Hand-dipped ice cream, deli sandwiches available at Eight’s

Downtown building finds tenant in newly opened eatery next to Mt. Vernon City Hall
 
When Crystal Schubert decided to open a restaurant, she set out to create something that couldn’t be found anywhere else in Mt. Vernon. So, she opened Eight’s Deli and Ice Cream Shop on the Mt. Vernon square.
Eight’s has about 10 different sandwiches, including wraps, clubs, Po Boys, burgers and panini sandwiches on the menu. There are also about a dozen flavors of ice cream, which can be served on cones or in floats, sundaes, malts, shakes and banana splits. There are also daily specials, and free Wi-Fi is available for those who want to dine in.
Schubert said she wanted the restaurant to offer foods that weren’t being served anywhere else in town.
“We wanted to give the community a place to go that they couldn’t get the services we offer anywhere else,” she said. “I mean you can’t get any hand-dipped ice cream or deli meats or anything like that within 12 miles either way of Mt. Vernon. So, we just wanted to bring something to this area that the community could use.”
Schubert runs the restaurant with the help of her family, including her mother, Sandy Swihart, who acts as general manager, her children and other family members who “pop in and out.” The name of the restaurant refers to the number of family members who helped her get the restaurant off of the ground.
“It is a family-run business, and there were eight original members with the last name that started with an ‘S,’” she said. “So, we named it ‘Eight’s.’”
Though she actually had little experience in the restaurant business, Schubert said she decided to jump in the venture and learn as she went.
“My mom has worked in the food business for 20-plus years,” Schubert said, “and she just needed something a little different from where she was, and I just wanted to … help out my family, make this a family business, and I needed something different as well. And, it was just something the community needed, (so) we just kind of jumped feet-first into it all.”
Since Eight’s opened their doors on Monday, July 6, Schubert said they have received “steady” support from the community.
“It’s been good,” she said. “We were very overwhelmed with the community that came out and supported us in that first week, and then they’re still supporting us. It’s been very steady, and that’s all we could ask for.”
 As she looks to the future, Schubert said she envisions having bands come and play live music at the restaurant. She said there are also plans to add a retro-style arcade in the back, an idea she said her son Trenton, 14, came up with.
“He likes the older, retro games,” she said. “So, it’s going to be kind of that, (and) there’s going to be a pool table and an air hockey table back there.”
Schubert said she wants the Mt. Vernon community to know she and her family are grateful for their support of Eight’s.
“We’re very thankful for their support, and hopefully we can continue being there for them,” she said.
Eight’s Deli and Ice Cream Shop is located at 101 N. Hickory, on the square in Mt. Vernon. The restaurant is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; closed on Sundays. For more information, including their daily specials, call (417)316-9009, or visit their Facebook page.