Since opening in December 2025, Lu’s Ice Cream Shop has been adding more food items and space to eat those items.
Their dipping freezer now holds 16 flavors for customers to choose from, and typically there are 4-5 additional flavors in the back freezer.
An outdoor eating area has been added, and on-site seating to watch a baseball/softball game across the street at Fisher Park, and starting in July, more variety of foods were added to the menu.
“It’s been a gradual process opening and adding more items to the menu, because I was teaching full time until May,” said Nikki Regan, the manager. Regan is a former special education teacher for Fort Scott School District.
The shop now offers sandwiches, nachos, loaded dogs, and paninis.
Now more food options are in the works.
“We are adding more quick lunch options with high schoolers in mind,” she said. “We’d love for Lu’s to become a regular lunch spot for them during open lunch. A place where they can grab something quick and good, enjoy a little ice cream if they want, and still have time to get back to school.”
“We are listening to what they want and continue to add items based on their feedback.”
Homemade soups, mac and cheese, loaded mac and cheese, along with pretzel bites are coming soon, she said.
Regen leads a crew of 20 employees-young adults and high school students, some with unique abilities.
At the heart of our mission is inclusion — we proudly employ individuals with disabilities, offering meaningful opportunities that build confidence, dignity, and purpose. Every scoop supports a place where everyone belongs, and every visit helps our team shine. Come enjoy great ice cream while making a difference right here at home!- From the shop’s Facebook page.
The adult shift leader does most of the cooking and is helped by the others with food prep, bussing tables, cleaning the shop, and scooping Blue Bell Ice Cream.
The address is 523 S. Main, and the business can be contacted at 620.418.4288.
Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday from 2-7 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
“When the weather gets cooler, we will close an hour earlier,” she said.
The Library Speakeasy
Food can also be delivered to another business in the building that owner’s, Lu and Al Niece, opened in July.
The Library is a 1920s-themed hidden speakeasy, tucked away in the basement beneath Lu’s Ice Cream.
A speakeasy bar, in essence, is an establishment inspired by the secretive drinking venues that proliferated across the United States during the Prohibition era. These bars typically feature a clandestine entrance, often concealed behind an unassuming facade—such as a wall of books, a telephone booth, or even blending seamlessly within a retail storefront, according to https://www.restaurantware.com/blogs/bar-management/what-is-a-speakeasy
https://fortscott.biz/news/grand-opening-ribbon-cutting-the-library-speakeasy-july-9
Enter through the black door off the 6th Street stairs on the building’s south side. The first room resembles a quiet library filled with books, but walking past the bookshelves at the end reveals a hidden door that opens into a cozy, vintage-inspired cocktail lounge.
