Pitbull's on and we're off: Ice cream shop workers opt for some team-building at concert

The staff of Rising Tide Convenience not working hard? Yeah, right. Picture that with a Kodak, and better yet, go to Churchill Park and picture me with a Kodak.

When Heather Simms, the owner of Rising Tide Convenience voted best ice cream on the Avalon Peninsula in an online poll heard her summer staff wanted to go to Pitbull, she took her cue from Mr. Worldwide himself and said don't stop the party. So the store is closing early to let the entire staff go to the concert Saturday in St. John's at the Churchill Park Music Festival.

"These kids have worked like dogs all summer. They all want to go. I'm going to close and they're all going to go," Simms told CBC News.

Simms said she'd heard her summer students talking about going to the concert one day but they couldn't figure out how to swing it, since some of them would have to work.

As a big concertgoer herself, Simms decided to make the situation easy, letting customers know via Facebook and a sign outside the store that they'd be closing early the day of the concert.

"I knew everybody in the harbour would know. They all know what we're like. They're gone to the concert so we're closed early," Simms said. "I put it on the sign, never gave it another thought. Figured everybody in the harbour would see it. Not a big deal."

Then Newfoundland actor and comedian Rick Mercer snapped a picture of the sign and posted it on social media.

"Best homemade ice cream," Mercer wrote on Instagram.

Hundreds of shares on social media later, Simms said the sign drew people into the store.

"It did kind of draw some people in today, a lot of people messaging me to ask where we're located," she said.

'Gotta treat them right'

Simms said this is the busiest tourist season Rising Tide has had since opening in 2016. She said the business will take a hit by closing early on a Saturday night in the middle of a busy summer but Pitbull is worth it.

"I'll say this with complete honesty, it is so, so hard now to fill positions. So hard. Every business has a shortage of employees," Simms said. "So if you want to keep them, you gotta treat them right."

Rising Tide Conveniencehas four students with summer jobs at the store. Two work behind the counter full time, one works in the kitchen full time making pizza, and the fourth student does any extra work.

Simms says her staff are beyond excited about the concert and are all going together.

"We secured a really phenomenal staff this summer with the hopes of either keeping them part time during the winter or all of them coming back next summer," she said.

"They think the sign is hilarious. But again, they're all very thankful. I can't say enough about the fabulous staff that we have at the store. I'm very, very lucky."

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