Cape Cod Shop Owner: 'I'm Not A Trauma Center, It's Ice Cream'

MASHPEE, MA — It is not even summer yet and no one knows exactly what the new coronavirus will bring to the seasonal hot spots of fun we all rely to relax, away from it all, like the beach, ice cream shops, and mini-golf. But if the experience of one Cape Cod ice cream shop owner is any indication, it is going to be difficult getting back into the swing of things.

Mark Lawrence, the owner of the Polar Cave Ice Cream Parlour in Mashpee, a popular shop on Route 28, is re-closing a day after reopening after the COVID-19 closures — due to verbal assaults and customers not following safety protocols, which even led to one employee to quit, according to Boston 25 News.

Lawrence reopened to grab some Mother's Day weekend business Friday and implemented an advance order policy, including a one-hour request, to keep customers safe. Instead of filling out the order form and waiting, people just drove up to the shop, ordered, and then, became angry and frustrated when they had to wait an hour while requests ordered in the queue were filled first.

At around 7 p.m. Friday, Lawrence simply wrote "STOP CALLING" on Facebook.

One of his best employees was so distraught by the experience she up and quit.

About five hours later, Lawrence wrote another note on Facebook: "In 19 years of operation this is the lowest feeling I have ever felt, I will read all the posts and reply to them, but I lived it and can only imagine what awaits. We were overwhelmed, plain and simply. Regardless of peoples frustrations to take it out on a teenage girl is simply WRONG — it cost one of my best employees due to the rudeness directed at her tonight."

During an interview with Boston 25 News, stunned by his customer's behavior, Lawrence said, "I'm not a trauma center … this is ice cream."

At 10 on @boston25: After re-opening for ONE day, an ice cream shop on Cape Cod is now closing back down and regrouping after the owner says his employees were verbally harassed by angry customers who weren't following their new safety protocols. He says his best employee quit. pic.twitter.com/PMuatgMuwk
— Kirsten Glavin (@kirstenglavin) May 10, 2020

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