Ice Cream Shop Goes Viral After Owner Defends Teen Employees

October 8, 2026

Business is booming at a Massachusetts ice cream shop after its owner went viral for standing up for his teenage employees and reminding customers to be kind.

Coldstuff Ice Cream

Dave Forgit and his brother, Kevin Miller, are the owners of Coldstuff Ice Cream in Blackstone, Massachusetts. After a customer became upset with a 16-year-old employee over a 25-cent price difference, the brothers decided to speak out.

And their message was simple: Be kind to the young people who are working hard to do their jobs.

Forgit took to Facebook and delivered a blunt message to customers who yell at his employees.

“They are children,” he wrote. “This job, for most of them, is their first. They are going to make mistakes.”

He then reminded customers that there is a much better way to handle a simple mistake.

“This can all be fixed with a smile and a positive attitude,” he wrote. “It’s ice cream for crying out loud. Grow up and act your age.”

The post struck a nerve. Instead of the backlash the brothers initially worried about, people from around the world began sharing the message and supporting the employees.

The post received hundreds of thousands of likes and thousands of shares, with many people saying they wished they had received the same kind of support when they were teenagers working their first jobs.

One person commented, “I wish I had a boss that had my back when I was a screw up of a teenager at my first job.”

And the support did not stop online.

Customers began visiting Coldstuff Ice Cream specifically to show their support, giving the newly opened shop a noticeable boost in business.

But for Miller, the reason behind the post was much more important than the attention it received. He described what it is like when a young employee makes a small mistake and then has to face an angry customer.

“When a 16-year-old looks at you with like puppy dog eyes and is like, ‘Did I really screw up that bad for someone to treat me like that?’” Miller said.

His answer was simple.

“No, this is ice cream.”

That may be the most important part of the entire story.

Young people working their first jobs are learning. They are going to make mistakes. They are learning how to communicate with customers, handle pressure and become more confident in the workplace.

And sometimes, the person standing on the other side of the counter has an opportunity to teach them something too. Not by yelling or humiliating them.

But by showing them a little patience and kindness.