Seasonal restaurants are seeing some unseasonal weather this year. Colder than normal temperatures, lots of rainy days, and a lack of sunshine. This means bad news for ice cream sales.

It might be obvious, but some days are better than others for going to an ice cream shop. The owner of Tasty Treat in North Utica, Mr. Mike Mancuso, said "Our busiest days in the spring are sunny days and unfortunately we haven't had too many of those in April. We did have more in March than April right now. We're hoping that the weather straightens out and the rest of the month warms up and is sunny."

It also has to do with the time of year. Sales are usually higher at the start of the season when ice cream shops first open. One of the owners of Bonomo's Dari Creme in Clinton, Mr. Vinnie Bonomo, told us "If you get a sunny day in March or April and it's 55 to 60, you'll do better business than on an 80 degree day at the end of August."

However, sales haven't been booming lately. This is because of the coronavirus, as many people are staying home, but also because of the cold weather we've been having. Mr. Mancuso said "We did notice there are less customers and less sales as well. We think it's a combination of the weather as well as the current coronavirus."

On the other hand, they have found a clever way to cater to those who want to stay at home, but still crave their favorite ice cream shops. Bonomos in Clinton has created a make your own Quarantine Ice Cream Kit. Mr. Bonomo told us that in this kit "There's two sizes. It comes in two pints or two quarts. You get a choice of hot fudge or peanut butter. You get a choice of rainbow sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles. We throw in some whipped cream. It keeps the kids occupied at home too."

As a reminder, if you are going to order takeout from local ice cream shops in your neighborhood, be sanitary and practice social distancing. Hopefully ice cream shops and other seasonal restaurants around the area can make more sales as the weather warms up heading into summer.