Ice Cream Shop Booming As Heat Hovers On Chicago Area
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A South Loop business is quite the popular place this week, with temperatures soaring near triple digits.
At Marble Slab Creamery, 1241 S. Michigan Ave., owners Renee and Glen Richardson love when the weather's hot.
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"Obviously it's hot and people naturally want ice cream," said Renee Richardson.
The Richardsons have owned the franchise for four years and they rely on hot sticky days for bigger business.
"Being in this business, the weather actually determines our business, so we watch the weather closely," said Renee Richardson.
On this day, a constant stream of customers, all of whom were looking for something cool.
"The line is usually out the door. The evening is the busiest," she said.
What's the most popular item during the dog days of summer? Richardson says the shakes.
"We go through shakes like water," she said.
Glen Richardson says most nights, they stay open until midnight and they count on the South Loop crowd and events at Grant Park and Soldier Field. He says when he knows there will be a string of hot days, he stocks up ahead of time.
"We need to keep our freezers packed with ice cream all throughout the week so we keep the dipping cabinets packed," he said.
He says he just hopes the heat sticks around and says he might need to have a conversation with mother nature.
"If I had it my way, I'd have heat and humidity through November," he said.
Marble Slab Creamery is open until midnight most summer nights.
