Soft spot for Sweet Spot

Angela Powell said she was finally able to keep her promise to her daughter and stop at the Sweet Spot for ice cream after play practice last week. As the Powells enjoyed their birthday cake ice cream, Powell talked about how much they have missed having a place in town to stop by and get ice cream since the restaurant has been closed for more than a year.

For the present, ice cream treats are the main fare on the menu at the Sweet Spot in Mount Gilead. The new owners, Beth and Mike Turner, said their focus has been on having what people want and have asked for. They plan to eventually add sandwiches and other items to the menu, but they’re taking it one step at a time.

“People want ice cream treats after baseball games and other events,” said Beth Turner. “They can get a meal or a sandwich at other places, but they’re really happy to stop by here again and get an ice cream cone.”

Both soft and hard dip are served in cones and dishes with Velvet hard dip in eight flavors. Sundaes are also favorite desserts.

The restaurant business is new for the Turners. Mike Turner was in the U.S. Army, and they moved around quite a bit before settling in Mount Gilead three years ago with their three children.

They moved from Arizona and were familiar with the area since Beth Turner attended Bowling Green University and her grandparents live in the Columbus area. Mike Turner is a police officer and school resource officer (SRO) for the Village of Mount Gilead, and Beth Turner is employed at a business in Mount Vernon.

They saw the restaurant was up for sale last year and finally decided to take the step to purchase it from owner Tim Sherman. The Turners said Sherman has been a great help in setting the business up and knew all the ins and outs of the building.

Mike Turner said a lot of work went into cleaning and painting the restaurant since it hadn’t been used in a couple years. They also took out a wall to enlarge the kitchen area. They were able to keep the ice cream equipment but will need to purchase some new equipment.

The Turners said the community has been wonderful in its support. The Morrow County Chamber of Commerce has helped get the word out, and Gilead Fitness purchased the first 100 cones for people during the grand opening earlier this month.

Mike Turner said they have had several people stop by to say the restaurant was the first job they had. George Hildebrand, the former owner when it was George’s Drive In, stopped by to wish them well.

The Turners added they are very appreciative of employee Jodi Van Houten, who worked there for several past owners.

Beth Turner said she is pleased with the enthusiasm of the employees and thought a few might drop out after a couple days, but they’re all hard working and enjoying the work.

“I really enjoy working here. It’s fun,” said employee Adysen Briggs with a big smile.

Mike Turner said local historian Phylis Miller stopped by with pictures of past owners. Many will remember when it was Dairy Delite, then Kirks’ Dairy Delite when the original drive-in was enclosed. George’s Drive-In came next, followed by Marlene’s, Conni’s, Grill and Chill, and Field of Treats.

“We’re happy to be here,” said Beth Turner. “Everything just fell into place.”

The Sweet Spot is located at 43 N. Main St. in Mount Gilead. Hours are 2-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday as well as Sunday, and 2-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Monday.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.