Cold Stone Creamery — Restaurant in Maryland

I ordered a cake in store ahead of time - the workers present at the time were friendly and attentive, and told me to skip the line whenever I came in to pick it up. However, when the time came to pick up the cake, I skipped the line and went directly to the counter, only to be dismissively told by the manager (who was the only worker in the store) to get in line - after standing there and being ignored for around 10 minutes. The manager was visibly stressed and I could barely hear his response to my “I’m here to pick up a cake”; only after standing at the counter for another 5 minutes did I realize that he expected me to queue up behind the 5-7 other customers who were ordering ice cream. No acknowledgement or “sorry, I’ll be right with you”, just him making it uncomfortably obvious that the current shift of 1 was understaffed for the volume of customers they were experiencing. Another woman was waiting in line with pre-made cupcakes from the freezer - she ended up putting them back and leaving. What could have been a painless, routine pre-paid order pickup turned into a 45 minute ordeal (and a scathing google review). Why even offer the prospect of paying ahead of time if one has to wait behind the rest of customers, who are taking their time to order (as they reasonably should be)? I’ve experienced this nowhere else, and hope they don’t continue to make staffing choices that result in poor customer experiences. I have no issue with waiting in line if need be, but specifically what irked me was the lack of common courtesy to at least acknowledge my presence and/or direct me to the line in a way that wasn’t curt or patronizing. Will be going to the nearby competitor instead from now on.

Bonus points for asking an unnecessarily gratuitous series of questions to verify that the cake was mine (What color was the icing? What message was written on it? etc.) when I had already provided my last name - I’m honestly shocked that I didn’t need to get out my driver’s license or be fingerprinted to assure him that I wasn’t an opportunistic cake thief with the same first name as another customer. Also, the fact that they, an ice cream store, were out of milk, as revealed by the customer in front of me who tried to order a milkshake, should be pretty indicative as to what state this current...

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage“ -Lao Tzu...

This quote perfectly summarizes the sensations I experienced the moment I entered Cold Stone Creamery which will, for now until the end of time, be my love sanctuary. I came for two scoops of cake batter, and left engulfed by the feeling that I had finally found the one. His name is James Patrick Dochat.

Upon entering, I immediately noticed him behind the counter. I could tell that he was a lost soul and felt the need to guide him to the light. “Two scoops of cake batter? Coming right up” he said with a tender yet seductive smile. As he gently caressed the ice cream and fit it into my cup, the air seemed to thicken—possibly marking the beginning of our story together.

To you, James Patrick, this may have felt like a normal interaction, one that you experience many times daily working for this establishment. I’ll be back soon for you, same order as last time. I can’t thank you enough, my eyes are finally open.

The ice cream was...

When we tipped the staff we asked if they would sing to us. They said "no" and looked at us like we were crazy. I worked at Cold Stone for 10 years, and this has always been something they're known for. We had to audition to work there. I took my kids to the Cold Stone, who look forward to tipping and hearing people sing- we've gotten this with every Cold Stone we've ever been to. Our kids have always liked that this sets Cold Stone apart from other ice cream stores- it gets them excited and creates a wonderful atmosphere. The response we received from your staff and the clear changes in management have made us less inclined to go...