As the school year begins and the weather cools down, ice cream becomes an afterthought for most people in Wisconsin. According to a poll conducted by OnePoll, people eat ice cream 45% less after summer ends. Despite these facts, ice cream stores typically stay open throughout the four seasons.
The ice cream chain, The Chocolate Factory, located in Menomonee Falls, WI, manages to keep their foot-traffic consistent throughout the year by hosting community events that keep customers returning. In addition, they introduce new fall-themed ice cream flavors, as well as new sundaes and a sandwich monthly.
“Honestly… foot traffic stays the same throughout the course of the year… less teenagers come in during the school year season due to sports and clubs,” Emma Schmeling, Arrowhead sophomore employee at the restaurant, said.
In Wisconsin it is illegal to have employees from the ages of 14-16 years old working past 7:00 pm after Labor Day through May 31st. This, for many businesses, can present a challenge to keeping their stores well staffed during the school year.
“There are typically less staff… However, the weekends always have a large amount of employees making sure the work is equally distributed” Schmeling said.
Ice cream stores keep themselves open during the winter months by supplementing ice cream sales with other products, such as sandwiches, which can be more appealing to people when it is cold out.
Despite what is done to support ice cream stores during the winter season, one thing is clear when it comes to ice cream sales: they will always begin to decline at the start of September and they do not begin to climb upwards until February, according to The Federal Reserve.
The Chocolate Factory has nine locations which are all located in Wisconsin. The store is a popular choice among those in Wisconsin and keeps it’s doors open despite the unpredictable cold weather.
