Handel's Homemade Ice Cream — Restaurant in Ohio

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Handel’s Ice Cream actually saved my life—and it’s all thanks to one guy: Kyle Ross. This isn’t just a review of ice cream; it’s a review of an experience, a series of miracles, and the heroic generosity of the guy scooping it.

It was one of the lowest points of my life when I walked into Handel’s that day. I was craving comfort in the form of a scoop of mint chip, but financially, I was barely hanging on. Honestly, I almost didn’t walk in at all—I didn’t think I could afford it. But I’d been beaten down enough lately, so I figured I deserved a little taste of happiness, even if I couldn’t justify the few dollars for a scoop.

When I got to the counter, I saw him: Kyle Ross. Tall, broad shoulders, and a smile that could melt ice cream from across the room. I told him my order, but as I reached into my pocket to count my change, I realized I was embarrassingly short. Kyle, without even a second’s hesitation, waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry about it. This one’s on me.”

That would’ve been enough, right? Just that small act of kindness. But Kyle saw something in my face—a weariness I probably couldn’t hide—and he asked, “You doing alright?” Before I knew it, I found myself telling him about my struggles, my recent job loss, and how I was barely scraping by. I didn’t expect any sympathy; I just needed to vent. But Kyle listened. And when I finished, he handed me my ice cream and, without missing a beat, said, “You need anything else? Any way I can help?”

That was the moment I realized Kyle was more than just an ice cream scooper. He was one of those rare, genuinely good-hearted people you only read about. When he found out I didn’t have a way to get to a job interview later that week, he didn’t hesitate. “You can borrow my car,” he said with a grin, as if lending out his car to a near-stranger was the most normal thing in the world. I honestly thought he was joking, but he just handed me his keys—a spotless, sleek car that was a step up from any ride I’d ever owned.

And it didn’t end there. Over the next couple of weeks, whenever I came by Handel’s, Kyle was there, checking up on me, making sure I was okay, and occasionally slipping me a little money to help me get by. It was never anything flashy—just small gestures that made all the difference, from covering my ice cream to spotting me some gas money. He even gave me a heads-up on a job opening he’d heard about through a friend, and that connection eventually led to my new job.

Looking back, it feels surreal. How many times have you met someone working a counter who actually cares, who actually takes the time to see beyond the surface? Kyle Ross didn’t just serve ice cream; he served hope. If anyone deserves praise, it’s him. I’m still not sure if it was fate that led me to Handel’s that day, but I’ll tell you this: if you ever get the chance to go, and you see Kyle behind the counter, count yourself lucky. You’re about to meet one of the best people you’ll ever encounter—and maybe get the best scoop of your life, too, how ever good was a 4, it was a...

Year round we have always patronized Handles. We have been customers for years. Previously there was an absolutely amazing crew. Kind, attentive, always smiling. The last 3 times the customer service has been absolutely atrocious. I placed a pick up order on DoorDash a couple of weeks ago. Received notification the order was ready, so we went to pick it up. My son waited at the pick up window patiently. Being ignored, no acknowledgment from staff- though two staff members were standing directly in front of him on the other side of the window. We patently waited it out, until the 5th customer was served while my son was still ignored. My mom went up and they were still ignored while more patrons were served. They eventually acknowledged them. I am not one to just let one bad experience turn me away. I understand we all have bad days. So a few days later, we went back. Not ordering in advance this time. You should have seen how quick the side window was answered when their pizza was being delivered. The pizza delivery gentleman wasn’t even all the way to the window and it was already open for him. My son was short some change for his order and came back to the car to get the rest, he got the change and walked back to the window, 3 people were waited on before he was acknowledged. But today, today was the last straw. My son and I haven’t been feeling well and had a craving for Handles. So my mom, being the saint that she is went to get it for us. The kid at the window was rude to her. She stepped to the side to double check the bag and he said to her that everything was in there. When in fact part of the order was missing. He went and got the popsicle and in a condescending tone told her to have a nice day. It was to the point mom said the patrons behind her even asked what the deal with that was.

I get the pandemic has been hard on everyone. I get that not every customer is kind. I understand the staffing shortage. But there is no excuse for this. It wasn’t just once, not just twice, but we gave it a third chance. If you can’t treat customers right even if you are having a bad day- go work on an assembly line somewhere and not with the public. As much as I love the ice cream, we will...

I am giving Handles Homemade Ice Cream a score of one star based on their Ice cream alone. It is very good Ice cream, however you are probably wondering where the deduction of the other 4 stars comes from. The reason I do not rate it higher is bases on their service. It could possibly be the slowest I have ever encountered. When I say that is it slow I mean it. We just came from there tonight where we waited an hour to place and get our order. Now to be fair part of that time was because of the guy in front of us who were more concerned that his card lit up pretty colors rather than pay attention to getting his order. Gotta love people like that but I am glad his car makes fun colors. If only he could park, but I digress.

Now back to the issue at hand. If you have a business such as putting Ice cream in a cone and it is so hard that it takes an hour to get through a line your doing something wrong. My first suggestion is don't take any phone orders or calls when trying to bust out the line. While the person calling may get mad that they can't get through, I do believe it is better than upsetting the 40 people standing in line. If you absolutely must do this for revenue than it should be done by one dedicated individual such as my next suggestion. That suggestion is to have an adult managing your team to keep them moving. There was way to much standing around but what would you expect from a group of teenagers running the show. My final suggestion is that if you own a business and you have trouble with either of these first 2 suggestions then you as the owner should be at your business helping during peak hours and days. That is business ownership 101.

To be fair I am not blaming the kids that were there and running the show but I do blame ownership and management for allowing them to take the brunt of such volume with no proper guidance and supervision.

I hope you can utilize these suggestions to help your business in the future. For me however next time, I will just take the family to Dairy Queen and save 45...