CJ's Italian Ice & Custard — Restaurant in Nevada

CJ's! Listen guys, you have the best dessert in town, and I am a lifelong customer; but I've been disappointed in the way I've seen the Durango location run lately. (It's the only one I've been to, so I can only speak on this one) I know you guys can do so much better! So here are my thoughts:

Cups & Spoons -- I'd say there's about a 50% chance that whenever I order a large concreate, you guys will be out of long spoons. It might not seem like a big deal, but I look forward to that spoon! A few weeks ago you guys ran out of large cups, and I had to buy a smaller size instead. My initial thought was--- how much revenue are you guys losing from people trying to by a more expensive menu item! I'm also thinking if I were ordering non-perishable items, I'd probably order much more than I think I'd need, and then some. There shouldn't be a reason to run out of basic items like that. Imagine a restaurant running out of plates.

Staffing -- It's clear you guys hire a lot of young people to work at the shop, and that's great. Your establishment is a great first job, and there's been some people I've seen working there for quite a while! It seems, though, that you might struggle to keep it staffed fully. There's been more than a few occasions that I've gone in on a Friday or Saturday night and there's two people dealing with a line out the door. One time I was waiting for over twenty minutes and ended up leaving.

Order Preparation -- While I'm giving unsolicited advice, your current order taking system might need some TLC. It seems quite inefficient now, as one person will get stuck taking an order alone for a family of 6. I understand that you are attempting to mirror the way that other ice creameries have their order system set up; however, your business operates more similarly to a Starbucks than a classic creamery. Your staff is preparing most orders like a barista would prepare drinks. I do think a revision of this system would be beneficial.

Merchandise -- You guys have some of the most clever merchandise I've seen. But whoever does your advertising needs to step it up. There's been many times where I would have purchased a shirt if the size I was looking for was there, or if I could get a better look at the shirt not inside a plastic sleeve. I think you guys could sell so much more merch if someone took the time to make things easier to see. You have some great and clever branding, take advantage of it! I recommend you to locals all the time who have never heard of CJ's, and the power of word-of-mouth is strong, but so is the power of targeted social media ads! You have eye-catching clever sayings, you'll get people's attention! P.S. Whoever changed the menu layout--great job. The last one gave me a headache.

You guys really do rock. And I know, I know... This is a google review site, not a google-advice site, so please feel free to consider this with a grain of salt-- just know that I will still continue to support regardless! I want so badly to see you...

An Understaffed & Overworked Team Leads to Failure.

I'd like to start by saying that I feel this is a reflection on management and not on the hard working team serving people with a happy face this evening. It would be evident to anyone who has worked in food service that the poor experience I had tonight was because they needed an extra set of hands to manage the Saturday night crowd.

I went in today specifically for the dubai chocolate custard that they've been advertising on Instagram. First thing I noticed when I got in was how everyone was running around like a chicken with their head cut off. It seemed like none of the staff were communicating with each other and that their system where everyone takes and makes their own orders doesn't work when you have a group of six come in.

It was our turn to order and the team member was gracious and we stepped to the side to wait for it. The seating area, while I admit is often not put together well, was atrocious. I mean chairs and tables just thrown wherever and covered in crud. The floor was also covered in shoe marks from where someone had stepped in melted italian ice and spread it everywhere.

Our order was ready in a reasonable amount of time. It wasn't made to go but I didn't think it worth anyones time to ask the staff member to correct that. The counter was of course also dirty and I'm not confident that the team member washed their hands after I gave them cash but me and my husband were on our way out and excited for our dubai custard.

That's when I realized my hands were covered in chocolate that had been spilt on the side of the cup. Not exactly what I wanted but hey I had my handsanitzer in the car and was on my way...my way to eat my treat that was unfortunately 40% chocolate shell. It's not bad chocolate shell but when it's 40% of a cup that costs $13 it's hard to be happy about it.

Moving forward I'm going to be hesitant on returning to CJ's. I really hope they get an extra set of hands in there on Saturdays and make a...

CJ's is a great place for an awesome dessert. This location has indoor and outdoor seating, plenty of free parking, super friendly and helpful staff that are always busy, and the best Italian ice selection. I've been here several times and keep coming back. This time I ordered a root beer Italian ice and vanilla custard gelati (layers of both in a cup). Basically a root beer frozen delicious float. They have a pup cup that is generously portioned for your pup. It's vanilla custard with drizzled peanut butter topping, a dollop of whipped cream, and a dog treat garnish. My dog absolutely LOVE IT! They have a huge selection of Italian ice flavors as well as a great menu of concoctions for you to choose from that all look and sound delicious. Their portions are generous and worth the price. They have outdoor seating and at night they have market lights above the patio (nice touch). Even when they are super busy, the staff are friendly and professional. They make everything to order and are very quick with getting your order to you exactly the way you want it. Inside it's clean and bright with clean restrooms as well. They also have a pre-packaged freezer with lots to offer. It's a great place to take your family (and your well-behaved pup) for a great dessert! Me and my bulldog...