I love their ice cream, I have no problem with their procedures or the presentation. However, whenever someone leaves a tip the staff bangs on a bell and sings a loud (and often out of tune)... More

I love their ice cream, I have no problem with their procedures or the presentation. However, whenever someone leaves a tip the staff bangs on a bell and sings a loud (and often out of tune) annoying song. It interrupts any sort of conversation or train of thought as you are enjoying your ice cream. Although I would like to leave a tip for good service and don't want them to suffer, I REALLY don't want to hear the singing. What kind of a nut job in charge of the Cold Stone Creamery would implement such an idiotic idea? I don't see how anyone would seriously think this is charming. It would be perfect it if weren't for the singing.
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I don't splurge often, but when I do, I like to go to Cold Stone. The ice cream is made fresh daily, which is delicious and SUPER creamy. The mix-ins are good, never stale. All in all, this is a... More

I don't splurge often, but when I do, I like to go to Cold Stone. The ice cream is made fresh daily, which is delicious and SUPER creamy. The mix-ins are good, never stale. All in all, this is a great place to splurge and treat yourself.
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I love ice cream. A lot. Just polished off 3/4 a quart, to be perfectly honest. So take my glowing recommendation of Cold Stone with a grain of salt. But that's just it...you can take your... More

I love ice cream. A lot. Just polished off 3/4 a quart, to be perfectly honest. So take my glowing recommendation of Cold Stone with a grain of salt. But that's just it...you can take your Cold Stone with whatever you like. Basically, someone had the brilliant idea to take the whole Mongolian, make it however you like it theme, and apply it to ice cream. You won't find any Cookies 'n Cream or Rocky Road here...but that's the beauty. You can create your own concoction. (I would suggest coffee with brownie.) On top of it all, their ice cream is always smooth, soft, and creamy too. (Never too frozen or hard.) Finally, the people that work in there are almost always overly friendly, making a trip to Cold Stone sure to put a smile on your face.
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Perhaps it's the quality of the ice cream (so creamy and smooth). Or perhaps it appeals to the glutton in me (whatever I want on it? I'll take it all!). Either way, when I think of an easy way to... More

Perhaps it's the quality of the ice cream (so creamy and smooth). Or perhaps it appeals to the glutton in me (whatever I want on it? I'll take it all!). Either way, when I think of an easy way to treat myself I think of a waffle bowl at Cold Stone Creamery. On my first visit, the good-better-best sizing approach left me ordering the love it (the "better" of the three sizes: like it, love it, and gotta have it). I was fooled by their intelligent pricing structure and left with more than I should have been able to handle. One love-it cone later and I knew it was just too much; their portions are for giants. (Giants, ice-cream fiends or for sharing, I'm not sure.) Still, I managed to get each delectable bite down. A national chain, Cold Stone offers a list of 33 pre-designed ice creams. You can either take their recommendations or pick your own mix-ins. Be forewarned: Like pizza, the ice cream costs quite a bit with each additional topping if you decide to "mix it yourself". On first impression, the mint ice cream drizzled with fudge, M&Ms and brownie in a waffle bowl may seem like a good idea, but you may want to cut back a little--maybe just mint, M&Ms and brownie--before the ice cream approaches $10 a pop. In other genius moves, this ice cream parlor is open until 10pm on weeknights and 11pm on Friday and Saturday. In the summer, I love grabbing dinner in Fremont, walking to Cold Stone for a cone and then taking a stroll along the Burke. It's a pleasant way to burn off some of the thousands of Coffee Lovers Only (coffee ice cream, Heath bar, almonds and caramel) calories that go down so easily. Besides ice cream, Cold Stone also sells milk shakes and ice cream cakes. The ice cream cakes, like their ice cream cones and bowls, are huge. Delicious, but huge. At the end of the day, Cold Stone is a splurge--financially and calorically. Sometimes, though, you need a little bit of both. Or as the case may be, a lot of both.
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