By Ian Miller
The Golden Scoop, though small in square footage, is a BIG operation to keep running on a daily basis! Across our two locations, we employ 31 associate “Super Scoopers” and 20 shift managers. That’s a LOT of people to manage!
But how does a typical day look from the perspective of an employee or volunteer? I spoke to Super Scooper Patrick to get a proper look at the mysterious world behind the counter!
“During my shift from 8 to 1, I [help with] cleaning, helping [shift manager] Bob put the cookies in bags, cleaning the tables, making coffee for customers, and working on the drive-thru,” said Patrick.
I asked him what running the drive-thru lane was like, and Patrick said, “You have to wear this headset,” as he indicated the headset he was wearing, “and when a customer says, ‘I want a hot latte,’ you have to know what is in the order, and you have to know what you have to put into the cashier’s [register]. If they [use] a card or if they have money, then we will give the [change] back to them.”
Barb Biel, one of our “super-volunteers” who has been with The Golden Scoop since it opened in April 2021 (she started in our first week!), also spoke with me about her experience volunteering at The Golden Scoop over the last four years. She said it has been an exciting time with many learning opportunities for both her and for the associates she mentors.
“I have an elementary education degree, but I also have a special education background,” said Barb. “[With that background,] I was able to use everything I learned there in teaching elementary school as a mentor and a job coach . . . I love coming into work every day—inevitably, somebody makes me smile—and that’s the best part of this job. Usually when you go to work, you’re not smiling, and here, you are.”
Barb, who describes herself as “Barb the Baker”, walked us through her job duties during an average day. “Typically, I’m checking our inventory of cookies or anything else that needs to be baked,” said Barb. “I decide how many that we need, and [an] associate will help me get the dough out, bake the cookies, [and] make sure we’re restocked in fresh cookies . . . That’s mainly my job, but I can help anywhere.”
Barb said she loves wrapping the cookies we make for events. “I’ve always loved to wrap things. I always was a sophisticated Christmas present-wrapper, and I love that and I’m able to do that here, too, with the pretty bags of cookies!”
“I’ve never thought of Christmas present-wrapping as a job-transferrable skill,” I said.
“It is!” Barb insisted and we laughed.
We at The Golden Scoop love our employees and the special volunteers who work with them! We’ve spent years putting together our tight-knit team, and it’s really paid off.
Find the Golden Scoop at these locations:
9540 Nall Avenue
Overland Park, Kansas 66207
913-284-804410460 W 103rd Street
Overland Park, Kansas 66214
913-232-9639Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday-Saturday: 8am-7pm
Sunday @103rd: 9am-5pm
Sunday @ 95th: 1pm-5pm
