YARMOUTH, N.S. — It may seem unusual to be thinking of a place in mid-winter that serves soft ice-cream, but when you’ve also grown that business into a full-service Japanese restaurant with authentic Japanese chefs, planning becomes a year-round enterprise.
Sonia Park-Lawrence and her husband Troy Lawrence bought the Honey Bee Ice Cream Parlor in June 2014 and opened for business less than a month later.
Sonia was born in Seoul, South Korea; moved to South America and has lived in Canada since the age of 15. Now a Canadian, she is multi-lingual and speaks five different languages. She’s been in the hospitality industry for more than two decades and absolutely loves what she does. The vision was clear from the start for these entrepreneurs.
Even though running the business while living in Toronto added a level of complexity, they always knew what they wanted to do. They had been contemplating moving back to Yarmouth – where Troy has family roots – for a couple of years.
The idea of moving to Yarmouth was appealing for two reasons: a great environment for the children and being close to their extended family. “When the right opportunity came along, we grabbed it,” he says.
The popularity of their new business was evident from the packed parking lot.
They attribute their success to a concentration on four key principles: competitive pricing, great products, selection and exceptional customer service.
The variety of products they offer attracts a broader audience, says Lawrence.
“If we really want to ‘peel back the onion’, we believe it is how our patrons feel during the whole process, from the time they drive in, to the time they leave," he adds. "We appreciate our customers and respect the fact that they support our small business even during the most challenging of times."
The list of their improvements to the business is a long one.
The first job was to thoroughly clean and repaint the inside of the 400-square-foot area. Some of the equipment was dated, the walls needed to be refreshed and yard maintenance was necessary. They started small, working from the inside out, with Sonia on the inside and Troy tackling the outside. The addition of a Japanese restaurant had always been the plan and was step three in their five-phase project.
The first phase was to acquire the building and get Honey Bee up and profitably running. The second phase was to complete the renovation of the building, followed by the juice bar and ice cream parlor running simultaneously with inside service.
The third phase was to add the restaurant.
“We needed six years to know our demographic, competitors, investors, patrons and community," says Lawrence. "Hope has never been our strategy. We have always planned and taken the necessary steps with optimism, knowing full well that if we build it right and believe in the execution of the plan, people will acknowledge our efforts by just showing up."
One of the most important elements of the design on the restaurant was the “transparency.”
The owners wanted patrons to feel like they were somewhere else, “somewhere new, alive, and real.”
“Unfortunately we, as human beings, have compartmentalized ourselves, even more so today than before as a result of COVID," Lawrence says. "We are in the same two rooms in our homes more than 80 per cent of the time. We go to work and work in the same space 80 per cent of the time and we routinely do the same things 80 per cent of the time."
At Honey Bee the open concept design, with its large patio-facing windows, allows patrons to have privacy, while at the same time feel like they are part of something bigger than the space they occupy.
Sonia and Troy call the experience, "The Inclusive Cultural Beehive," as they want visitors to “come, see and feel the passion” from which their vision was born.
That includes experiencing customer service, watching how team members work, and experiencing a meal that has been prepared by skilled chefs – who can see and appreciate the customers they serve.
“When customers thank us for bringing something new to the community during COVID times, it is truly humbling. Our vision for Honey Bee was a shared one, one that was derived through conversations, listening, and asking questions to customers over the last several years. What you see today is the defining result of all those conversations, infused with a lot of prayer and luck,” says Lawrence.
With regard to COVID protocols, Troy and Sonia say they've prepared their establishment so inspectors can use them as an example of how things can be run.
The Honey Bee Deli, Juice Bar and Ice Cream Parlor can seat 40 people comfortably following COVID protocols and 75 post-COVID. Take-out from the licensed restaurant is available and can be picked up at the take-out windows in front. In the summertime there is access to the 700 square-foot patio.
When the establishment reopens on Feb. 2, a new "state of the art" point of sale system will be introduced, and a new E-Commerce platform will be added to the website. This will enable online ordering and the ability to pay with debit or credit card options.
The business has grown from five to 15 employees in less than a year, from ice cream service clerks to skilled sushi chefs.
“We’re extremely proud of the individuals we have working at Honey Bee,” says Lawrence.
“It’s rare to have so many employees eager and excited to show up to work, participate in a shared vision and be honestly happy," she says.
“We work hard and we play hard. Every day, we sit and share lunch with the chefs, exchange ideas and experiences. We just want to thank our team for a great job and the positive attitudes they bring to work with each passing day.”
Employees are encouraged to share their passions so future goals can be supported.
MORE TO KNOW
• Business Name: Honey Bee Deli, Juice Bar and Ice Cream Parlor
• Owners names: Sonia Park-Lawrence & Troy Lawrence
• Date opened: July 9,2014
• Number of employees: 15
• Nature of business: Ice Cream Parlor: Ice cream cakes, deep-fried ice cream, deep-fried banana splits, 36 different dips
Juice Bar: Bubble Tea, Smoothies, Flavoured Coffee
Restaurant: Maki Rolls, Tempura Shrimp, Teriyaki, Chicken & Beef, Udon Noodles, Sushi, Kimchi, Korean Fried Chicken (New: Feb 2021)
• Address: 409 Hwy 1, Dayton Nova Scotia
• Contact info: 902-748-0181
Website
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• Hours: Tuesday - Sunday (11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Kitchen/restaurant and ice cream service
2:30 to 4 p.m. Ice Cream Shop is open, sushi grab and go available
4 to 8 p.m. Kitchen/restaurant and ice cream service
