2020-07-25. Blue Moon Ice Cream Shoppe. Port Austin, MI.
So with Rybak's closed due to COVID, and The General Store being a bust, we headed back into town to try Blue Moon in search of some homemade ice cream. Located on W. Spring Street, Blue Moon is steps away from the Saturday Farmer's Market. Parking can be found off the adjacent streets and is free. There's also a couple of parking lots behind the Shoppe which are also free.
Situated at the SW corner of Spring & Line streets, Blue Moon is hard to miss. The bright blue and yellow building screams attention and the out the door line up is enough to draw your curiosity.
Now let's get the COVID facts out of the way.
They're open without modified hours.
They are enforcing masks while inside and ordering.
They do not provide face masks nor hand sanitizer.
Employees are wearing masks.
Employees are wearing gloves if handling food.
Social distancing markers are present.
There is no inside dining.
(my pics have all the details noted above)
With that said there is an outside patio dining area with tables and chairs for you to enjoy. While my family was in line, I checked it out and was pleased to see that they had staff sanitizing the tables and chairs after each patron left. It was a hot day, and outside there was zero shelter from the blazing sun. No trees, no umbrellas, so if you go when the sun is at its peak, bring a hat or a parasol. If this area is full, there is also a small community garden across the street (SE corner of W. Spring & Line streets) that has some additional seating and picnic tables for you to use.
The Staff was very courteous and they offered us cold water while we were in queue. Trying to be as efficient as possible, they provided instructions on how to place your order. That's right they had a system! An assembly line operation. You place your order by telling the cashier the type of vessel you would like your ice cream served and let them know how many scoops you'd like to enjoy. Paying is touchless with a credit card that has NFC capabilities, or you can swipe. While paying, you have the option of leaving a gratuity, which I did seeing how well the service was.
After you pay, you move along and let the server know what flavors you would like. In addition to ice cream, they also carry sorbet, NSA (no sugar added) ice cream, and Vegan ice cream made with oat milk. If your not in the mood for something creamy, they have Italian ice to cover you. Once you get you dessert, you exit the store through a separate entrance of what I assume would have been their inside seating area (tables and chairs removed due to the pandemic) to keep that social distancing.
Onto the goods. Sizes come in Baby, Small, Medium, Large. Ranging from 1 scoop to 4 scoops respectively. You can also order milk shakes, malts, floats, soda's, coolers, and paraphernalia. Much like The General Store serving Detroit based Stroh's, Blue Moon supports another local favorite, Northville's Guernsey Ice Cream.
If you're a fan of ice cream, you notice the difference in taste between Guernsey's and Stroh's. With former being more creamy, it's definitely going to carry more fat content and more calories. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that you should consume less of it in a sitting. I'm someone that would sooner enjoy the rich creamy taste of bliss, even if it's only in small quantities...
Check out my pics for flavors and ratings.
Overall, we had a great experience at Blue Moon Ice Cream Shoppe. The staff was super friendly, and the venue was nice for a small town setting. Despite COVID, Blue Moon made the best of a bad situation in satisfying customers while keeping them safe. And for that, I'm a fan... 4 stars.
If You would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit! read more