- April 19, 2024
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Big Scoop Ice Cream marks anniversary
Bike Week starts March 6 and the usual businesses are getting ready: bars, nightclubs, ice cream shops.
Yes, even Big Scoop Ice Cream is preparing for the influx of visitors. They are making sure they have bagels, muffins and coffee for the bike crowd walking around in the morning looking for breakfast, and hot dogs for the rest of the day.
They also expect to sell ice cream, even though the bike crowd is generally not big ice cream consumers.
“If you have 25,000 people walking around here you’re going to sell ice cream,” said Mike Pantzer, whose dad, Leon, owns the shop.
The Pantzers will be celebrating their one-year anniversary during Bike Week, and Leon Pantzer, a businessman and entrepreneur, said they learned a lot the first year.
“I had never run an ice cream store before,” he said. “It’s been a learning curve.”
Last year, they learned how many snowbirds go back up north for the summer, when they lost a lot of regular customers. But, they are developing regular customers from the many residential developments in the surrounding areas.
“It takes time to build a clientele,” he said.
They also learned the area has rainy summer months that put a damper on ice cream sales. So, they expanded and now have a small area big enough for two tables so customers can get out of the weather.
They also added hot dogs to their menu, to supplement ice cream sales.
Their selling point is that they are the “home of the big scoop,” offering a big serving of a high quality product.
“You’re getting real ice cream,” he said.
Mike Pantzer, who also works as a stand-up comic, pointed out that Destination Daytona is the site of many types of events, in addition to Bike Week. For example, they have a farmers market, roller derby, and last year there was a country music festival over a weekend.
They are expecting their second year to be better.
