England's unexpected ice cream runs delight Prairie Village shop during World Cup

KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

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Members of England's national soccer team made multiple surprise visits to Betty Rae's ice cream shop in Prairie Village during the World Cup — and the staff says they never saw it coming.

Zach Doerfler, director of operations at Betty Rae's, said the shop had leaned into the World Cup by creating flavor profiles inspired by the countries represented in the tournament, including a London Fog flavor for England. But he said having the players walk through the door was something else entirely.

"We never thought we'd see the team," Doerfler said.

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"It's fantastic that we can pair our world-class flavors with their world-class soccer abilities," Doerfler said.

He said the team stopped by more than once, and staff members were quick to spread the word internally when it happened.

"We've been hearing our team members reach out, call, send us a note within our chats to say, 'Hey, so-and-so just showed up,"' Doerfler said. "Having the team, it's just that next level. It's just a lot more fun."

Imrie Goller, an ice cream scooper at Betty Rae's, said she did not initially realize who had come into the shop.

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"I didn't know they were part of the team until a horde of teenagers came in to take pictures with them," Goller said.

She said three players visited during one of the stops, and at least one ordered a scoop and a milkshake.

"There's three of them," Goller said. "I remember one of them got a scoop and also a milkshake with the butter cake, which is my favorite flavor too. So I know that they have good taste."

Goller told KSHB 41 Reporter Fernanda Silva she definitely sent out a couple of texts afterward.

Word spread beyond the shop's staff. Goller said customers began coming in specifically to ask about the player's visits.

"Sometimes I do get customers coming in asking, 'Did you see any players?'" Goller said.

Betty Rae's is located a short distance from the hotel where England's World Cup team is staying, and fans gathered outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the players.

Jack Clark, an England fan who plays soccer, said he came out specifically hoping to get autographs. Clark said he had been supporting the United States, but shifted his allegiance after the United States was eliminated.

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"I was supporting USA, but now it's England and France," Clark said.

Jared Linarez, another England fan who said he has followed the sport his entire life, said he hoped the team would advance to the final.

"It's a passion for me because I've been following like since I'm born," Linarez said.

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Greyson Mantooth, an eight-year-old England fan, said the experience of having players staying nearby was surreal.

"It's just like feeling like Mbappe's living next door, like a player," Mantooth said. "My favorite part about it to enjoy my first World Cup. I like watching and seeing some of the good players."

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England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said the reception from the community had been warm.

"We go out on the bikes, and everyone says hello, everyone says good morning, good afternoon," he said. "It's been really nice, and they've respected us so well."

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Doerfler said the shop's connection to the tournament had been more than he expected, and he is rooting for England to keep winning.

"As much as they continue to win, I have them in my World Cup pick," he said. "They're my choice to go all the way. So hopefully we can see them in the final."

"Just the fact that we can continue those relationships with the community and the world is an amazing experience," Doerfler said.

The team will face Argentina in a semifinal match Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta before the team returns to Kansas City.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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