There’s nothing that gives a community authentic roots like a mom-and-pop business – in this case a daughter-and-pop business. Skip-N-Rias, an anchor in the Erath community and surrounding area for two decades, began with the foresight of a young woman with entrepreneurship in her bloodline.
To understand and appreciate Maria Hebert Simmons’ work ethic is to know her background. “My whole family were entrepreneurs,” she shares. “Dad’s family was involved in the seafood industry. They operated Dupuy’s in Abbeville- and Shucks (where I worked at 14). My mom’s family operated a tug boat company. My parents were beekeepers for 35 years and also had a pecan cracking business for almost 15. As kids, we were raised to work and work hard.”
By 22, Maria decided to open a daiquiri drive-thru and with help from her father John “Skippy” Hebert, they opened Skip-N-Rias in 2005. As to why that type of business she explains, “I knew the potential of a daiquiri shop; I knew what the industry was capable of.”
The business opened on Mardi Gras day, but not for the reason you may think. “We had been ready for weeks, but my Nanny, who was also a business owner, insisted that we wait for the right moon,” Maria says smiling. “It goes back to when my grandparents owned an oyster business, and at the start of every season they would wait to reopen on a new moon. My Nanny also had us bury some coins under the concrete at the drive-thru window.”
Her Nanny might have been on to something. Today, Skip-N-Rias offers mixed drinks, snowballs, ice cream, malts, shakes, daiquiris, barbeque burgers, nachos, chili Fritos and, a customer favorite, chili dogs, cooked by Maria from a family recipe.
Snowball best sellers include the Bobcat, a bubble gum snow cone with cream and the “stuffed” strawberry cheesecake snow cone with ice cream and topped with cream.
The daiquiri drive-thru stays busy, especially in the summer months when fans flock for favorites like the popular margarita, the pushup (half pinã colada and half 190-proof octane,) and the white Russian (made with soft serve ice cream, vodka and Kahlua.)
The business has survived much, including a few hurricanes. The family was fortunate that the drive-thru did not take in water after Hurricane Rita. In fact, after the hurricane flooded most of the area, Coast Guard personnel set up at Skip-N-Rias where they launched boats from the dirt pad to perform rescues.
Because Maria, an Erath native, is one of the founders of Moving Erath Forward, Skip-N-Rias has been a sponsor of several community events throughout the years including Easter at the Park and Christmas in Erath.
Many of Skip-N-Rias’ customers have been coming since the business opened, some come daily. “We know our customers by their vehicles and their regular orders,” laughs Maria. “My girls will often get an order ready before the customer gets up to the window.”
It’s that kind of service that has kept the business opened for 20 years – that and consistency. “We’re consistent across the board,” says Maria “in hours of operation – we’ll service someone who comes in a couple of minutes before closing – and we’re consistent in our products. I won’t change brands unless they stop making it, and I don’t sacrifice the quality of a product for an increase in price.”
In 2011, a daiquiri trailer was added to the business which travels to cookoffs, as well as fundraisers, including that for St. Jude in Delcambre, and four festivals a year. Maria is especially excited that this year, for the first time, Skip-N-Rias will be a vendor at the Shrimp Festival.
With a 9 and 14-year-old, Maria has learned to balance her family and business lives. (Her husband Kenny operates the other family business, the adjacent Grub Lot where food trucks congregate.) “You have to get up and give it your all. I’m here every day,” she says.
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