Their ice cream is easily the richest and tastiest of the major chains, but it’s never come cheap. It’s not day-to-day ice cream, but when you need to celebrate a big win or mourn a terrible day, Cold Stone is the place to go. But like lots of “hot” franchises, I think it expanded faster than the market could support it, and needed to close many stores to find the equilibrium.
I heard they charge way-to-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
It's usually bad management of the franchise and over selling the brand. Most screw up with that once they go that route. Only a few got it right (ie Mcdonalds)
@@davidfence6939 Price point wasn't really the issue. Plenty of people will pay for quality but it's not there in many many stores since they lost control of managing the stores. I'm a perfect example. No issues for paying for quality service but it's gotta be there for the extra price.
I used to work there. I hated it because the ice cream smell would stick to my apron and start smelling like sugar and spoiled milk. The customers sucked; they were always so entitled. I also hated singing for tips; it felt so demeaning. The owner would watch the cameras and tell me "you need to sing." "Yeah ok I will next time." I lied. I quit that cursed place after 6 months. Rarely ever go back, and when I do I tip like $10 and ask them not to sing, and their faces look so relieved.
Love this comment. Thank you. Any business that wants to drive profit off of demeaning employees shouldn't stay in business. That business has created the very entitled environment that ended up happening.
I also used to work here it was one of my first part time jobs, the smell was the worst, customers could be bad but that's everywhere. I was an opener my store manager told me that it was optional to sing. I was relieved about that but he then proceeded to have a family member go through " detailed training" and ended up working for free for over 2 weeks. Because it's a franchise so favoritism and bad management really can take hold.
I work at a small local ice cream lounge as a manager that makes rolls. Luckily I don't have to sing for my tips and it's really annoying when people confuse our rolled ice cream for what you guys did at coldstone.
In Nigeria and Africa Coldstone is the biggest Ice cream chain and they did a cobrandin with Dominos Pizza in Nigeria. So we have Dominos & Cold stone in Same building. I enjoy their ice cream its fun to watch them juggle the ice cream rolls before mixing it with other flavors and toppings. It’s really the best ICE CREAM experience. With love from Nigeria
One of my friends traveled to Nigeria for a wedding and she was shocked that Cold Stone Creamery was so popular there. It's as big as KFC is in Japan. Nigerians love Cold Stone Creamery :)
That's an interesting combination but it makes sense since pizza and ice cream can go together well. Both are lunch and dinner offerings. Also it stays warm most of the year in Nigeria which only happens in a few southernmost US states.
I used to work at a Cold Stone/ Which Wich. The place was poorly managed and quit to work at Walmart of all places, because it was a better option. The ice cream was great and was made fresh most of the time with good ingredients, but mixing in things would kill your forearms and as someone else mentioned, the customer base was very entitled. I’ve seen all of the ones around me closing, so I look forward to the follow up “And decline of” video.
I think it speaks to the company when your comment, and the other previous worker with an unpleasant experience, are the top two comments lol. I’ve never heard of it personally, but I’m definitely gonna steer clear after reading these.
Marble Slab is way better than Coldstone. The Texas equivalent chains tend to be better but fly under the radar due to the lack of expansion, like Whataburger and HEB. We really do have it better here, and the country doesn't know it cuz they think Texas is all Cowboys and rednecks.
It wouldn’t kill your forearms if you got good 😂 or had worse management who won’t spent the money on a new ghea that didn’t stop working every other day
One thing I really appreciate about Cold Stone is that they offer mint ice cream without any chocolate in it. They're the only place that has plain mint ice cream and it's my favorite flavor ever!
@@dillonwright13 I tried a shamrock shake once, I thought I was getting mint ice cream but apparently it's mint flavored vanilla ice cream It was still kind of okay except that it was horribly mixed so most of the mint syrup was at the top and before I was halfway through it I only had vanilla ice cream left because there was no mint mixed into the rest of it. I'm sure it'd be fine if mixed properly but I've been wary of trying it again. I also once tried ordering an Oreo McFlurry from McDonald's and it was even worse because I kid you not, the bottom half of the cup was plain vanilla ice cream, and the top half was nothing but a giant layer of Oreo. I had to awkwardly dig through the giant Oreo rock and eat it on its own until finally I saw vanilla ice cream at the bottom. Definitely the worst ice cream experience I've ever had, I don't know why they didn't even try to mix anything and just gave me a giant pile of Oreo to dig through
My local location is a train wreck. High turn over, constant manager change, poor employee training, bad equipment management, flies, rats, etc. I worked there for 4 years and service was always half assed. Now a family member of mine works there and it’s just as much or even more of a circus than it was before. They are lucky they get the amount of customers they get. It’s a sheer miracle.
I think Tim Horton's has some pretty bad problems itself. All the ones around me closed a few years ago. Company Man had a video on them but it's pretty old now.
I remember the Make-A-Wish collaboration. As a kid I was allowed to go behind the counter and help them work. It was the best time I’d ever had in a restaurant.
It’s heartbreaking for me to see this because I had a Cold Stone in my area and it was my go to ice cream place and then that location either went out of business or relocated but I never saw it again. I have a lot of memories from it.
This happened where I live too. but eventually we got a 2nd location. Not sure if its still there, I think it is. the OG shut down a while ago tho but probably just due to being low-income area
@ghost mall it’s heartbreaking due to the memories I had as a six year old going every weekend and having a great time up to about when I was 10 or 11 when it closed. Which wasn’t that long ago like not even 10 years ago. I’m only 18
I was about to say the same thing when I saw the title of the video, I didn’t think they were very successful because they completely left my area 10 years ago and I haven’t heard of them since this video
@@catzass69 I went to one location since then and a shit ton of memories came back. I believe it was in Florida. Mississippi where I’m from barely has any locations from what I know of.
Cold Stone is by far the best when it comes to premium ice cream. You simply can't beat their taste and quality. DQ and BR are both decent for more budget minded consumers but if you're after quality and taste then nothing beats Cold Stone. Yet another absolutely awesome video.
@@davidv6588 I agree. DQ isn't for everyone but its fine for.the price you pay. For me, at least, I've found Cold Stone Ice cream to be almost too rich. But to each their own.
I worked at Cold Stone for about a year. It was fun. I was usually a closer, but I had a culinary background, so eventually the owner started teaching me how to make the ice cream. It was a blast, really. I just hated it when we had like, 40 people in line and had to sing every 2 minutes. There were like, 60 songs to try to remember and a lot of them were super lame. We did get to take one creation home a day. If I had school the next day, I'd make a Two To Mango smoothie which was incredible. I can't recommend the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection, but sub in Peanut Butter ice cream instead of chocolate if they have it. Get that as a shake, too and you won't regret it. It's expensive, but it's really worth it.
@@cellie_bellie That was part of their whole corporate image. Showing a staff that is singing while working was meant to have an air of jollity to it. It helped make it more of an "experience" rather than just a place to go and buy ice cream. How many other ice cream places entertain you? The whole thing is really a spectacle from beginning to end. You pick your ice cream, mix ins, see it being worked, have a song or two sung. It's certainly a unique experience!
That's crazy I've been to CSC in NC/SC and NJ and waited in numerous long lines throughout the years and I've never heard them sing once to anyone! I didn't know they even did that until reading this comment. BTW their ice cream is expensive but very good especially the Sweet Cream with various mix-ins!
The thing that always stuck out to me about this company was that episode of King of the Hill where they basically just dumped on the playful atmosphere for a half hour, and Hank's immortal line, "Ice Cream is already fun."
Glad to hear they are successful, cuz we lost a location recently that I grew up with, and was worried they were on a decline. Found one that is about 30min. from me, so that’s good.
Ours all went on the decline or disappeared. The stores became less well-maintained, mess was everywhere, and every surface was sticky. I get that ice cream is sticky by nature and that the stores got okay foot traffic, but it turned me off to go into one because the floors, counters, and tables were all gross.
Another one of their reasons for being successful is their success with the Cake Batter ice cream flavor. It's a unique flavor that particularly sweet and extremely popular. From every location I've gone to and asked what their most popular flavor is, staff has always responded with Cake Batter. That flavor has caused Coldstone to spawn other "batter" flavors but none of them seem to have been as popular as Cake Batter.
Yes, Cold Stone was the first place I had heard of cake batter flavor and I absolutely LOVED It. But the they stopped making it a while due to the raw eggs until they came out with a new formula. Now every cheap store brand ice cream has a cake batter flavor (birthday cake, etc.).
Always reminds me of that King of the Hill episode, we make ice cream fun, and Hank saying whats with all these companies trying to shove more fun into things, ice creams already fun.
We had something similar in Canada (at least in Ontario) called Marble Slab. Very expensive but pretty good ice cream. Seems that 'funky' ice cream is becoming a trend, especially if they're considered healthy. So hopefully places like Marble slab can expand. Cause man, even though they're expensive, it's SO good..
We have a Marble Slab where I live in Alabama too. It is the exact same experience as cold stone down to the way they mix it and the brand collaboration. Ours is Marble Slab/Great American Cookie Company
We used to have one in South Carolina! I thought it was just the same company with a different regional name, but they went out of business there and I haven't heard more about them until now.
@@ellerose6807 It's pretty comparable to other places. I can get a "LIke It" size for about 5.99 or 2 scoops at Baskin Robbins for 4.99. You get literally the highest grade ice cream plus mix ins, whereas other chains you get super basic...that said, I'm not big on desserts but I like to go maybe twice per year 🤤
I worked at Bed Bath & Beyond when Cold Stone was exploding in popularity. One of the products we carried for a brief time was a stone slab you could mix your ice cream on. Somehow I think most people who bought those probably never use them more than a few times before relegating it to the back of the kitchen cabinet.
The only other big name brand that does super premium, is Ben and Jerry’s. Even the ones in store are included. But out of all the ice cream brands, Coldstone is my favorite.
Never heard of them before and figured it was another place that was far from my area as usual. I looked them up and found they actually have a location near me! I'm going to have to try them out thanks to you.
I worked at a place called Tu Tu Tango in Coconut Grove, Miami in the 90s. They did the happy birthday acknowledgement thing with the whole crew. Nice place.
I have an Aunt who sent me Coldstone gift cards for years for my birthday. I couldn't complain, but I never lived near one. Now that I finally do have one close by and a lady to take there those gift cards are finally getting used. Pretty darn good stuff!
I’ve only been to Coldstone Creamery twice and both times it was when my cousin took me when I was a kid. This was in the early to mid 2000’s. It was cool to watch them mix the ice cream and toppings together. It’s store is in a mall so it gets the traffic it needs to stay in business. The thing is when you live in Wisconsin and you have so many different ice cream places around you that’s better for your wallet and it’s a small business that’s where I’ll purchase any ice cream.
Cold stone was my first job, I showed up to work where they told me I'd be paid 4.25 an hour for a whole summer as "training pay". Safe to say I left halfway through my first day.
Cold Stone to me is niche. They're delicious, but not cheap, and while their flavors are typically found at other major chains they taste better and incorporate their "mix-ins" to create favorites you simply can't find anywhere else. They should embrace and maintain their niche status and I can see them continuing to do quite well.
On the subject of ice cream places; the other day my friends and I were talking about Friendly's and how there are only a handful left. There used to be one in every town in Upstate, NY where I am from and Friendly's ice cream in the grocery store. I'd love to have a Friendly's video about what happened to them.
I was wondering if somebody was going to bring up Friendly's. It was one of my favorite places to go as a kid because there weren't any other restaurants around that provided crayons and where you could be sure you'd be getting ice cream at the end because the Happy Ending sundae came free with just about anything.
I used to go to Friendly's too. I grew up in Connecticut. Last I heard of them they filed for Chapter 11 and there was some lawsuits going on but other than that, I dunno. I used to love the pistachio ice cream. I remember buying the ice cream from Stop & Shop supermarket but it made me miss the times I had with mom when she took me to Friendly's once or twice a month on a friday. Good times.
Loved it a lot in my childhood, but did not like the singing, but loved the ice cream. I remember when one opened up just a 10 min walk from me, and I would go there in the summer. But back in 2001 not all their stores had the cricket promotional. There were several Kosher Certified Cold Stones at the time (today many many more) and as part of the certification process, they were not allowed to have any non-kosher mix-ins, and those were one of them. So those stores did not have it.
Had dinner with the co-founder of Kahila Corp, the company responsible for taking cold stone to the next level through franchise expansion . It was an amazing conversation and she was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. 🥰
I used to work nearby their headquarters office in Scottsdale and never pieced together that they started in the Phoenix area until you mentioned the first location was in Tempe. Great ice-cream but it's so decadent it's something more reserved for a rare treat.
I've eaten at Cold Stone's first location in the 90's when I was living there and going to ASU. It's on Southern and McClintock, I believe. May not be there anymore.
I feel like Dylan Lemey Is Also a huge part of their success. With such a huge following. It saves it say that more people would learn about cold stone. Thats where I first knew it
There’s a Cold Stone in a nearby mall. Tried different ice cream flavors a few times, and it was middle of the road, but I can see why folks who usually Frosty or Blizzard it up like the place so much. I worked at a Brusters Ice Cream franchise in the early 00’s as a part time gig. Like Cold Stone the ice cream was made daily and unlike the 11 flavors we had closer to 20 “stock” flavors available everyday. I was one of the peeps making the ice cream, helping with supply day, so I had a good grasp of the ingredients, and it was top tier stuff. I had a wonderful boss. And he definitely showed me how to lead by example and truly manage folks efficiently but with kindness. Working at that particular Brusters is still to this day the best/most fun job I ever had. Yeah, it was part time and I was making slightly above minimum wage, but the managers respected the employees and didn’t create a poor work environment. With that tangent out of the way, Brusters set the bar for ice cream very high for me, and Stone Cold… err Cold Stone while better than Baskin Robbins or DQ still hasn’t reached the same level as the Brusters stores.
Cold Stone was fun in Japan when I went on vacation back in 2017. I can't remember much about it here in the states since the one closest to me closed back when I was younger. Cool to hear the story of its history!
My gf went to an interview there and it was bad. The guy was horrible. He said they don't do raises and don't expect one. Expect low hours too. They were extremely demanding in rules too. She walked out and said "nah I'm good". It's considered a place that only college students work at so they're really bad to workers. I've had multiple people say how much they hated it there too.
I'm a huge ice cream fan and Cold Stone is by far my favorite of the major chains. A few years ago I got curious as to why they don't have more locations so I looked into what it takes to open a franchise store, and I remember it being prohibitively expensive to open and operate one. After that, it made a lot more sense why so many of their seemingly busy locations close down.
Honestly surprised there’s hasn’t been a Stone Cold/cold stone crossover promotion to this point. “Cold Stone the best Ice Cream. And that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!” It writes itself
Cold Stone is my favorite ice cream shop. Their cakes are also excellent, I’ve gotten them for my birthdays before and they were a huge hit each time. The quality of the ice cream is top notch.
I love their ice cream. I try to avoid ice cream in general, but I'll go here if anywhere. I've only seen like 2 Dairy Queens ever in my life haha. For perspective I live in California. We have a handful of BR stores but Cold Stone is all over the place, even when I travel. I'm surprised to see DQ is bigger.
Crazy I live in western Canada and its the opposite never actually scene a cold stone but DQ is omnipresent lol also nothing beats a DQ blizzard and I will hear no argument against it haha
Love the content from this channel! That said, I thought it'd be interesting to bring up how Cold Stone Creamery closed down here in Singapore. It had a good start at first and queues were long, but it ran out of steam after a bit and puttered along and more and more outlets closed before calling it quits after 10 years or so. Not denying that some of the ice-cream dishes were good, but it was up against a lot of stiff competition here. Not to mention, I found their gimmicks and tricks pretty irritating after a while and I reckon I wasn't alone. Thanks for the great videos as always!
Cold Stone ice cream IS amazing. Definitely above the rest. I appreciate them even more after moving to a region that does not have any! There are marble slab knockoffs here and, while the store appearance and selections appear familiar at first glance, that is where the similarities end. Cold Stone is the best I've ever had.
I agree that this is a future "Decline of Cold Stone Creamery- What Happened?" Multiple locations in my general proximity have closed within the past 4 years. I think poor management, competition from "local" ice cream shops, availability of "more affordable" chain shops, and high cost of their product, -will be their downfall.
I loved Cold Stone (CS) back in the day since the texture seemed closer to Gelato (maybe to me only). However, a couple of years ago, I started tasting powdered substances in one of the New York stores that caused me to cough, and that was a wrap for me. Gelato making is my passion; over the year, I also traveled around and learned the art of making it. There is a vast difference between American and Italian Gelato, so all of my flavors are hibernation. CS has been my inspiration (for Do's and Don't). It's been a while since I went to CS because I make so much Gelato and ice cream that I stopped craving frozen sweets. This video is excellent, and my concept is similar to depending on different food items and walking away being a seasonal business. Thanks for making the video.
Here in Montgomery, we used to have both a Marble Slab Creamery as well as a Cold Stone Creamery. Sadly, both have been defunct for years. I liked them both and wish they were still here.
I went to Cold Stone last month and had a Gotta Have It size Sundae; it was expensive but it was very delicious. The store did seemed to be kind of boring, but the woman behind the counter was very nice and I enjoyed my experience there.
I never liked the place very much, rather expensive and frankly I disliked the employees' insincere friendliness. But good for them I'm not hating on them, glad they're doing well, I just never cared for the brand personally
Coldstone creamery is so yummy. I have wonderful memories with my mother going there. It truly is our spot as mother and daughter❤️I usually get chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and she would get plain coffee
I once ordered a Birthday Cake from Cold Stone, Turns out they never even made the Cake and didn't even want to give us a refund so they made up buy a plain ice cream cake that they put Happy Birthday on. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN!!!
The thing I like about Cold Stone is that they have an allergy procedure at every store. I tell them I am allergic to nuts and they can make my ice cream with new scoops and separately.
Man it was nice serving people with allergies sometimes knowing they don’t usually get this but my god when this whole family with nut allergies came in I wanted to cry
@@JS-wp4gs sorta but coldstone are one of the few that can actually make it happen safety wise there is no guarantee even at coldstone and that’s true for everywhere but most places if you have an allergy your gambling if they serve any of your allergens at all
first time i'm early to a new vid! this is my favorite channel on youtube. i swear i watch your videos when i'm having a rough day because theyre calming and your vids are super informative :)
I only went to coldstone once, I didn't realize they sang there so when they did (and my very modest very no-fun family heard it) I think it was immediately decided we were never going there again. I don't even remember what it tasted like :(
I heard they charge way-too-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
This reminded me of when I worked in Champaign IL and Cold Stone opened 2 blocks from my office. It was wonderful. I need to make the short drive here in Carmel and go get me some Cold Stone!
0:22 parlor 店鋪 1:30 the founder couple traveled all over the world to find the best one but failed. 1:55 International dairy foods association has official categories to select the super premium ice cream. 3:11 experience as 10 min vacation. (may be a bit of stretch) 3:23 puns all over the place. fun vibe. 4:03 hire people much more based on their personality, friendliness, and performance ability. 4:20 in their words, a gazillion possibilities: regular, seasonal, and local flavors. 4:35 spatulas 抹刀 5:00 tie-in: fit or harmonize with something. 5:24 3rd reason behind the success is franchising: paying the central company the right. ... they use this model to grow 6:17 growing name recognition and lower franchising fees and small restaurant sizes. 7:00 merge. Kahala started as a smoothie chain. ...with over a billion dollars in sales each year. 7:17 46 hundreds locations each year. 7:30 food court 美食廣場 ... bought by a canadian company and looking for a presence in US. 8:00 cobranding: seeking out partners that are complementary for them to open shared locations. 8:30 gourmet chocolate store. both are high-end sweets and complementary throughout the year (summer and winter). also in the morning and at nights. 9:00 unlike dunkin donuts and ... 9:09 collaboration, similar to previous reason, they host the ice cream social. for charity reason. 9:53 licensing deal with Jelly Belly.
@@davidv6588that’s what poor people say. You might want rethink your life choices if you can’t afford ice cream. Just because you failed in life doesn’t mean the rest of us did also
I lived in South Korea for 6 years. Cold Stone there is a completely different experience. You walk in and the employees are excited about their job. Here in the states? It is like you are offending the employees by walking in. I stopped going.
It's the same way here in America too. I don't remember the last time I went into a coldstone where the employees looked like they actually wanted to be there.
Steve's ice cream in Atlanta (on West Paces Ferry Rd) was the first place I saw do mix-ins back in the early 80s. Steve's was forced to change its name to Gorin's (the first and last name of the founder) because of a dispute with a restaurant in NY (not sure if they sold ice cream). AFAIK, there is still one Gorin's left nearby but it's just a quick deli spot on the first level of a commercial building. No ice cream... Bummer. Gorin's was tasty ice cream.
The super-premium made-on-premises ice cream, the mix-ins, and cold marble slab all came from Steve's in Cambridge, MA. I remember standing in line for an hour with friends to get some in the early '80s. I don't think Steve's ever tried franchising but I think they did try co-lo, which didn't work. I doubt that corporate Cold Stone is anywhere near what Steve's was, just like what happened to Ben & Jerry.
Cold stone is upscale ice cream shop. I also got their Nintendo ice cream flavors, it’s really good! They even got the governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey to run the company before he ran for governor!
The Starbucks I once worked at was next door to a Coldstone: one popular thing to do was to buy a bowl of vanilla ice cream, then come over and buy a shot of espresso and pour the espresso over the ice cream. It was pretty good.
I love Coldstone! I saw they are opening one in London before I left so that’s a good sign and they have so many here in the UAE so I’m happy about that. I’m surprised some people in the comments say theirs closed down, where i grew up in south Florida coldstone was definitely more popular than DQ at least for my generation. I’m not even an ice cream lover but I love Birthday Cake Remix and Chocolate Lovers Devotion. I forgot they used to sing.
Maybe I live in a odd part of North America, but Cold Stone went out of business across my entire province about 10 years ago and I haven’t heard of them since. When I saw the title was why they are successful, I couldn’t believe it… I thought they went bust
I heard they charge way-to-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
I remember being a kid and walking past coldstone while at King of Prussia Mall and wondering why the line was always so long. Then one day i decided to try it. Best decision of my life. 🍦
I’ve always wanted to eat there but I have a nut allergy and they don’t accommodate the allergy at all. I know it’s hard given the interaction with mix-ins and the cold stone, but it’s a shame they have no intention to serve one of the largest allergy groups in the country. Oh well, Carvel and Kohrs are my fav dessert spots
Other ice cream places are fine but just feel like fast food. Coldstone feels a lot more like an establishment, always clean(the ones I've been too) and it's just a pretty fun feeling atmosphere🙌
No offenae but I think this made it seem waaay more special than it is. The only memories of when I went weren't much different than any other ice cream store. I specifically remember my parents thinking of it as very expensive and we rarely went. Never knew they were supposed to sing or make a good "experience." It honestly shocked me as most various frozen yogurt places had much better "experiences." You would pay by weight. Its usually very colorful and cheerful looking. And one place even had a public board to write on. Nothing too special but far better memories than Coldstone.
Their ice cream is easily the richest and tastiest of the major chains, but it’s never come cheap. It’s not day-to-day ice cream, but when you need to celebrate a big win or mourn a terrible day, Cold Stone is the place to go. But like lots of “hot” franchises, I think it expanded faster than the market could support it, and needed to close many stores to find the equilibrium.
Agreed, every location in my entire region (5+) all disappeared 10 years ago and they never came back to this day
I heard they charge way-to-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
It's usually bad management of the franchise and over selling the brand. Most screw up with that once they go that route. Only a few got it right (ie Mcdonalds)
Lol and you expected it to be cheap? Damm, Westerners are idiots.
@@davidfence6939 Price point wasn't really the issue. Plenty of people will pay for quality but it's not there in many many stores since they lost control of managing the stores. I'm a perfect example. No issues for paying for quality service but it's gotta be there for the extra price.
I used to work there. I hated it because the ice cream smell would stick to my apron and start smelling like sugar and spoiled milk. The customers sucked; they were always so entitled. I also hated singing for tips; it felt so demeaning. The owner would watch the cameras and tell me "you need to sing." "Yeah ok I will next time." I lied. I quit that cursed place after 6 months. Rarely ever go back, and when I do I tip like $10 and ask them not to sing, and their faces look so relieved.
Love this comment. Thank you. Any business that wants to drive profit off of demeaning employees shouldn't stay in business. That business has created the very entitled environment that ended up happening.
I also used to work here it was one of my first part time jobs, the smell was the worst, customers could be bad but that's everywhere. I was an opener my store manager told me that it was optional to sing. I was relieved about that but he then proceeded to have a family member go through " detailed training" and ended up working for free for over 2 weeks. Because it's a franchise so favoritism and bad management really can take hold.
I work at a small local ice cream lounge as a manager that makes rolls. Luckily I don't have to sing for my tips and it's really annoying when people confuse our rolled ice cream for what you guys did at coldstone.
I'm glad people see that singing bit for the cringefest it is. Believe me, even customers find it very awkward to sit through
Imagine being entitled for ice cream
In Nigeria and Africa Coldstone is the biggest Ice cream chain and they did a cobrandin with Dominos Pizza in Nigeria. So we have Dominos & Cold stone in Same building. I enjoy their ice cream its fun to watch them juggle the ice cream rolls before mixing it with other flavors and toppings. It’s really the best ICE CREAM experience. With love from Nigeria
sounds like a good mix
One of my friends traveled to Nigeria for a wedding and she was shocked that Cold Stone Creamery was so popular there. It's as big as KFC is in Japan. Nigerians love Cold Stone Creamery :)
That sounds great
That's an interesting combination but it makes sense since pizza and ice cream can go together well. Both are lunch and dinner offerings. Also it stays warm most of the year in Nigeria which only happens in a few southernmost US states.
What the fuck y’all Africans get this shit but not us Canadians?! Now that’s funny.
I've always loved how smooth and creamy the ice cream is combined with my choice of mix-ins. It really is a recipe for success.
Do you not have actual home made ice cream shops near you?
Why tf are people crying about him liking Cold Stone?
🤣😂😆 It's a recipe for fat....I got one right by me....PASS
@@robertcuratolo5339 Boy you don’t know WHAT you’re even talking about, like bye 😂
@@squares4u 😂 Okay Fatty
I used to work at a Cold Stone/ Which Wich. The place was poorly managed and quit to work at Walmart of all places, because it was a better option. The ice cream was great and was made fresh most of the time with good ingredients, but mixing in things would kill your forearms and as someone else mentioned, the customer base was very entitled. I’ve seen all of the ones around me closing, so I look forward to the follow up “And decline of” video.
I think it speaks to the company when your comment, and the other previous worker with an unpleasant experience, are the top two comments lol. I’ve never heard of it personally, but I’m definitely gonna steer clear after reading these.
Marble Slab is way better than Coldstone. The Texas equivalent chains tend to be better but fly under the radar due to the lack of expansion, like Whataburger and HEB. We really do have it better here, and the country doesn't know it cuz they think Texas is all Cowboys and rednecks.
What if that follow up never happens? What if instead this one is followed up by "Rise and Fall... and Rise again?"
It wouldn’t kill your forearms if you got good 😂 or had worse management who won’t spent the money on a new ghea that didn’t stop working every other day
One thing I really appreciate about Cold Stone is that they offer mint ice cream without any chocolate in it. They're the only place that has plain mint ice cream and it's my favorite flavor ever!
That's awesome, I've never even thought about just mint ice cream!
you can find that at good grocery store.
Then you know where to get a Shamrock Shake everyday of the year. Wink Wink
Well seeing as the whole point is to mix in what you want of course but being that I worked there a lot of people like you actually wanted the syrup
@@dillonwright13 I tried a shamrock shake once, I thought I was getting mint ice cream but apparently it's mint flavored vanilla ice cream
It was still kind of okay except that it was horribly mixed so most of the mint syrup was at the top and before I was halfway through it I only had vanilla ice cream left because there was no mint mixed into the rest of it. I'm sure it'd be fine if mixed properly but I've been wary of trying it again. I also once tried ordering an Oreo McFlurry from McDonald's and it was even worse because I kid you not, the bottom half of the cup was plain vanilla ice cream, and the top half was nothing but a giant layer of Oreo. I had to awkwardly dig through the giant Oreo rock and eat it on its own until finally I saw vanilla ice cream at the bottom. Definitely the worst ice cream experience I've ever had, I don't know why they didn't even try to mix anything and just gave me a giant pile of Oreo to dig through
My local location is a train wreck. High turn over, constant manager change, poor employee training, bad equipment management, flies, rats, etc. I worked there for 4 years and service was always half assed. Now a family member of mine works there and it’s just as much or even more of a circus than it was before. They are lucky they get the amount of customers they get. It’s a sheer miracle.
Bad management by the franchiser.
I remember when Tim Hortons and Cold Stone had shared locations in Canada. It didn’t last too long for most of not all Canadian locations sadly.
I found one of those, but the Coldstone part was closed.
He literally says this in the video...
It was a total disaster, so expensive!
@@SPFLDAngler He didn't mention that the collaboration didn't last too long, it only lasted 5 years before they withdrew from the Canadian market.
I think Tim Horton's has some pretty bad problems itself. All the ones around me closed a few years ago. Company Man had a video on them but it's pretty old now.
I remember the Make-A-Wish collaboration. As a kid I was allowed to go behind the counter and help them work. It was the best time I’d ever had in a restaurant.
This comment really makes me think about how many kids would would love to have my job.
It’s heartbreaking for me to see this because I had a Cold Stone in my area and it was my go to ice cream place and then that location either went out of business or relocated but I never saw it again. I have a lot of memories from it.
@ghost mall food speaks to the heart
This happened where I live too. but eventually we got a 2nd location. Not sure if its still there, I think it is. the OG shut down a while ago tho but probably just due to being low-income area
@ghost mall it’s heartbreaking due to the memories I had as a six year old going every weekend and having a great time up to about when I was 10 or 11 when it closed. Which wasn’t that long ago like not even 10 years ago. I’m only 18
I was about to say the same thing when I saw the title of the video, I didn’t think they were very successful because they completely left my area 10 years ago and I haven’t heard of them since this video
@@catzass69 I went to one location since then and a shit ton of memories came back. I believe it was in Florida. Mississippi where I’m from barely has any locations from what I know of.
Cold Stone is by far the best when it comes to premium ice cream. You simply can't beat their taste and quality. DQ and BR are both decent for more budget minded consumers but if you're after quality and taste then nothing beats Cold Stone. Yet another absolutely awesome video.
You gotta hit up a local place that makes theirs in house.
Now that’s where it’s at.
Shut up
DQ is a completely different product, You are comparing apples and oranges. I would much rather have DQ. And it has nothing to do with price.
@@davidv6588 I agree. DQ isn't for everyone but its fine for.the price you pay. For me, at least, I've found Cold Stone Ice cream to be almost too rich. But to each their own.
Always loved cold stone creamery when I was younger. Never had one around us but when we would travel we would stop at them.
I worked at Cold Stone for about a year. It was fun. I was usually a closer, but I had a culinary background, so eventually the owner started teaching me how to make the ice cream. It was a blast, really. I just hated it when we had like, 40 people in line and had to sing every 2 minutes. There were like, 60 songs to try to remember and a lot of them were super lame.
We did get to take one creation home a day. If I had school the next day, I'd make a Two To Mango smoothie which was incredible.
I can't recommend the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection, but sub in Peanut Butter ice cream instead of chocolate if they have it. Get that as a shake, too and you won't regret it.
It's expensive, but it's really worth it.
I’ve seen a lot of comments from previous employees saying that you would have to sing a lot to customers. Why would management make you sing?
@@cellie_bellie That was part of their whole corporate image. Showing a staff that is singing while working was meant to have an air of jollity to it. It helped make it more of an "experience" rather than just a place to go and buy ice cream. How many other ice cream places entertain you? The whole thing is really a spectacle from beginning to end. You pick your ice cream, mix ins, see it being worked, have a song or two sung. It's certainly a unique experience!
That's crazy I've been to CSC in NC/SC and NJ and waited in numerous long lines throughout the years and I've never heard them sing once to anyone! I didn't know they even did that until reading this comment. BTW their ice cream is expensive but very good especially the Sweet Cream with various mix-ins!
The thing that always stuck out to me about this company was that episode of King of the Hill where they basically just dumped on the playful atmosphere for a half hour, and Hank's immortal line, "Ice Cream is already fun."
Glad to hear they are successful, cuz we lost a location recently that I grew up with, and was worried they were on a decline. Found one that is about 30min. from me, so that’s good.
Ours all went on the decline or disappeared. The stores became less well-maintained, mess was everywhere, and every surface was sticky. I get that ice cream is sticky by nature and that the stores got okay foot traffic, but it turned me off to go into one because the floors, counters, and tables were all gross.
I haven't seen a Cold Stone still in business in years.
yeah this video came out several years too late, they definitely are on a steep decline.
Another one of their reasons for being successful is their success with the Cake Batter ice cream flavor. It's a unique flavor that particularly sweet and extremely popular. From every location I've gone to and asked what their most popular flavor is, staff has always responded with Cake Batter. That flavor has caused Coldstone to spawn other "batter" flavors but none of them seem to have been as popular as Cake Batter.
Yes, Cold Stone was the first place I had heard of cake batter flavor and I absolutely LOVED It. But the they stopped making it a while due to the raw eggs until they came out with a new formula. Now every cheap store brand ice cream has a cake batter flavor (birthday cake, etc.).
Always reminds me of that King of the Hill episode, we make ice cream fun, and Hank saying whats with all these companies trying to shove more fun into things, ice creams already fun.
He had a point lol
We had something similar in Canada (at least in Ontario) called Marble Slab. Very expensive but pretty good ice cream. Seems that 'funky' ice cream is becoming a trend, especially if they're considered healthy. So hopefully places like Marble slab can expand. Cause man, even though they're expensive, it's SO good..
We have marble slab in the US too (im down in texas so its pretty far). Honestly i prefer cold stone but marble slab is good too
We have a Marble Slab where I live in Alabama too. It is the exact same experience as cold stone down to the way they mix it and the brand collaboration. Ours is Marble Slab/Great American Cookie Company
We used to have one in South Carolina! I thought it was just the same company with a different regional name, but they went out of business there and I haven't heard more about them until now.
We’ve got Marble Slab in upstate NY. I never liked it, the ice cream tasted like flavored ice chips. Cold Stone was always better to me!
Heard of them, but never tasted their ice cream. But I do love hearing their background & success.
Basic ice cream but they pound whatever ingredients that you want into it. Good but expensive like $10 -15.
You’re not missing much but overpriced ice cream.
@@ellerose6807 It's pretty comparable to other places. I can get a "LIke It" size for about 5.99 or 2 scoops at Baskin Robbins for 4.99. You get literally the highest grade ice cream plus mix ins, whereas other chains you get super basic...that said, I'm not big on desserts but I like to go maybe twice per year 🤤
@@Woozlewuzzleable GEEZ, you’re place is overpriced af. The stone cold near me only charges 5ish bucks for the largest one.
@@Howitgoes799 Yeah, that's why I never eat there.
I worked at Bed Bath & Beyond when Cold Stone was exploding in popularity. One of the products we carried for a brief time was a stone slab you could mix your ice cream on. Somehow I think most people who bought those probably never use them more than a few times before relegating it to the back of the kitchen cabinet.
The only other big name brand that does super premium, is Ben and Jerry’s. Even the ones in store are included. But out of all the ice cream brands, Coldstone is my favorite.
CSC is by FAR the Best Ice Cream Shoppes out there. The atmosphere, the choices, and the top notch ice cream quality.
Always been a fan of "Cold Stone" Steve Austin.
DTA Don’t Trust Anybody
That’s the bottom line!
wHaT?!
That’s what Mike Tyson called Austin
Never heard of them before and figured it was another place that was far from my area as usual. I looked them up and found they actually have a location near me! I'm going to have to try them out thanks to you.
Tell us how it goes
Oh wow, where did you usually go for ice cream as a kid?
I lived at the other end of the state as a kid where they had barely anything. Only had Dairy Queen.
I worked at a place called Tu Tu Tango in Coconut Grove, Miami in the 90s. They did the happy birthday acknowledgement thing with the whole crew. Nice place.
shout out to the Grove!!!!!!
I have an Aunt who sent me Coldstone gift cards for years for my birthday. I couldn't complain, but I never lived near one.
Now that I finally do have one close by and a lady to take there those gift cards are finally getting used. Pretty darn good stuff!
My first job was cold stone. Overall a great place for a first job in my opinion. I really enjoyed working there in high school.
I’ve only been to Coldstone Creamery twice and both times it was when my cousin took me when I was a kid. This was in the early to mid 2000’s. It was cool to watch them mix the ice cream and toppings together. It’s store is in a mall so it gets the traffic it needs to stay in business. The thing is when you live in Wisconsin and you have so many different ice cream places around you that’s better for your wallet and it’s a small business that’s where I’ll purchase any ice cream.
Cold stone was my first job, I showed up to work where they told me I'd be paid 4.25 an hour for a whole summer as "training pay". Safe to say I left halfway through my first day.
Cold Stone to me is niche. They're delicious, but not cheap, and while their flavors are typically found at other major chains they taste better and incorporate their "mix-ins" to create favorites you simply can't find anywhere else. They should embrace and maintain their niche status and I can see them continuing to do quite well.
On the subject of ice cream places; the other day my friends and I were talking about Friendly's and how there are only a handful left. There used to be one in every town in Upstate, NY where I am from and Friendly's ice cream in the grocery store. I'd love to have a Friendly's video about what happened to them.
I was wondering if somebody was going to bring up Friendly's. It was one of my favorite places to go as a kid because there weren't any other restaurants around that provided crayons and where you could be sure you'd be getting ice cream at the end because the Happy Ending sundae came free with just about anything.
I used to go to Friendly's too. I grew up in Connecticut. Last I heard of them they filed for Chapter 11 and there was some lawsuits going on but other than that, I dunno. I used to love the pistachio ice cream. I remember buying the ice cream from Stop & Shop supermarket but it made me miss the times I had with mom when she took me to Friendly's once or twice a month on a friday. Good times.
Agreed. I used to love Friendly’s until they… well… disappeared…
THIS. Staple of my childhood in the mid Atlantic area. Fond memories of them and A&W.
friendlys was so fun as a kid, i loved the monster mash sundae
I'm not gonna lie, I would have liked a "Why was Stone Cold Steve Austin" so successful. Show the rattlesnake some love!
I love this place. My friend gave me a gift card for my birthday last year and ever since then I go there every few months. It’s been good stuff.
Loved it a lot in my childhood, but did not like the singing, but loved the ice cream. I remember when one opened up just a 10 min walk from me, and I would go there in the summer. But back in 2001 not all their stores had the cricket promotional. There were several Kosher Certified Cold Stones at the time (today many many more) and as part of the certification process, they were not allowed to have any non-kosher mix-ins, and those were one of them. So those stores did not have it.
Had dinner with the co-founder of Kahila Corp, the company responsible for taking cold stone to the next level through franchise expansion . It was an amazing conversation and she was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. 🥰
I’m glad to hear she was sweet! And nice to hear a woman as a co founder too 😊
I never had Cold Stone growing up in SEA as they are 'the expensive' brand, but this video make me want go and try one
I used to work nearby their headquarters office in Scottsdale and never pieced together that they started in the Phoenix area until you mentioned the first location was in Tempe.
Great ice-cream but it's so decadent it's something more reserved for a rare treat.
I've eaten at Cold Stone's first location in the 90's when I was living there and going to ASU. It's on Southern and McClintock, I believe. May not be there anymore.
I feel like Dylan Lemey Is Also a huge part of their success. With such a huge following. It saves it say that more people would learn about cold stone. Thats where I first knew it
I like that they were able to achieve their dreams and follow their goals.
There’s a Cold Stone in a nearby mall. Tried different ice cream flavors a few times, and it was middle of the road, but I can see why folks who usually Frosty or Blizzard it up like the place so much.
I worked at a Brusters Ice Cream franchise in the early 00’s as a part time gig. Like Cold Stone the ice cream was made daily and unlike the 11 flavors we had closer to 20 “stock” flavors available everyday. I was one of the peeps making the ice cream, helping with supply day, so I had a good grasp of the ingredients, and it was top tier stuff.
I had a wonderful boss. And he definitely showed me how to lead by example and truly manage folks efficiently but with kindness. Working at that particular Brusters is still to this day the best/most fun job I ever had. Yeah, it was part time and I was making slightly above minimum wage, but the managers respected the employees and didn’t create a poor work environment. With that tangent out of the way, Brusters set the bar for ice cream very high for me, and Stone Cold… err Cold Stone while better than Baskin Robbins or DQ still hasn’t reached the same level as the Brusters stores.
Dude Cold Stone in Japan is awesome!
Cold Stone was fun in Japan when I went on vacation back in 2017. I can't remember much about it here in the states since the one closest to me closed back when I was younger. Cool to hear the story of its history!
My gf went to an interview there and it was bad. The guy was horrible. He said they don't do raises and don't expect one. Expect low hours too. They were extremely demanding in rules too. She walked out and said "nah I'm good". It's considered a place that only college students work at so they're really bad to workers. I've had multiple people say how much they hated it there too.
I'm a huge ice cream fan and Cold Stone is by far my favorite of the major chains. A few years ago I got curious as to why they don't have more locations so I looked into what it takes to open a franchise store, and I remember it being prohibitively expensive to open and operate one. After that, it made a lot more sense why so many of their seemingly busy locations close down.
Honestly surprised there’s hasn’t been a Stone Cold/cold stone crossover promotion to this point.
“Cold Stone the best Ice Cream. And that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!” It writes itself
lol ikr that'd be perfect
Cold Stone is my favorite ice cream shop. Their cakes are also excellent, I’ve gotten them for my birthdays before and they were a huge hit each time. The quality of the ice cream is top notch.
I love their ice cream. I try to avoid ice cream in general, but I'll go here if anywhere.
I've only seen like 2 Dairy Queens ever in my life haha. For perspective I live in California. We have a handful of BR stores but Cold Stone is all over the place, even when I travel. I'm surprised to see DQ is bigger.
Crazy I live in western Canada and its the opposite never actually scene a cold stone but DQ is omnipresent lol also nothing beats a DQ blizzard and I will hear no argument against it haha
Love the content from this channel!
That said, I thought it'd be interesting to bring up how Cold Stone Creamery closed down here in Singapore.
It had a good start at first and queues were long, but it ran out of steam after a bit and puttered along and more and more outlets closed before calling it quits after 10 years or so.
Not denying that some of the ice-cream dishes were good, but it was up against a lot of stiff competition here. Not to mention, I found their gimmicks and tricks pretty irritating after a while and I reckon I wasn't alone.
Thanks for the great videos as always!
They hired PEGGY HILL to name the flavour and sizes 😂 I love they’re ice cream.
I used to go to the original location when I was at ASU. Still my favorite ice cream spot
They’ve closed all the locations by me, but yet I still think they have great ice cream
Cold Stone ice cream IS amazing. Definitely above the rest. I appreciate them even more after moving to a region that does not have any! There are marble slab knockoffs here and, while the store appearance and selections appear familiar at first glance, that is where the similarities end. Cold Stone is the best I've ever had.
I agree that this is a future "Decline of Cold Stone Creamery- What Happened?" Multiple locations in my general proximity have closed within the past 4 years. I think poor management, competition from "local" ice cream shops, availability of "more affordable" chain shops, and high cost of their product, -will be their downfall.
I loved Cold Stone (CS) back in the day since the texture seemed closer to Gelato (maybe to me only). However, a couple of years ago, I started tasting powdered substances in one of the New York stores that caused me to cough, and that was a wrap for me. Gelato making is my passion; over the year, I also traveled around and learned the art of making it. There is a vast difference between American and Italian Gelato, so all of my flavors are hibernation. CS has been my inspiration (for Do's and Don't). It's been a while since I went to CS because I make so much Gelato and ice cream that I stopped craving frozen sweets. This video is excellent, and my concept is similar to depending on different food items and walking away being a seasonal business. Thanks for making the video.
I guess you could say they’re a stone cold success
Ouch
That pun suck
Well that's the bottom line...
@@stevensuarez4843 bottom of the barrel lmao
Um what
Here in Montgomery, we used to have both a Marble Slab Creamery as well as a Cold Stone Creamery. Sadly, both have been defunct for years. I liked them both and wish they were still here.
Can you please make a video on why 'ring' is successful.
I went to Cold Stone last month and had a Gotta Have It size Sundae; it was expensive but it was very delicious. The store did seemed to be kind of boring, but the woman behind the counter was very nice and I enjoyed my experience there.
I like cold stone but it's a bit expensive, a bad storn destroyed our local cold stone and hasn't been back in a year
Our coldstone went out of business about a decade ago so im surprised to hear they are doing so well.
I've never had Cold Stone. This video has me intrigued. I would love to go there, often and try every menu item, just not at one sitting.
It's delicious.
shutup
Cold Stone has always been my favorite place to go for ice cream! I love that they have a plain banana ice cream flavor
I never liked the place very much, rather expensive and frankly I disliked the employees' insincere friendliness. But good for them I'm not hating on them, glad they're doing well, I just never cared for the brand personally
Coldstone creamery is so yummy. I have wonderful memories with my mother going there. It truly is our spot as mother and daughter❤️I usually get chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and she would get plain coffee
I once ordered a Birthday Cake from Cold Stone, Turns out they never even made the Cake and didn't even want to give us a refund so they made up buy a plain ice cream cake that they put Happy Birthday on. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN!!!
I appreciate the passion
Love the wrestling references sneaking their way into these videos!!
The thing I like about Cold Stone is that they have an allergy procedure at every store. I tell them I am allergic to nuts and they can make my ice cream with new scoops and separately.
Yup, my mom has Celiac and Cold Stone is safe for her.
Man it was nice serving people with allergies sometimes knowing they don’t usually get this but my god when this whole family with nut allergies came in I wanted to cry
So does every other such restaurant, its a legal requirement
@@JS-wp4gs sorta but coldstone are one of the few that can actually make it happen safety wise there is no guarantee even at coldstone and that’s true for everywhere but most places if you have an allergy your gambling if they serve any of your allergens at all
@@JS-wp4gs there's no legal requirement to accommodate allergies
first time i'm early to a new vid! this is my favorite channel on youtube. i swear i watch your videos when i'm having a rough day because theyre calming and your vids are super informative :)
"Cold Stone Steve Austin" - Mike Tyson
I only went to coldstone once, I didn't realize they sang there so when they did (and my very modest very no-fun family heard it) I think it was immediately decided we were never going there again. I don't even remember what it tasted like :(
I actually thought they were declining. 😅
I think they have downsized. They're only in the wealthy zip codes now in Colorado. Use to be more widespread a decade back. Still the best ice cream
I heard they charge way-too-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
This reminded me of when I worked in Champaign IL and Cold Stone opened 2 blocks from my office. It was wonderful. I need to make the short drive here in Carmel and go get me some Cold Stone!
0:22 parlor 店鋪
1:30 the founder couple traveled all over the world to find the best one but failed.
1:55 International dairy foods association has official categories to select the super premium ice cream.
3:11 experience as 10 min vacation. (may be a bit of stretch)
3:23 puns all over the place. fun vibe.
4:03 hire people much more based on their personality, friendliness, and performance ability.
4:20 in their words, a gazillion possibilities: regular, seasonal, and local flavors.
4:35 spatulas 抹刀
5:00 tie-in: fit or harmonize with something.
5:24 3rd reason behind the success is franchising: paying the central company the right. ... they use this model to grow
6:17 growing name recognition and lower franchising fees and small restaurant sizes.
7:00 merge. Kahala started as a smoothie chain. ...with over a billion dollars in sales each year.
7:17 46 hundreds locations each year.
7:30 food court 美食廣場 ... bought by a canadian company and looking for a presence in US.
8:00 cobranding: seeking out partners that are complementary for them to open shared locations.
8:30 gourmet chocolate store. both are high-end sweets and complementary throughout the year (summer and winter). also in the morning and at nights.
9:00 unlike dunkin donuts and ...
9:09 collaboration, similar to previous reason, they host the ice cream social. for charity reason.
9:53 licensing deal with Jelly Belly.
Please do a video on Hunt Brothers Pizza! My wife and I love your videos and we’d love to see you cover that.
I second this notion! The podunk town I live in has a convenience store that bakes em, good shit
With Cold Stone you get what you payed for, its pricy but you get a lot of ice cream
You get a lot more for less at the grocery store.
@@davidv6588that’s what poor people say. You might want rethink your life choices if you can’t afford ice cream. Just because you failed in life doesn’t mean the rest of us did also
Never thought about comparing Stone Cold Steve Austin to Cold Stone Creamery but now I can't unsee that. Thanks Company Man 😁😁
I lived in South Korea for 6 years. Cold Stone there is a completely different experience. You walk in and the employees are excited about their job. Here in the states? It is like you are offending the employees by walking in. I stopped going.
It's the same way here in America too. I don't remember the last time I went into a coldstone where the employees looked like they actually wanted to be there.
I’ve been going to cold stone a lot more recently due to the Nintendo collaboration because I found those mixes were really tasty
Hey I’m there right now lol
Steve's ice cream in Atlanta (on West Paces Ferry Rd) was the first place I saw do mix-ins back in the early 80s. Steve's was forced to change its name to Gorin's (the first and last name of the founder) because of a dispute with a restaurant in NY (not sure if they sold ice cream).
AFAIK, there is still one Gorin's left nearby but it's just a quick deli spot on the first level of a commercial building. No ice cream... Bummer. Gorin's was tasty ice cream.
It’s been a good while since I’ve cold stone creamery, definitely should change that someday.😊
The super-premium made-on-premises ice cream, the mix-ins, and cold marble slab all came from Steve's in Cambridge, MA. I remember standing in line for an hour with friends to get some in the early '80s. I don't think Steve's ever tried franchising but I think they did try co-lo, which didn't work. I doubt that corporate Cold Stone is anywhere near what Steve's was, just like what happened to Ben & Jerry.
How do you not mention Dylan?!? He’s the biggest reason for their modern day relevance. I’ve never heard someone being up cold stone until his videos
Who the hell is Dylan?
Cold Stone has GREAT ice cream. I really love their butter pecan with graham cracker pie crust, nilla wafers, and caramel sauce 😋
Cold stone is upscale ice cream shop. I also got their Nintendo ice cream flavors, it’s really good! They even got the governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey to run the company before he ran for governor!
The Starbucks I once worked at was next door to a Coldstone: one popular thing to do was to buy a bowl of vanilla ice cream, then come over and buy a shot of espresso and pour the espresso over the ice cream. It was pretty good.
They do the best milkshakes globally.
This was awesome, thank you so much for the great content man! God bless you :)
How in the heck is Dairy Queen #1? They are barely even relevant anymore.
I love Coldstone! I saw they are opening one in London before I left so that’s a good sign and they have so many here in the UAE so I’m happy about that. I’m surprised some people in the comments say theirs closed down, where i grew up in south Florida coldstone was definitely more popular than DQ at least for my generation. I’m not even an ice cream lover but I love Birthday Cake Remix and Chocolate Lovers Devotion. I forgot they used to sing.
They opened here in Canada and failed.
'Cuz it sucks. You Canadians are smarter about some things.
@@miastrong151 i dont think so. We think Tim Hortons is good coffee lol
@@Hogtownboy1 Yeah, true.
@@Hogtownboy1 I said "some", though.
@@miastrong151 be well Mia. 🙏🏽
Maybe I live in a odd part of North America, but Cold Stone went out of business across my entire province about 10 years ago and I haven’t heard of them since. When I saw the title was why they are successful, I couldn’t believe it… I thought they went bust
I heard they charge way-to-high franchising fees and percentages. Because of this, franchisees lose money unless they sell a TON of ice cream. This might be why so many closed.
I remember being a kid and walking past coldstone while at King of Prussia Mall and wondering why the line was always so long. Then one day i decided to try it. Best decision of my life. 🍦
I’ve always wanted to eat there but I have a nut allergy and they don’t accommodate the allergy at all. I know it’s hard given the interaction with mix-ins and the cold stone, but it’s a shame they have no intention to serve one of the largest allergy groups in the country. Oh well, Carvel and Kohrs are my fav dessert spots
“You’re a big boy Kenny, you’ve got to clean up your own mix-innns”.
Cold Stone Creamery
Stone Cold: 'WHAT?!"
Other ice cream places are fine but just feel like fast food. Coldstone feels a lot more like an establishment, always clean(the ones I've been too) and it's just a pretty fun feeling atmosphere🙌
I mixed this place up with Marble Slab Creamery. I didn't realize they were two separate places.
And Maggie Moo’s
No offenae but I think this made it seem waaay more special than it is. The only memories of when I went weren't much different than any other ice cream store. I specifically remember my parents thinking of it as very expensive and we rarely went. Never knew they were supposed to sing or make a good "experience." It honestly shocked me as most various frozen yogurt places had much better "experiences." You would pay by weight. Its usually very colorful and cheerful looking. And one place even had a public board to write on. Nothing too special but far better memories than Coldstone.