LAFAYETTE — When the pandemic began last year, in early Spring, many non-essential businesses were forced to close their doors, snowball stands being one of them. But Cajun Sno located on Johnson Street in Lafayette was able to remain open due to their drive-thru business, but they still struggled.
"We had to pick up our picnic tables and close down our porch," says Ashlyn Halpin, the owner of Cajun Sno's granddaughter.
Halpin says that the porch and outdoor seating is a big attraction during snowball season, so the absence of that took away the whole experience of a traditional snowball stand.
"The kids love to get out and look at the menu, and look at all of the different flavors, and watch us make the snowballs," says Halpin. "They love to be able to stare into the window."
The drive thru line became longer, not only because of the porch being closed, but because of the short-handed staff due to social distancing. Although the lines were long, Cajun Sno's loyal and patient customers still showed up for support.
We asked Jimmy Credeur, a customer in line, how often he came to the stand and he said, "Everyday... it's for my wife." Credeur jokes, "I am trying to make husband of the year seven years in a row."
Thanks to customers like Credeur, the stand was able to receive a Lafayette Townie Award on social media for being the "Longest Line Worth Waiting in During COVID-19 Pandemic" for taking customer's orders before they reached the window on days that the lines got long.
Halpin tells us that she is optimistic about this year's snowball season as they introduced two new flavors, mango and honey dew, to their menu and are excited about bringing back the benches and picnic tables soon.
"I do believe that we're going to be busy this year," says Halpin. "I feel that we've already had an early start to our summer so far and we've been picking up really fast already."
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