Cold Stone Creamery
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Coldstone Creamery.jpg Cold Stone Creamery is an ice-cream parlor chain whose corporate headquarters are in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale. Co-founded in 1988 by Donald (not the actor) and Susan Sutherland, who sought ice cream that was neither hard-packed nor soft-serve (publicity material describe it as 'smooth and creamy super-premium ice cream'), Cold Stone Creamery opened its first store that year in Tempe, Arizona.
The business earns its name from the frozen granite stone used to mix candy or other toppings into the ice cream.
In 1995, Cold Stone Creamery opened its first franchise store, soon followed by a store in Camarillo, California, its first out-of-state. Over 1250 franchises are now in operation. Cold Stone Creamery is now the 6th best-selling brand of ice cream in the U.S. and now operates their first overseas stores in Tokyo, Japan. The company was also named the 11th fastest growing franchise by Entrepreneur magazine in January 2006.
Future expansion plans include a 150-store contract with Korean franchiser C.J. Foodville to open outlets throughout Korea. They also plan to continue opening stores in Japan addition to the three stores they now run.
Ingredients
Customised ice creams are made on the spot, to the customer's request: first an ice-cream or sorbet flavor is selected, then one or more "mix-ins" are folded into the ice-cream on the frozen granite slab, which prevents it from melting. The creation is then served in a bowl or freshly-made waffle cone or waffle bowl with the option of being dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles or graham cracker pie crust.
Customers are encouraged to try one of Cold Stone's "Original Creations," a mix of ice cream flavors and mix-ins to create the "Ultimate Ice Cream Experience."