Icy treats are hot item for new store

The wait, apparently, was worth it.

It took longer than expected for the 6,000-squarefoot RaceTrac gas station and convenience store west of Lake Worth on Lake Worth Road and Congress Avenue to finally open.

The pumps officially started operating July 8 — nearly a year after construction started.

Pesky Palm Springs details, you know, like power and phone lines that needed to be moved to build a deceleration lane, stalled the project, according to a company spokeswoman.

RaceTrac is no stranger to delayed grand openings. Martin County found all sorts of problems with the development of the property for a RaceTrac on South Kanner Highway in Stuart, ranging from protected trees to storm water retention ponds that needed to be fixed. The county allowed the RaceTrac Kevin D. Thompson to open on Aug. 18.

Now that cars can pull into the Lake Worth Road location, everyone seems to be raving about ... the frozen yogurt.

What? Did you expect customers to be gushing over the gas? Sure, prices still remain low — $2.23 a gallon — but you can’t drink the stuff.

Jeanne Joseph, a RaceTrac shift manager, said the Swirl World frozen treat section has been all the rage.

“It’s our biggest attraction,” Joseph said. “People love ice cream.”

Ten flavors (pink lemonade sorbet, cheesecake yogurt and cookie dough among them) and 41 toppings are offered. The tasty sweets seem to draw the college crowd, not surprising since Palm Beach State College is across the street.

“This place is super nice,” said Brittany Henry, a 20-year-old junior, while waiting in line to buy her Italian Ice. “I love frozen yogurt and I can go after class. It’s super convenient.”

Marquesia Pratt, a part- time sales associate at RaceTrac, said all the customers keep her busy.

“You have to learn how to multi-task,” she said. “But I like it.”

If ice cream isn’t your thing but you still want something cold, wander past the glass doors and into the frigid “Beer Heaven,” which is basically a giant fridge where you have your choice of brew-skis and wine.

But don’t hang around long. The temperature, after all, is a nippy 34 degrees.

“People usually just walk in and out,” Joseph said.

Think about it: That’s what most customers do at convenience stores. They get what they want, then leave. It just seems that many customers at the shiny, new RaceTrac, are leaving with a frozen treat in their hand.