Dallas M
Google
I've had the privilege of experiencing Cold Stone Creamery (CSC) all over the country, dating as far back as 1999 when it opened its first Anchorage, Alaska store. From then, I've had it with my family in Rapid City, South Dakota for several years before the all-popular craze of frozen yogurt came to fruition. But even then, that didn't stop me from enjoying my CSC ice cream because the quality/flavor is unprecedented in my humble opinion. The main reason why my family and I stopped coming to CSC is due to my daughter's peanut allergies - I wasn't comfortable having her ice cream prepared on the same marble slab that just came in contact with peanut butter several seconds/minutes ago. It also became tiresome to constantly ask employees to utilize a different utensil to mix and a totally different marble slab to mix it on, only to get some annoying looks thrown at you.
Fast forward in time, having lived in Las Vegas for 10+ years now, I've ventured to many different dessert shops in the city/valley. It's often difficult to stay committed to just one dessert place when there are so many options available to you. However, I am thankful for places like CSC to remain open so I can get a dose of nostalgia from time to time. Recently, my wife and I decided to visit this CSC store on 18 Feb 2024, and the experience was pretty similar to our previous experiences of this franchise. However, there was one thing that we noticed about this store (or maybe it's the entire franchise), and that's the change in operations with their "tip jar." Before, the employees would sing a short jingle whenever you tip them, but it appears they stopped that entirely...unless the workers in the store I visited don't care? I'd like to think it's the first reason.
We've had so many different flavors at CSC in the past, but during our recent visit we ordered the Coffee Lovers Only and Cookie Mintster Signature Creations. In short, the flavors were so amazing and it was mixed/prepared very well. The employees on shift weren't the typical "happy and bubbly" personalities I'm used to seeing with this franchise, but then, I kind of have sympathy because we arrived close to the end of business hours. I will say that I think I'm either getting too old or parents just aren't raising their children the same anymore because it's rare that kids/teenagers use manners in our everyday lives (I'll even go on saying that adults are guilty of this as well). The female employee cleaning the tables and stacking chairs while we were in there just couldn't say things like, "Excuse me," when trying to work around us. Or saying, "Thank you," when we moved away from the area she was cleaning. I know for a fact that my daughter does not operate this way, so I don't get it. Maybe it's just a Vegas thing because I've noticed that with a lot of people in this city, ever since I moved here - but I digress.
Overall, this place is still great. I don't anticipate visiting this store again anytime soon because I'm trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle. But, I will recommend this place to everyone because regardless of my life's choices, this place still serves outstanding ice cream. The prices were a shock to me at first but I got used to it after a while based on the understanding of their quality ingredients and quantity of ingredients especially in the Signature Creations. Finally, I respect how this franchise supports the active men and women of the Armed Forces to include its Veterans - thank you for that!