Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatum Romanowski.
Hi Tatum, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Mondays began as a simple pop-up lemonade stand in May 2025, when our teenagers wanted summer jobs and we saw an opportunity to teach them the value of entrepreneurship. What started as Mondays Mix & Sip quickly gained local support and grew faster than we ever imagined.
By June, we had the chance to take over the ice cream side of Marty’s on Main Street, which had decided not to reopen for the season. As longtime East Jordan residents, we couldn’t imagine our town without its beloved ice cream spot — so we stepped in. That became Mondays Sweet Treats, serving hand-crafted lemonades, shakes, malts, and ice cream favorites that brought the community together once again.
Mondays has been a true family operation from the very beginning. Our two-year-old loves greeting customers, our eight-year-old proudly wipes tables, and our teenagers serve up treats with a smile. Every member of our family has played a part in making this dream come to life. Mondays is a labor of love, built with the hope of giving back to the community that has given us so much. We’re honored to create something lasting for East Jordan — a place where families can gather, grow, and make memories together.
Now, with the main restaurant at Marty’s also closing, we’re taking the next exciting step with Mondays Good Eats — a casual, family-friendly restaurant opening soon in downtown East Jordan. Our menu will feature smash burgers, gourmet grilled cheeses, a fresh salad bar, nostalgic nods to beloved local favorites, and of course, Marty’s famous broasted chicken. Mondays Good Eats will be a bright, welcoming space where families, friends, and neighbors can share good food and even better company.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been the smoothest road. We do not come from a background in ice cream. We were just determined to learn whatever we could about it and serve our community the best way we knew how: love, kindness and care. We knew nothing about soft serve machines or slushy machines. We had no clue that it mattered how you hand dipped ice cream. We didn’t know that it matters where ice cream sits in the case, certain ice creams go better in the corners apparently.
We also had no clue how much ice cream costs. As you can tell by our very short timeline of events, things progressed very quickly and in rapid succession. It didn’t leave much time to learn, and before we knew it were having to order thousands in ice cream every week. A good problem to have, but also very daunting when you had no idea what this normally would cost.
We have also struggled to get the locals to understand that we are a different company. A lot of people thought we were the same owners, they didn’t realize we were open, thought we were only open on Mondays, etc… So a lot of time had to go into educating the public and getting the word out as to who we are and what we offer.
And now that it’s fall/winter, we have run into people not realizing we are still open. Most ice cream places have closed by now and we are having to educate the locals that we not only are open, we plan to stay open year round.
Overall though it has gone much better than we could have ever imagined. The community has really embraced us and our vision for Mondays and come out in full support. We have regulars that are in multiple times a week and honestly it has been one of the best parts of the venture. Being able to meet our community members face to face and get to know them over their favorite sweet treat, has been so much more meaningful than any of us had realized. We have had people shake our hands with tears in their eyes, so grateful that we opened and are staying. It seems silly, but it has honestly made such an impact in the community and we are so grateful to be able to be apart of it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Mondays, we specialize in creating a space where community and comfort come together. Whether it’s through a hand-crafted lemonade, a scoop of ice cream, or a meal shared with family. We’re known for our warm, welcoming atmosphere and the personal touch that comes from being a true family-run business. Everything we serve is made with care, and everything we do is rooted in our love for East Jordan and the people who call it home.
What sets us apart is our weekly specials. Every Monday we do something new launch, launch a new drink, launch a new flavor. We want Mondays to be something that people are looking forward to. We hand craft all of our drinks, create our own recipes and branding and launch something every week.
Also, our events. We do a lot of events for the community whether it’s a sourdough pop up stand from a local baker to our Late Night Date Night to Toddler Tuesdays or Homeschool Hangout on Wednesdays. We have purposefully crafted Mondays to be about service to the community in whatever way we can. It’s not just ice cream to us.
We’re most proud of the relationships we’ve built. We have regulars who come in multiple times a week, families who’ve made Mondays part of their routines, and kids who are growing up stopping in for ice cream after school. Those small, meaningful connections are what drive us. We’re sure that is probably the corniest response, but we mean it. We want to be the highlight in someone’s day. Not just because we serve tasty treats, but because we were good to them. The world has so much negative going on all the time, we want Mondays to be the place people feel the difference. They get a break from the yuck and get greeted with kindness. Mondays isn’t just about food. It’s about belonging, about creating a space where everyone feels welcome and cared for.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something surprising is that all of this started with no money in the bank. At the time, we were a single-income family — I was home with our five kids (our oldest had already moved out) — when my husband, Paul, unexpectedly lost his job during the massive ice storm in April. Like so many others, we were in shock and trying to figure out what to do next. With almost no savings and few options, we decided to take a chance on an idea that felt both crazy and hopeful.
We borrowed a small amount from our teenager and thought, “Who knows, maybe they’ll learn something and we’ll earn something.” That little leap of faith turned into Mondays — a brand that has taken on a life of its own. We’ve had no private donors or investors; every step has been built on faith, prayer, long nights, and a whole lot of hard work.
Even now, it still feels surreal. We don’t come from wealthy families, and there have been plenty of moments where we’ve had to simply trust that the next step would appear. But looking around at what Mondays has become — and what it means to our community — we’re in awe of how far this dream has carried us.
Pricing:
- Classic Lemonade 32oz: $6.25
- Weekly Drink Special 32oz: $7.25
- Single Scoop Ice Cream: $4.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mondaysdaily.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mondaysdaily
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondaysdaily
