Ice cream lovers are probably the kind who duck into the cold comfort of blazing air-conditioners, rather than brave 20-minute waits in the sweltering heat in queues. But the 50 or so standing in line for Cold Stone Creamery do so willingly.
This is the first store of this American franchise to open in Singapore and it entices you with whiffs of freshly made waffles, creamy wonders and delightful crushed toppings such as Graham crackers, peanut butter cups and apple pie filling.
Others may be drawn by the server, who occasionally bursts into a quick song; a trademark of the franchise. That explains why the sign at the end of the queue at level 1 of Orchard Central (OC) reads “The fun begins here”.
Outside, one can see the creamer whipping out tins of rich vanilla ice cream, and Cold Stone promises fresh batches daily. Apart from Cotton Candy and Cheesecake, most of the ice cream are traditional flavours. With 18 – 20 of them, you could spend several minutes deciding what to pick.
Known in America for being a fun premium ice cream parlor, it has the capacity to seat up to 52 customers at one time.
Not only is the concept of being able to “make your own ice cream” fun, LeRoy Chan, PR Consultant from FoodNews tells UrbanWire that any customer who walks in can request to play game of toss-and-catch, where they try to catch their own ice cream.If you miss, you get a second chance, and Cold Stone won’t charge you extra. Don’t worry, you still get to eat your ice cream.
Here’s a typical day at Cold Stone Creamery:
Cold Stone actually isn’t the first creamery adopting the mix-in approach. However, they have a long heritage of 23 years from America, and now boasts more than 1,500 outlets in the world. LeRoy also explains that at Cold Stone, they don’t use low-fat ingredients simply because they pride themselves on being a company that focuses on taste. While your waistline won’t thank you for their ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies and cakes, your taste buds certainly will.
Signature creations such as Banana Caramel Crunch, Cookie Mintster, Mud Pie Mojo go for only $5.50 for the ‘Like It’ size of their smallest 4 oz serving. Add $1 if you fancy a freshly made waffle bowl and top another 50 cents for the chocolate-dipped one. Signature shakes are available in 1 size only at $8.50 (Warning: this is rich and filling enough to replace lunch). Pricing is considerably reasonable for the ice cream and entertainment is a delight.
1. Founder’s Favourite
One of the flavours most in demand, this creation is a classic combination of Sweet Cream Ice Cream with toppings such as pecans, fudge and caramel that appeal to the young and young at heart.
Our favourite part of this velvety sensation? The chewy brownie bits that are evenly distributed in the entire cup. Flavours are rich yet not too overpowering and it’s definitely worth giving a try if you are a fan of the classic chocolate/vanilla palate.
Much thought was put into this creation as the amount of caramel and fudge added into the ice cream is perfect – neither too sweet not too insubtantial. Word has it that Cold Stone creators remain particular about the quality and variety of ingredients and amount (although not to the clinical precision of weighing each addition) added to each cup sold to customers.
It’s no wonder that every cup of Founder’s Favourite remains consistent and it is also one of the 3 favorites in their menu.
Also try: Chocolate Devotion and Strawberry Banana Rendezvous. These 2 other flavours complete the top 3 products in their signature menu.