I saw in today’s Holland Sentinel that Captain Sundae opened up yesterday. According to the paper, this is the earliest in the year they have opened. For those not familiar with Holland’s iconic ice cream shop, Captain Sundae is Holland’s premiere place to enjoy a cone, shake, or their house special, the Tommy Turtle.
Mmmmm. My mouth waters just seeing this picture!
Their flagship location is located on 365 Douglas Avenue in Holland, conveniently located on the way back from a day at the Holland State Park beach for many of us. Two other locations have opened up over the years in Zeeland and on the south side of Holland.
One doesn’t just go to Captain Sundae for ice cream, however, its an event. Two of their locations have well designed nautically themed outdoor seating. Their third location in Southside Holland is located in a former Dairy Queen where there is plenty of indoor seating.
What makes Captain Sundae so special in Holland? Thats a great question. Until writing this post, I had not given it much thought. I am tempted to say that Captain Sundae is fantastic because its so fantastic. My readers deserve more than circular logic, however. So I will attempt to elaborate:
(Full Disclosure: Owner Karen VanDam is a friend of mine; two of my daughters have worked at Captain Sundae over the years.)
1. Jaunty Nautical Themed Decor: Yes, almost to the point of cheesy. From the carved wooden captain, a ship’s wheel that children can actually spin (and spin and spin and spin) and bright blue shredded bark that evokes colors of the ocean. When the Zeeland location was purchased by VanDam, a large wooden ship facade was constructed. You can sit on benches in the bow of the ship and imagine the building to be the stern of the ship. Many of the sundaes have nautically themed names like “Kiss the Captain” and “Pirate’s Booty.”
2. President Bush (43) Went There: Yes – its a claim to fame proudly posted on their walls. On September 13, 2004 President Bush’s motorcade was on its way to an election rally at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds. His motorcade made a stop for treats. The President had the famous Tommy Turtle.
3. Quality Soft Serve Ice Cream: This may sound like a no-brainer, but they don’t skimp on their soft serve formula. Have you ever been to a buffet style restaurant that has a soft serve ice cream machine in the corner? You can tell that they are using the cheapest formula possible. The flavor is flat and so disappointing! Not so with Captain Sundae. Their product is creamilious!
4. Karen (and husband Tom) run a tight ship: Pun intended. The owner has almost Disney-like customer service expectations of their very young employees. Have you ever been served ice cream by a 16-year old at a competing ice cream shop? Better yet, have you ever had a 16-year old living in your home? If your answer is “yes” to either of these questions, you can imagine the many obstacles involved in getting a young person to put down their device long enough to make you a sundae – or to not roll their eyes in disgust at you when you order your Tommy Turtle “only with hard ice cream instead of soft serve, no chocolate syrup but twice as much caramel syrup.” (yes Captain Sundae takes special requests – see my next bullet point.) As my daughters Brittany and Courtney can both attest, new employees are interviewed and trained very carefully. Any eye-rollers or mono-syllable-speaking teenagers are culled early on in the interviewing process.
5. They Take Special Orders: Many customers take pride in giving their own Captain Sundae treat a twist of its own. Hard ice cream may be substituted for soft ice cream; more or less of any of the ingredients may be requested.
6. They Close at Night Only When Customers Stop Arriving: Much to the chagrin of my former-employee daughters, if the Captain is scheduled to close at 10pm, and there is a line of people at the windows, they will stay open until all in line have been served.
When you combine all of the above factors, going to Captain Sundae is not just about getting ice cream – its about an outing with yourself or loved ones. What are some of your reasons for visiting the Captain? What special memories do you have there?