Seattle offered all-you-can-eat ice cream this weekend. Then the lines grew
The weekend began with a sweet promise for an afternoon of live music, games and all-you-can-eat ice cream, a particularly tempting treat after the first few days of July heat.
But by late Saturday afternoon, the lines grew long, the online attacks multiplied and festival organizers found themselves trying to salvage a weekend threatened by what happens when bottomless scoops are guaranteed but not delivered.
At the Scooped! All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival this year at the Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion, attendees could buy different tiers of tickets, ranging from $35 to $75, that would guarantee all-you-can-eat access to 10 stations with a smorgasbord of flavors and brands.
On Saturday, lines snaked around the pavilion and through the Seattle Center campus, resulting in hourslong waits and lots of complaining.
Organizers had established staggered entry times to help with wait times, but increased security measures slowed things down, festival organizers said in a lengthy email that apologized for Saturday’s disorganization and promised a smoother Sunday.
Jessica Mattson drove her family to the festival Saturday from Puyallup, looking forward to fun and ice cream. When they arrived, they waited almost 90 minutes to get inside the pavilion. Once inside, Mattson said it was at least another 30-minute wait for each ice cream booth.
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“We left after one ice cream line because it had already been over two hours since we got there and we didn’t feel it was worth our time,” Mattson said. After two disappointing sample scoops, she and her family headed home, but not before stopping at Westfield Southcenter mall for rolled ice cream.
Attendees also complained about a two-scoop limit at each station — seemingly negating the festival’s all-you-can-eat policy — but organizers said in their Sunday email they decided to nix the policy.
Brandon Treadway, owner of organizer Treadway Events, said the problems Saturday came down to people not staggering arrival times and increased security measures. The team scaled the security measures back and sent attendees another email reminding them of their scheduled arrival time.
Treadway said the team also spread out festival-goers between bottom- and top-floor stations.
By Sunday afternoon, lines were smoother, with the longest being about 50 people.
Kailah Burr described the festival as “incredible” Sunday afternoon. Burr and her brother Zachary said the festival was well-organized, lines were fast and they could try as many flavors as they wanted.
“I hope everyone has a wonderful time, and I’m praying for everyone’s guts,” Burr said.
Source: The Seattle Times
