With a prime location on bustling Front Street opposite the Hamilton docks, owner of The Double Dip Mrs. Doris Brooks hopes to lure hot truckers and dock workers, weary white collar workers on the way out of Town, movie goers looking for a quick snack, late night partiers with the munchies, and everyone else.

The Double Dip will be open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sundays from noon to 11 p.m.

Driving down Front Street in the evening, you can't miss the brightly lit, colourful ice cream parlour, located in the new Brunswick mini-mall next to Scandal nightclub.

Mrs. Brooks said she jumped at the chance when she learned there was a ground-floor spot available for rent on Front Street.

"The location was my main attraction -- you can't miss it. I find Bermudians tend to be a little lazy when it comes to walking or looking for things,'' she noted.

"I think my main business is going to be from across the road,'' she says, "which is why I created a special 32 ounce re-usable ice cream cup especially for dock workers and truckers.'' They will be given a 10 percent discount and can fill the cup with whatever they want -- a slush float (slush and soft serve ice cream), double thick milkshake, frozen yogurt or any concoction of ice cream flavours.

For people looking for a quick cone to cool down with, there are plenty of choices -- the tiny torch cone for babies, the delectable dream cone which gets filled with a sundae complete with a cherry on top, regular cones, sugar cones and of course the Double Dip special double header cone.

The double header cone is the Double Dip's trademark and can be filled with two scoops of any ice cream flavour. Mrs. Brooks insists her prices are very competitive.

For those who want to sit and savour Mrs. Brooks' rich and creamy ice cream or dig into a sinful sundae or banana split, the Double Dip seats 32, while Mrs.

Brooks' other store Jelatos seats 18.

If you stroll into the Double Dip in the morning, the cosy smell of cookies baking, coffee brewing and warm home-made muffins will hit you straight away.

"We don't just sell ice cream,'' Mrs. Brooks points out.

Oatmeal raisin, pecan, almond, maple walnut, chocolate chip and double chocolate chip 65-cent cookies are freshly baked in mini ovens in the store, piled on glass trays and displayed in the counter along with chunky carrot, golden corn and many other kinds of mouthwatering muffins.

The Double Dip features a popcorn maker, jumbo hot dog cooker, slush machine and soft serve machine.

Also on the menu are home made beef, chicken, vegetable and mussel pies which range from $2.25-$3.75, pizza, three-piece barrels of buffalo or chicken wings, "hot pockets'' which are stuffed with such fillings as cheese omelettes, beef and melted cheddar and ham and cheese.

The Double Dip will also be serving made-to-order tuna, egg salad and other popular kinds of sandwiches, Mrs. Brooks said.

If you need a birthday cake in a hurry for a fussy child, or you and a few friends are feeling hungry for something sweet, stop in at the Double Dip as well.

Mrs. Brooks makes giant pizza-sized chocolate chip cookie cakes and decorates them herself to mark whatever special occasion the customer wants. Or they can simply be munched on plain.

And whatever time you stop by the Double Dip, a friendly face will be waiting to serve you.

BREAKFAST DELIGHTS -- The Double Dip counter server Ms Kim Rawlins holds trays of maple walnut cookies and warmed blueberry muffins fresh from the store's mini oven.

DIGGING IN -- Happy Valley Day Care Centre pupils and their teachers enjoy soft serve ice cream smothered with sprinkles in tiny torch cones, which the Double Dip stocks especially for youngsters.

A DREAM CONE -- Miss Dena Foggo buys one of the Double Dip's specials, a dream cone -- an extra-large sugar cone filled with an ice cream sundae and topped with chocolate or coloured sprinkles and a cherry.