JACKSON COUNTY, MI – The Horton Hop is somewhat new to the Horton area, but customers are lining up to try its offerings.
The ice-cream shop in the former Frosty Foods and Frosty King location has ice-cream treats, for sure, but don’t ignore its hot foods.
The Horton Hop has a large menu that provides customers a fast and easy meal to take home, said Lacy Spiess, who became co-owner of the shop last summer with best friend Trisha Wittman.
The hot food side of the menu offers a range of sandwiches, salads, Coney dogs and homemade soups. Burgers are also very popular.
“We try to source the best ingredients,” Wittman said. “People are probably thinking they’re getting like a fast-food burger, when in reality it’s a fresh burger.”
The Big Hopper, a double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, pickles and a special sauce, is probably the most popular, Spiess said.
When it comes to the “cold side” of the menu, flurries, floats, slushies, sundaes and shakes are popular sellers. There are also six different flavors of soft-serve ice cream and more than 10 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream.
The Swamp Sundae, which comes with any flavor of soft-serve ice cream and is topped with chocolate syrup, green goo, crushed Oreos, Gummy Worms and a Gummy Frog, has been popular, Spiess said.
“It’s kind of going with the frog theme,” Wittman said.
Specialty ice-cream tacos are also offered, with the flavor changing each week, such as chocolate-covered strawberry and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Flavors are announced on The Horton Hop’s Facebook page.
Wittman and Spiess each have 20 years of restaurant experience and said they were looking to open their own place. Owning an ice cream shop wasn’t their first choice for a restaurant, but it was a new challenge they were willing to try, Wittman said.
“This kind of just fell in our laps,” Wittman said.
The Horton Hop has been open since last August and patrons are excited an ice cream shop is staying in Horton, Wittman said.
The Horton Hop, 7434 Moscow Road, is open11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Hours will expand in the spring.
More information can be found on The Horton Hop’s Facebook page.
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