The Car Hop Ice Cream Shop, 2007
Doubleday Ave., Ballston Spa, is now open
in the plaza that was home to an ice cream
stand, eat-in restaurant and Dunkin Donuts
over recent years.
Owner Mike Klein took over two storefronts
and added his own flair for cars, bikes
and the “car kulture” on a whole to bring
back his business to life.
The new establishment is distinguished
by the artwork on the outside of the building,
consisting of vehicles that have been
placed strategically and hand painted by
acclaimed kulture artist Doug Hoch.
During the summer months, Klein expects
to be a destination for both the car
and motorcycle enthusiasts. Mondays, are
car night and Tuesdays are bike night, between
5-8:30 p.m.
The Car Hop has made-to-order food, featuring many items such as Nathan’s hot dogs, fresh hamburger and steaks, custom made and named sandwiches, fried oreos, bacon sundaes and many homemade items made fresh daily. There is a core menu board to order from, plus daily specials.
Klein said the Car Hop Ice Cream Shop will be expanding by fall and will be moving into a larger year-round space. The plaza also has an Upstate Cellular store that Klein owns. He said he will scale down Upstate Cellular a bit to accommodate the move.
The extra space inside will be dedicated to offering the same made-to-order menu specialties in a dining environment with hundreds of kulture art items to view. The current Car Hop will be altered to the new concept in 2014.
Lovey Lee is the manager of Car Hop Ice Cream Shop. She has helped formulate the daily specials, having been in the restaurant business for 25 years.
The hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, contact Klein by e-mail at CarHopIceCream@aol.com.