Ice cream parlours do brisk business as Toronto hit with wave of summer weather
Ice cream parlours across this city were hit with a welcome influx of business this weekend as the unseasonal weather gave Toronto residents a second taste of summer.
While ice cream is usually a treat reserved for warmer months, the high temperatures these past few days gave those in the business an extra boost during a time that's usually slow.
So according to @naomiblueriver it is currently colder in LA than it is in Toronto. Not what I was expecting from November but I'm not gonna complain and instead I'll just grab my light sweater and get some ice cream 🥰
— 🍋 Laur 🌻 (@im_just_laur) November 9, 2020
"It was a very nice surprise for November," Brett Young, owner of Brett's Ice Cream in The Beaches told blogTO.
"Because we're so seasonal and reliant upon the weather, it was very welcome for us to have a hot summer weekend in November."
As the spread of COVID-19 continues, Young said that the summer months, which are usually very busy, were not up to par this year. However, a weekend of nice weather in a typically cold month was a treat for her.
"If you were comparing it to last year or just another fall weekend in COVID times, it was a big increase," Young said, adding that they saw almost triple the amount of customers.
For Parry Sohi, owner of Nani's Gelato, the nice weather in November is a good way to compensate for the poor weather we experienced in October.
"You wake up in the morning, in my type of business, hoping that the weather is going to be nice to boost up the business because we need it," Sohi said to blogTO.
Sohi went on to say that this past weekend, the customer count was similar to that of peak time in the summer.
"We were busier this weekend than some summer weekends."
With winter approaching, Sohi also added that his customers were simply happy to be out and about in the sunshine.
"People just want to be out. I noticed that about 75 to 80 per cent of our customers had bags from so many different local businesses," he said.
"Usually they just come in, grab something quickly, and leave now that it's getting colder, but I could tell everybody was out and about going to other businesses and it's good for the economy in general."
Guido Di Piazza, co-owner of Tom's Dairy Freeze on The Queensway, similarly said that weather undoubtedly impacts business.
"It started on Friday and even through the weekend was really busy," Di Piazza said in an interview with blogTO.
"The hot weather brings people out for sure."
As a result, Di Piazza said that he is grateful to still be in business and is grateful for customers who are still coming out.
"I just feel very lucky that we are in this position."
The warm weather is expected to continue for part of this week so if you don't like indulging in ice cream during the winter, there's still some time to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Jesse Milns
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