The Inside Scoop on 25 Years of Serving the Community

SEELEY LAKE – Twenty-five years ago Pat Boyd saw a classified ad that Bud's Dairy Hut in Seeley Lake was for sale. She asked her daughters Laurel Daniels and Kim Boyd, "Do you guys want to own an ice cream place?" They said, '"Sure."

The three women formed a corporation and bought the business which was housed in a converted garage in the middle of Seeley Lake. One of the first things the family did was choose a new name.

After rejecting a number of possibilities, they finally asked themselves, what did we used to call it when we wanted to go there as kids. The answer was spontaneous: "The Ice Cream Place." So that's what they named their new venture.

Ice cream was not the only thing sold there. Fast foods such as hamburgers and curly fries had always been a part of the menu and the new owners continued to serve those items. But they expanded the offerings and gave names to their burgers.

The Builder Burgers were named for the men who built their house in Potomac and often stopped by The Ice Cream Place to buy double burgers. Grandpa's sun tea was named for Pat's husband Bob who used to make sun tea out on the porch every day. Grandma's sundae – vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, crushed cherries, whipped cream, nuts – was Pat Boyd's concoction and favorite dessert.

The first years were difficult. Laurel Daniels assumed the role of store manager. Her husband Paul worked alongside her and their five-year-old son Dennis came along too. The Boyds, who each had other full-time jobs, helped on weekends.

Kim said, "We didn't get wages. We worked for food."

Pat explained further, "We all had our other jobs, so our goal was just to have The Ice Cream Place support itself."

In the middle of the ice cream season during their second year of business, Laurel gave birth to daughter Megan. Laurel tells of taking orders while bouncing the baby on her shoulder.

"Paul would be making burgers so if I had to make a shake or something," Laurel said, "I'd tell the customer, 'Here, hold the baby.'"

She also tells of later years when she occasionally enlisted 12-year-old Dennis' help when things got too busy. She has a picture of Megan, age nine, sleeping on the floor under the cash register. In 2002 they bought a trailer and parked it on the store grounds.

The Ice Cream Place has always been a family affair, now into the third generation. Dennis as well as Kim's two sons, Owen and Boyd Gee worked there. Kim also has a 13-year-old daughter who is anxious for her turn. Megan, newly graduated from the University of Montana, is now the night manager.

As the business grew, high school students were hired to help. Paul estimates that over the 25 years they have employed 150 to 200 high school students, giving many their first introduction to the working world. Paul said many former employees still keep in touch, sending marriage and birth announcements and other news. The Daniels and Boyds attribute the success of their business to three main things: the quality and variety of their food, their willingness to put the money back into the business in the form of new and better equipment and a strong and loyal customer base in Seeley Lake.

Paul said, "We're always looking for ways to make our product better. Quality of ingredients is important to us. We could go cheaper, but we don't. Our pricing is pretty reasonable. And we're always looking to expand our menu. I mean it's huge, we're doing everything from eggrolls to ravioli to double burgers." They also serve a variety of hot dogs, chicken and taco meals as well as 20 shake flavors, slushes and other drinks.

About their customer base Paul said, "We respect our locals and we appreciate them. Tourists come and we appreciate them too, but..."

Before he could finish Pat said, "If you don't make the local people happy, they aren't going to recommend you."

Their appreciation for the community shows itself in special menu items with names like Seeley Parfait, Seeley Spuds, Seeley Burrito, Seeley Burger and Placid Burger.

The family said they are proud of their service to the community and are always willing to accommodate special needs. Officially, they are open May through September from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., but if customers show up early or later, The Ice Cream Place opens early or closes late. On the Fourth of July they always remain open until the last customer leaves, even if that is 2 a.m.

They also are proud of having never closed early for any reason. With the fire chief's permission, they stayed open throughout the days of the Jocko fire, sleeping in their trailer at night. They served the firefighters and people who had to evacuate their homes. The restaurant didn't even close for Grandpa Bob Boyd's funeral. Instead, in honor of Bob's many years of helping with the store, the family held Irish wake-like services in the area behind the Ice Cream Place. An estimated 200 people came.

Word about the quality of the food and the friendliness of the owners has spread beyond Seeley Lake. The family has tales of wearing the Ice Cream Place t-shirt in places like Hawaii and Disneyland and having people come up to them to say, "I've been there" or "We love that place."

Paul said, "There's a lot of people who say nice things about us. We say thank you a lot."