerings.
"People have really come to know we do seasonal stuff," Bent Spoon owner Gabrielle Carbone said. "What they see in grocery stores they’ll also find here."
Beyond these innovative flavors, shopkeepers look to other desserts to pull in the dough.
The Bent Spoon, for instance, offers an extensive menu of hot chocolates, including white chocolate pistachio honey, chocolate habanero and lavender selections. Homemade marshmallows, with hints of exotic spices including organic ginger or vanilla bean, complete the menu.
"We get to keep our creative spirit going with the hot chocolate," Ms. Carbone said.
At Thomas Sweet, chocoholic confections reign supreme.
"When it’s very quiet in ice cream, our chocolate business is busy," Ms. Abernathy said, referring to the store’s arsenal of handmade truffles, dipped fruit and other assorted delicacies.
Promotions, too, are a source of revenue.
Thomas Sweet offers a Two for Tuesdays deal, where almost any item in the store is free with the purchase of another treat.
Still, ice cream parlors are far from in the clear during the winter months.
With Princeton University students away some of the time, many residents on vacation, and lots of people trying to conform to New Year’s resolutions to cut back, shop owners cite January as the year’s least profitable month.
"After the holidays, people are like, ‘Oh, I ate too much,’" Ms. Carbone said. "Everybody’s at the gym."
Not to be defeated, ice cream gurus expressed confidence about traversing the rocky road ahead.
"We’ve all been around the block a bunch," Ms. Abernathy said, pointing to Thomas Sweet’s 25-year legacy. "It doesn’t shake us up too much."
Besides, if people in the ice cream business know anything at all, it’s that all good things eventually come to an end or melt.
"In late winter and early spring, people will get a little cabin fever," Mr. Reilly predicted. "They’ll want to get out and stroll at the first robin."