Ice Cream Shoppe Lakewood Ranch — Restaurant in Florida

So I went in on First Friday on Main this past week, and I tried an Italian ice but instead decided to opt for something I always love which is Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. I got it, without trying it, payed and walked about 50 ft away from the place where my friends where. I start to eat my ice cream. First bite, immediately the texture is gritty, like someone mixed sand into the ice cream. I keep eating it, thinking well you know I already paid for it and I would hate to walk all the way back over. Being in the restaurant industry, I know what it looks like to be “that customer” but after eating it more and being more and more disgusted by the texture I decided to go back and try to switch that for the Italian ice I tried earlier. I didn’t ask for my money back mind you, very politely I said “This Ice Cream has a sandy gritty texture to it is there anyway I could just switch it out for something else?” (Might I add I’m the type of person that never complains about food because I know the business) the young girl I told that too doesn’t even say a word, just turns around and grabs an older man (the manager) and has him face me, so I say the same thing to him. He looks at me, then the ice cream and just says “Sure.” As he turns around he proceeds to say in Spanish to his coworkers “After she ate half of it.” Now I could have thrown a fit, I could have made a scene, I could have demanded for my money back and I didn’t. I responded in the kindest manner that I possibly could and I was treated with such a high level of disrespect. And he decided to insult me as soon as he turned his back, loud enough so that I could hear him, and to make matters worse, in Spanish. (Which is my first language) I will never, ever recommend this place to anyone, I will never give them another dollar, and I certainly don’t plan on ever going back to this god awful...

We stopped in for two separate scoops Saturday afternoon, 3/5/22, which were over $10.00. Yes, that's expensive, but that's not the bad part.

First, I asked if I could sample the salted pretzel caramel ice cream, and the young lady serving me said she's not allowed to give a taste. When asked why, she said it's because she'd have to touch the spoon and because of covid, her boss won't allow that. But meanwhile, she has to touch my cup and spoon for the scoop I'm ordering, so I don't understand the difference. I think it's just because they don't want to offer a taste.

Long story short, the salted pretzel caramel was gross. It was gritty, and the pretzels were soggy / stale tasting (not fresh at all). I told the girl I didn't like it and asked if I could have something different. She proceeded to say, "I'll have to charge you for another scoop because you tasted that already and I can't put it back". I couldn't believe they'd ever put any ice cream back after it's been handed over to a customer. I confirmed I heard her correctly, and she said they'd put it back, had I not tasted it. That is the main reason I'm writing this review. That is unsanitary and unsafe.

Good customer service would just replace the scoop. Plain and simple, it's that easy to provide good customer service. This was my first time going to this place. Any good business owner would certainly want a customer's first experience to be better than, this. Just like Starbucks would do. You don't argue with a customer and tell them they are forced to pay for something that is bad and then have to pay again to replace it. I will never go back to this place for those two reasons (bad customer service and poor food...

Don’t go here and give these people your money! They close at 10pm, we walked in the door at 9:40. 5 of us, to order just a small cone each. No hello, just a glance at the clock. No what can I get you, just a look at the first person to walk close to the ice cream case. 2 of us get our cones, my sister goes to woman a register and says we are going to have 5 small cones and try’s to hand her, a credit card. The woman ignores the card, hits the button for a small cone twice and then watches as the man scoops the next cone, then she pushes the small button again and does this again for the remaining 3 cones. Then she holds her hand out for the card and still says NOTHING! One person went use the restroom, now she speaks and says No, the floor is wet, we say what? She says the floor is wet, the person in our group says OK I will be careful, she says again, in very broken English, no you slip and sue us, the floor is wet. Back story? They have already mopped the floor for closing so simply don’t want us to use it.. paying customers!...