Toft's Ice Cream Parlor — Restaurant in Portage Township

Dirty floors, poor service, and flea market-like tables filling the floor. Upon entering the store, you are immediately greeted by a long row of thrown-together, flea market-looking tables covered with a wide range of gaudy sweets and snacks. This hodge-podge, bake-sale-of-a-table mess filled the main area in front of the freezers, making entry a bit odd and causing the store to feel cramped. Moreover, this disheveled blockade distracted from the main attraction--all of Toft's tantalizing ice cream flavors spread across a long line of cases.

Speaking of many flavors...when our college-age daughter was trying to pick from the wonderful range of frozen delights, she asked for a sample. She was denied. I asked the soft-spoken server why, and she replied, "We stopped giving samples with COVID." What does COVID have to do with providing samples?! You hand ice cream across the counter; you can do the same with samples. And please know that samples have been a staple at Toft's for decades.

Service was lackluster to almost non-existent from start to finish with this store's inexperienced team. Our youngest daughter was trying to make a smart decision in the absence of samples. While she looked over the choices, the service crew forgot about her. When I asked someone to serve her some ice cream, the female worker seemed flustered. Flustered about what?! Flustered to serve my daughter when it was her turn?

The restroom lacked toilet paper and paper towels. I asked for this to be taken care of. Nothing happened. I asked for the manger and requested the same. He finally sent someone to take care of the restroom. A worker put toilet paper and paper towels in the restroom, but she left the trash can broken in pieces and chose not to pick up the trash scattered on the bathroom floor.

Speaking of trash on the floor...it was not just in the bathroom. There were torn napkins, cutlery, and what appeared to be nuts scattered on the main floor.

As you may see, it appears not to be a concern of this store's management to provide clean dining room. I wonder what it looked like behind the counter and in the kitchen?

When we finally had three ice cream cones (~$15), I tried to check out. No one came to the register to take my money. Most ice cream shops have a system, a handful of servers at one end to serve ice cream and one or two people to check you out at the other. After 3 or 4 minutes of waiting, I asked an employee to take my money. Even this seemed like a flustering request.

To this customer, organization and leadership seem to lacking in this store. Assigning specific jobs to responsible individuals would help, as would a bit more guidance on making customers feel important through attentive service.

Before leaving, I asked the manager-on-duty (a young man) for contact info for the upper management. I waited and waited but received nothing. He was doing something in the back. I could see him. But how long does it take to get a business card or write down a name and phone number? Not surprisingly, it appeared that one of the young crew, while I was waiting for a phone number, was in the back room laughing at me alongside the manager-on-duty. They must have been having a good laugh at my expense--not what I would call nice manners. I left with no contact info, tired of waiting.

If you want ice cream from a clean store with good service, based on this weekend experience, look elsewhere. Having gone to Toft's stores since the 1970s, it's a real disappointment. Finally, I think it's reasonable to find an ice cream shop not leaning on the COVID excuses for not giving samples, especially when charging nearly $5 for a...

This isn't the ice cream parlor you deserve, it's the ice cream parlor you need.

They were so kind as to stay open just a teensy bit later for my group of fifteen people so that we could order some ice cream. They then closed and re-opened again a few minutes later because my man Mays forgot to get a spoon. Speaking only for myself, I was quite inebriated (not to mention loud and obnoxious) and they did me the courtesy at laughing at every one of my poorly slurred jokes.

But that's why you come, not why you'll stay.

I sampled only two of their 51 flavors this night. The first was peanut butter banana chunk. By all accounts this is the flavor of ice cream that I should have ultimately chosen to put in a cup and eat and in a just and perfect world I would have but on my thirteenth nameday I took a blood oath to eat new mint chocolate chip related flavors should I ever find them out there in the world, and by the grace of the Maker they had one WITH CHUNKS OF THIN MINT COOKIE STUFF RIGHT IN THE ICE CREAM.

A single scoop was too much. I begged them, pleaded with them to give me less but they refused and I was in no state to continue to put up a struggle. For a mere 3.50 for what most ice cream parlor would consider an entire tub of ice cream, or at least a double scoop, I left with a cup of delicious chocolate splendor the likes of which I don't think will ever be surpassed upon my palette.

I give them a...

This is a great ice cream place conveniently located near Bassett’s. I came here to get some ice cream and was immensely satisfied with my experience. I walked in and looked at the display which showed every ice cream flavor. After thinking for a while about what ice cream flavor to get, I decided to get a small Mint Cookies and Cream. The person who scooped it told me I was going to get a little bit more ice cream because the Mint Cookies and Cream container was almost empty. I thought I was going to get a little more ice cream like the ice cream scooper person said, but it ended up being a whole other small ice cream, so the ice cream was twice as big as the cup. I didn’t complain though because I got twice as much ice cream for the same price. After I payed for my ice cream, I went to my car and ate it while driving. It tasted very good, which I liked. I only got through about half of the ice cream because I was just to full to eat the rest. I gave this ice cream place five stars because it has amazing ice cream and I received twice as much ice cream for...