Bubbling Brook Treats Customers (and Even Their Dogs) Like Family

If local residents feel some early summer heat over the next couple of days, Marie Adams, joint owner of Bubbling Brook in Westwood is ready to help them -- and their pups -- cool down. Bubbling Brook offers a long list of menu items of around 40 different flavors of hard serve or soft serve ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt for people . . .and now one for dogs.

While in the past, furry friends have been known to accompany their owners to Bubbling Brook’s outdoor picnic tables, now pups can also receive their own order off the menu. Pup cups, which are a vanilla ice cream in a cup for dogs, have become a big hit.

That Bubbling Brook has added a cool treat for man’s best friend is not surprising, given that one characteristic that seems to define this family-run business is that it cares about both staff and customers like family.

Bubbling Brook has been a gathering place for residents of Westwood and surrounding communities for the past seventy years. Ms. Adams and her family have operated it for about half of that time.

About thirty years ago, Ms. Adams’ parents, Ed and Gloria Cortas, owned several Baskin Robbins ice cream shops in Charleston, West Virginia when they learned of the opportunity to lease Bubbling Brook in 1988. Gloria Cortas had grown up in Westwood, so the Cortas jumped at the opportunity to stay in a business they knew while moving closer to family.

The Cortas leased Bubbling Brook from 1988 to 1991. They took a break from the business when the owner at the time decided to take back the business. After some time passed, however, the Cortas were presented with the opportunity to purchase Bubbling Brook in 2003. It has been their family-run operation ever since. When Ms. Adams got married, her husband, Brian joined as a joint owner alongside Ms. Adams, her sister, and parents Ed and Gloria.

In this family-owned business, staff are extremely important. Ms. Adams describes her forty employees as loyal, friendly, hardworking, and honest. “They treat me like I treat them. They treat the place as their own, not just where they work. ” says Ms. Adams, noting that she leaves her family to come work at Bubbling Brook, and her staff does the same.

She encourages staff to voice their ideas, and has been rewarded with some great results. One popular soft serve twist flavor – raspberry sherbet and lime -- was suggested by a staff member and was a big hit. Now, there is a new flavor of soft serve twist offered every Sunday, some of which are inspired by staff suggestions.

Many of Bubbling Brook’s hires are high school and college students who receive 2 to 3 months of training when they first start with a job. They often become long-term employees. “I like to think I’m mentoring them,” says Ms. Adams. She remembers the employee who told Ms. Adams that due to working at Bubbling Brook, the employee overcame her shyness and is now able to talk to people. Ms. Adams notes that simple tasks such as asking if a customer wants sprinkles on ice cream is practice for carrying on a conversation. Along with learning about responsibility, multi-tasking, and gaining self-confidence, Bubbling Brook employees learn an ease of talking to strangers of all ages, she says.

When it comes to customers, “The most important thing is for customers to be happy," says Ms. Adams. She once handed a cup of ice cream, prepared by a mom at home, to a child through the Bubbling Brook service window because he had a corn allergy but his mom wanted him to experience going out to get ice cream. (Corn syrup is often an ingredient in ice cream). More recently, Ms. Adams spent half an hour discussing menu options with a family whose son had a milk allergy. The family finally felt comfortable enough to order a soft serve ice cream, because Bubbling Brook always has a lactose-free, vegan, soft-serve option.

Through the pandemic, Ms. Adams has been dedicated to learning and improving the business. “It’s a constant learning environment,” she says. When Covid-19 forced the closure of the restaurant's dining room, Bubbling Brook changed its focus to takeout and outdoor dining. It has added socially distanced outside tables and umbrellas, and ensures someone cleans and clears the tables after customers leave. The unused indoor dining area has become a storage room for holding bulk supplies such as ketchup. Ordering in bulk is preparation against supply issues which Bubbling Brook has experienced during the pandemic.

A few good things have resulted from the pandemic. Before Covid-19, Ms. Adams used to work 7 days a week, which she notes is hard with young kids and a family. But when Bubbling Brook lost some of its kitchen staff, it had to close on Mondays. The result was that all staff, including Ms. Adams, now have Mondays off. This is a change which she says has made her “so much happier” because there is now a better balance of work time and family time.

Ms. Adams says this year has been better business than last year. Last year, Bubbling Brook operated on limited hours, but Ms. Adams says it is back to almost normal hours now. Customers can order not only icy treats like ice cream frappes, homemade soft serve and sundaes with homemade whipped cream, but also fried clams, onion rings, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and club sandwiches.

Ms. Adams says she is pleased with how her customers have come out to support Bubbling Brook during the pandemic. “They appreciate that we are open, but we appreciate them coming. They say, ‘thank you’ to us, but we say, ‘thank you’ to them.”

Thanks to Marie Cortas for being interviewed for this article.  If you enjoyed this post, please support local journalism by subscribing to Westwood Minute's daily email newsletter.  It's free! Just click the blue "Sign Up" button below.