Ice cream shop closes after angry customers ignore social distancing rules, owner says
An ice cream shop reopened in Massachusetts on Friday but closed only a day later after customers ignored social distancing guidelines and “verbally harassed” young workers, the owner says.
As the Polar Cave in Cape Cod planned to reopen, the shop asked customers to order at least an hour in advance to promote social distancing, owner Mark Lawrence told the Boston Globe.
The store opened at 2 p.m., but was “just insane” by 4:30 p.m., he said, according to the outlet.
The staff was quickly overwhelmed by orders and customers became frustrated when they had to wait for their ice cream, the Globe reported. Many hurled insults at workers, most of whom are between 15 and 20 years old.
Just after 7 p.m., the shop posted “STOP CALLING,” on the Polar Cave Facebook page.
A store veteran even quit at the end of her shift, WXFT reported.
“One of my best workers quit yesterday at the end of her shift, she stuck it through her shift,” Lawrence told the outlet. “But the words she was called and the language, you wouldn’t even say in a men’s locker room. And to say it to a 17-year-old kid, they should be ashamed of themselves.”
By the end of the day, Lawrence — who has operated the Polar Cave for 19 years — decided the store wouldn’t reopen to the public for a while, admonishing customers in a Facebook post for taking out their frustrations on his teenage staff.
The Polar Cave ultimately did serve some customers Saturday, mostly those who didn’t get their ice cream on Friday, WXFT reported.
Lawrence said that day’s customers followed the rules and that operations ran smoothly, according to a Facebook post.
“There were minimal people just pulling up and expecting to be served immediately, they chose to place an order and return or sit and wait,” the post said.
Lawrence said it’s essential for customers to adapt new practices in a post-pandemic world.
“It’s a completely different world that we’re living in, and people are going to have to adjust and learn that we don’t know,” he told WXFT. “We’re trying.”
Lawrence also started a GoFundMe to raise college money for the teen worker who quit after Friday’s mayhem. According to the page, the girl had worked there for three years and was planning to work as often as possible to save money for school in the fall.
Donors have raised $5,115 of the $10,000 goal as of Monday morning.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 8:46 AM with the headline "Ice cream shop closes after angry customers ignore social distancing rules, owner says."