In November of 2017 the game changed – the ice cream game. It was at that time that Baskin Robbins, a national ice cream chain, opened up in Gainesville, Virginia. Located at 13801 Heathcote Boulevard, Baskin Robbins sits less than 10 minutes away from Battlefield and is in walking distance from neighborhoods that feed into the school’s population. With “BR” (Baskin Robbins) being such a fan favorite in the ice cream industry, people around Gainesville and Haymarket were ecstatic to stop in – some even applied to work there.

Senior Brett Burkhart has been working at Baskin Robbins for over a year. “I just love ice cream. Once I found out it was opening, I just knew I had to get the job.” Burkhart was like many other students at Battlefield who are always looking for work. He says, “You really get to meet a lot of the community. You also get to work with all different kinds of customers and [obviously] try the new flavors of ice cream.” Burkhart continued by saying that although the job has some cons such as cleaning the restrooms, all businesses do, and that the pros make it a great place to work.

Yet Burkhart is not the only hero that this town needed to scoop and serve. “Brett convinced me to apply, and after thinking about it, I thought it would be a good job,” says senior Alec Frye. Together with the rest of their friends, Frye says that he and Burkhart have a great time working alongside each other doing things that may not normally be seen as fun, such as taking out the trash. Frye has been working at Baskin Robbins for seven months and is clocking in many hours in attempt to save up money for this upcoming summer.

The staff of Baskin Robbins is not only unique, but they are also fun bunch. Brady Sedgley, another student at Battlefield who is good friends with both Frye and Burkhart, has been working at Baskin Robbins since September of 2018. “I was talking to Alec Frye, who was working there at the time, and he told me he thought it would be fun if we all worked at the same place,” says Sedgley. He went on to say that BR is really fun place to work and that he has enjoyed it a ton so far. Sometimes they even get a laugh out of the job.  “One time Brett and I were working and this older lady came in,” says Sedgley. “She asked for two scoops of ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream. When I told her that her total was seven dollars, she got upset and declared that ‘if I have to pay that much then I am not going to get it,’ and walked out.” Sedgley joked and said that although Brett [Burkhart] was mad because he just made the order, they both took a laugh out of it as they were polite to her and had previously displayed the price earlier. “It’s one of my favorite memories since working at Baskin Robbins,” continues Sedgley. The fun that the staff has been having has actually even encouraged more Battlefield students to apply.

Seniors Jackson Stone and Lillie Yao are new hires at the Gainesville location. Stone has been working at BR for a little over a month. “I started here because I heard it was a lot of fun and many of my friends are already working there,” says Stone. He then continued by saying that he wished more people knew how often Baskin Robbins changes their flavors as they continue to add new and fresh options.

Yao has been working at Baskin Robbins alongside Stone, Sedgley, Frye and Burkhart for a little over two months. “What got me started was really all the fun that the staff seemed to be having,” says Yao. “Baskin is different from any other place I’ve worked at because all of my coworkers are just really nice and relaxed.” Although Yao later commented on how her coworkers’ personalities makes the job fun, she also alluded to the fact that her liking ice cream is also a big part of her enjoyment.

All in all, there are many locations around Gainesville and Haymarket that employ Battlefield students. Some are restaurants, some are gyms, and some are even music stores, but with that being said it would be pretty hard for any of them to recreate the positive atmosphere surrounding Baskin Robbins in Gainesville. Not all heroes wear capes – some yield spoons.