March 19, 2024

Jersey Freeze has great first year in new location

MONROE — As leaves begin turning and falling to the ground and wisps of cold air become more frequent, it prompts another certain fact of the season — Jersey Freeze is closed.

The ice cream shop moved to a new location at the beginning of the season and its owner could not be happier with how the first year went.

“In a word: Great,” Lynn Donahue, owner of Jersey Freeze said.

Located across the street from its previous location on Highway 14 near the county line, Jersey Freeze had many new amenities and treats to offer after moving to the larger building. One of the most noticeable was a drive-up window for customers who wanted to swing through without leaving their vehicle.

“The drive-up was a huge hit with our customers. Actually, it was more popular than I ever anticipated it would be,” Donahue said. “We streamlined our order/pickup windows for quicker service. We added more parking. The building’s larger work area improved our work flow.”

Also new was the Pie Jersey Freezer, an ice cream and pie mixed offering. The pies were provided by All About Pies, also located in Monroe, and owned by sisters Elaine Keuning and Amy Barton.

“The most popular menu item has been the Pie Jersey Freezer,” Donahue said.

At the beginning of the season, peach and apple were available with pumpkin pie closing out the year and becoming a huge hit for the ice cream shop.

Jersey Freeze was originally opened in 1992 by Donahue and his brother, Brad, in the building currently occupied by All About Pies on Highway 14 north of the downtown square. In 2000, it moved to its second location and a bigger building, also located on Highway 14 south of Malone Motorsports. The newest location moved the popular ice cream shop across the street in between Subway and Casey’s.

Although the last year has brought many changes and additions to the business, Donahue and manager Shannon Sims are already looking toward 2016.

“We have some ideas which we will be working on this winter,” Donahue said.

Most of all, the pair wanted to thank the customers and community for their continued support.

“Thank you so much for all of the great support from our community and thank you to all the Jersey Freeze crew for all their hard work,” Sims said.