NAHANT — Nahant Country Club is going back to its roots this summer.
Starting sometime after Memorial Day weekend, the family-owned event space will begin selling ice cream under the name Tudor Ice Cream as a way to brighten smiles and make back some lost profits during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Ice cream makes everything better,” said owner Yasmene Driscoll. “We think the town will like being able to come out and enjoy some of the open space while having an ice cream with the family.”
Inspired by the estate’s original owner and founder of Tudor Ice Company, “Ice King” Frederic Tudor, Driscoll said she may eventually incorporate some of Nahant Country Club’s history into the stand’s outward appeal by setting up “did you know?” fact boards around the property.
“(Selling ice cream) ties into the history of the reason why Nahant Country Club is there. That fortune was made off of the ice business, so we thought it would be a fun thing to do,” she said. “It’s like a return back to the roots. I’ve always had an affinity for the Ice King and his story, and I thought ice cream would be a perfect filler during this time.”
Customers can expect most of the usual hard serve fan-favorites, with Driscoll promising “at least a dozen of everybody’s top flavors.”
To help come up with more fun ideas, she’s also enlisted the help of social media polls, as well as her sister, Colleen Caro, who said the stand will help fill the town’s hole in the market for a local ice cream shop.
“There’s an ice cream shop at the end of the beach, but it’s not open right now and there’s nothing really close in town,” Caro said. “(Colleen) said ‘I think it would be a great idea if we opened something locally that people will be able to just walk up to and just get an ice cream.’”
Caro added that this summer especially, families will want an easily accessible option.
“We were seeing families walking around, and that’s really the only thing people can do nowadays,” she said. “Which is why Colleen thought of maybe opening up an ice cream shop to get people out of their houses and doing things together.”
Driscoll said planning for the stand’s opening has helped keep her busy during what would normally be her most busy season.
With more than 25 events canceled this spring and summer, she hopes ice cream sales will bring a spark of socially-distanced activity to the country club’s otherwise quiet lawn.
“We’re certainly asking our guests to be mindful of social distancing protocols to make sure everybody’s being compliant and safe,” she said, later adding: “It’s kind of a play-it-by-ear situation. We’re hoping it gains a lot of popularity and is something we can eventually work into our seasonal business plan.”
