The Freeze to open in Crystal Lake as son takes over family business

The Freeze will open for business Monday, and residents should expect to see more community involvement from the store this summer.

The family operation is being passed down to the owner's son Patrick O'Connor, who has plans to create a better customer experience and connect more with the community.

O'Connor wants to have more sponsorships with District 155 schools and children's sports leagues, he said.

"That's the most exciting part for me taking over, is the opportunity to make these connections and give back to our community," O'Connor said. "I want to sponsor youth teams and if they have a game, they could come over afterwards and all get some ice cream."

The Freeze opened in 1948, and O'Connor's family has been running the business since 1998.

"I was born here. We used to have a storage room down there where I'd sit in the crib, and they'd check on me and then get back to making cheese fries," O'Connor said.

Combo deals and daily specials are two items he hopes to add to the menu. O'Connor said he wants to cut some items from the menu to focus on what they do best – ice cream, hot dogs and cheese fries, among other items.

O'Connor plans to head to the Crystal Lake City Council soon to apply for permits to add lighting along the electrical poles, a portable toilet and tables and chairs for outside seating.

"We want to have picnic tables because when the line is busy it becomes such a cluster," O'Connor said. "It's just a more welcoming atmosphere."

The business is well-known throughout Crystal Lake, O'Connor said, and he wants to make the experience more enjoyable by cutting down the wait time. He plans to display more menus throughout the store so people can decide what to order in advance.

"It's very beloved and we've had a lot of people come in and ask when we are opening," O'Connor said. "I was making cones for people who came by asking yesterday."

The store recently acquired new ice cream machines that can continuously pump ice cream out for 20 minutes, he said.

O'Connor attended Prairie Ridge High School and recently graduated from Northern Michigan University with a marketing degree.

He hopes to improve the business' social media and give teenagers a place to tag their posts to.

"I take this very seriously, but I want this to be fun," O'Connor said. "Most of our employees are young high school kids and I would love to keep them employed throughout high school and have it be a fun job to them. We are making ice cream for people and they should be enjoying it and feel they are appreciated."

Once the high schools are released for summer, O'Connor plans to keep weekend hours open for an extra hour, until 11 p.m.

Popular ice cream treats on the menu include the Blitz, ice cream cones and specialty sundaes. O'Connor said The Freeze is famous for its cheese fries.