Cold Stone Creamery

CLOSED!!! So sad.

This was a decent spot for ice cream given that there are not a ton of non-​chain options for a good desert in Emeryville and Coldstone is pretty good for a chain. I say «was» because as of this week they have closed down. Looks like EQ3 is taking over their space to expand their store, although I am not 100% sure. It’s a shame, it was pretty convenient for a late night treat after a trip to Bay Street or to grab a birthday cake. RIP Coldstone, Emeryville.

I have my back and forths with cold stone. There is something syrupy I just can’t describe in their ice cream. Took a couple swings and misses (German chocolate cake and mudpie mojo), which are normally go to flavors for me. I trying something my wife ordered, I found something I never thought I would like — birthday cake remix. I’m not usually a fan of cake or cookie batter in my ice cream, but I found it surprisingly tasty so I will go from time to time.

Decent ice cream for average prices. It’s really nothing to brag about, but considering its location (Bay Street), it’s a pretty nice place to take a girl on a casual date after hitting up the AMC movies or just strolling around the stores.

Cold Stone does serve ice cream that is over-​sweetened and once you ad the toppings it does seem to be nothing but a huge sugar rush, but it’s all about moderation and substitution. Get whatever you want till your heart’s content, but the beauty of this fabulous concept is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. As healthy or unhealthy as you can dream up. Granted it’s ice cream… but get Sans fat sinless sweet cream.
Concoct something special… but chances are Coldstone’s already done it.

When i’m craving ice-​cream, i’m craving Cold Stones. Soooooooo gooooood for you, yet soooooo bad for you. FOUNDER’S FAVORITE & APPLE PIE ALA MODE. Love it! Regarding the Emeryville location, sucks to park in a parking garage and you have to pay for parking just to satisfy your craving. Any other locations in an open lot is better!

So I was out with family and after dinner we decided to get some ice cream… bad idea
First of all the place was pretty dirty, secondly we werent even acknowledged upon entering the freakin place (maybe because we were white?) who the F knows.
So here we are the 3 of us standing at the counter waiting for someone to help us when two people are working and not helping us out… should have just walked out right then and there.
So we order, I had to tell the girl that she forgot some of the ingredients in mine and I don’t even go there often at all… I pay and ask for a receipt because I thought I was overcharged… turns out we just read the sign wrong.
We eat our ice cream which was pretty good… Once we get to the parking garage I realize the worker never gave me my card back… so my brother goes back in and asks if they had it… the girls like…“oh yea I know what bank your talking about and ummmm I dunno“
so then I go into that F-​ing place again and where is my card… right on the counter by the register just waiting for someone to steal it! What a LIAR
Ill never go back here… if there was a zero star they would get it!
RASICTS

hmmm pass. you just cant pour 28 tablespoons of sugar into a cup of flavored freezing milk to pass yourself off as a creamery.
The idea is that while it tries so hard to make cold stone more delicious, the concept is kind of fake. Why would slapping icecream on a cold stone be any much better than just scooping it out of a tub? Is there a secret thing thy are trying to sell is stretched creamed molecules? NOT! They should however install a calorie burning treadmill while you wait in line and order.

Eh, I don’t know why I bother! They need to open a froyo shop at Baystreet in E’ville and watch Cold Stone go out of business.
I don’t know if I’ve been spoiled by the abundance of quality ice cream joints like Fentons, Tara’s, Mitchell’s, Bite Rite, Ici, Humphry’s, Bombay, etc… Shoot, even Baskin Robbins puts this place to shame.
For an always hungry, over-​eating Unilocaler, like myself, it’s very rare that I say no to food or ice cream… However, with Cold Stone, it’s a common response. Now, that says a lot!

Last night I went to Cold Stone and it was a vast improvement, I think the actual owner was there supervising. Just his presence in the store made a great difference, less conversating with customers, and more focus on servicing them. The line moved a lot quicker, and the store wasn’t as trashed.
Now it was a little chilly last night, but they still were doing pretty good business. I worked in retail for years and I could tell that they the employees were still getting used to the changes and figuring out a system. The owner was very calm, patient, and encouraging with his staff. Cold Stone isn’t perfect yet but if they stay on this path soon they will be. I’m not going to increase their ratings until after I visit a few more times.
The owner has stepped up to and either hired a good manager or has become more hands on, either way I applaud him or her.

When to the movies at Bay Street, and this place is to convenient afterwards.
The people were fine and the ice cream was great. I love this place. Never try to go on a warm evening though, it takes to long to get through the line. Week days are fine. I think they should get more help for those busy times.

Disclaimer: we’ve never been to a Cold Stone and only wanted an ice cream cone.
So it was a beautiful spring day. The BF and I head over to Bay Street as his Ipod is messed up and we need to go to the apple store. I say, «it’s such a nice day, want an ice cream» «sure!». Let’s see, I know Ive seen an ice cream joint around here. «I want strawberry, you?» I approach Cold Stone, there is a line out the door, it seems to be moving painfully slow, I look around, the place is just trashed, it’s a busy warm day but really, can’t you clean up the seating area and all the sticky ice cream stains on the sneeze guard? I’m finally up to the counter, place the order, (I just want an ice cream cone), there are three attendants who do not look like they are having much fun, I place what seems to be a rather complicated order for an ice cream cone, the attendant then plops scoops of ice cream on some sort of cold metal slab and proceeds to fondle them with some sort of paddle thingies, dumps some crap on there, puts it in a cup. I say, «don’t they come in a cone?»… sigh from attendant, take cup of ice cream stuff, squeeze into a cone, $ 12 later (for two ice cream cones)? and 30 minutes I try to find where the hell the BF has wandered off to.
Again, I’ve never been to a Cold Stone and was not aware of the «concept» but it was really just a little more complicated than I anticipated in an establishment where you really didn’t want to sit on or touch anything.

I love their Founder’s Favourite — It’s what I stick to.
Service here is always fast and with a smile.

After doing some shopping it was time to have a treat and my first choice would have been a fro-​yo shop. After looking around at Bay St Mall I did not see a Tutti Melon, a Yogifina or a fro-​yo anything.
My besty and I decided to check out Cold Stone (don’t start throwing rocks or sticking your tongues out). The service was good compared to most of the bad notes I heard and the ice cream was very good. Approximately 30 types of Ice cream and low fat gelatos are offered plus many different toppings from nuts, cookies and candies.
Great location at the Bay St Mall with the outside tables and benches.

Personally, all Cold Stone ice cream taste the same to me. However, the service at the Emeryville site leaves a lot to be desired for. Though it is not so bad during their slow times, it is when it is their most busiest.
From my past experiences during their busiest times, there is a long line of people and they are being waited on by only one person. Where the other people are during that time, is beyond me. At one time, a person decided they weren’t going to come out until every second of their break was done. Another was someone coming back late from their dinner break.
There could be a desire for more spaces to sit, especially during the winter season. Luckily for this location, there is a fire pit near by and sometime they have a heat lamp.
Other than that, I can’t say much else is going for them for me, except that this location happens to be the close to get to.

Not sure why all the hate for this Cold Stone…
I stopped in for an after lunch treat on a weekday so I’m guessing it was a lot different than the weekend after movie crowd of teenagers they normally get.
Grabbed my usual — cake batter with Reese’s and Oreos — and enjoyed every last spoonful of it. Super nice counter help and worth every cent. Enjoy!

If you wanna sit at a sticky table and watch high schoolers loiter, go here.
Their ice cream sundaes are the same as any other cold stone: so sugary sweet I can only eat half of the smallest size.
I’d rather have a gelato, fro-​yo or Ben&Jerry’s any day.

Cold Stone, as a whole, is a great place to get your «fix» for what ever craving you might have that day.
Last night around 9:30 my brother and I stopped by to grab some creamy creamy ice cream on our way home from The City.
I do not enjoy paying for parking.
So we drove around in circles for about 20 mins just to end up walking a ¼ mile from Burger King’s parking lot to our final destination; Cold Stone.
So to say the least, this location is not convenient for the passer by unless you are shopping for something else/​trying to burn a few hours and you don’t mind paying for convenient parking. We enjoyed the walk there and back because there is a lot to look at and it was a really nice night.
Walking in we went straight to the ice cream case. After we were finished sampling 4 flavors, I decided on half cake batter and half berry yogurt with gummy bears. IT WAS SOOO GOOD!!! And my brother had the cake batter with Oreo mixed in.
It was such a nice night that we sat by the fire pit located right outside the door and watched a rat forage for crumbs.
I will be back to this shopping mall, but not exclusively for Cold Stone.
***They do not validate parking.

The ONLY reason to go here is that you happen to be walking by and need ice cream pronto.
Otherwise, Fenton’s anyone?
I have been twice and if I happen to get out of a movie around 10:30 and feel like a bit of ice cream I will probably go again, but I know I will wait far too long in line, listening to too much attitude from my fellow customers, seeing staff and customers dance together across the counter, watching 5 people do the work of 2 and I will ultimately walk away concerned for the future of our culture — but, I will still get some cake batter or sweet cream ice cream with cookie dough mashed up in it.

Cheesecake ice cream with brownies? Yes!
Cake batter with brownies and raspberries? No!