Ben & Jerry’s

It really makes me sad when people complain about the B&J Downtown. I realize some of those complaints may be valid, I have even experienced some of those same situations myself, but do they not pay attention? The B&J in Downtown Pittsburgh is a Partnership store, which means some of the kids working there are either from poor communities or have a disability of some kind, there to learn basic employment skills! I realize sometimes your scoop takes a little longer than you would like, or they kids are not completely engaged, but they are young and learning, and they are always polite and accommodating. And yes, it’s kind of pricey, but its Ben & Jerry’s! It’s always expensive, and it’s also always delicious. Plus they have some flavors there that are hard to find, and lots of FroYo flavors if you want a sweet treat but also want to save some calories! Plus, one day a year they have free cone day where everyone gets a free cone! The lines is always done the street but it moves fast and they have the B&J cow there to take pictures with; super fun.

It was a bit of a dirty place, the staff was very accommodating though. Ice cream was okay, a little more frozen then we like. Still a big Ben and Jerry’s fan so we will be back…

What ice cream They had left 45″ Before closing on a sat night was good. Only about ¼ case had ice creAm and the staff clearly was not interested in serving the customers but in getting done

The ice cream isn’t worth the price and the service needs a lot of work. Not going back I prefer baskin robbins. My order took 3 people… all I wanted was two scoops of ice cream. That was my first time in there and certainly the last.

Solid ice cream shop, has some decent places to sit for a small group to eat great ice cream and chill out. Their flavor selection is great with a mix of classic flavors and wacky Ben and jerry specialties. Phish food is my go-​to decadent flavor and they give you a nice large scoop (may as well be a double because it’s huge).
This location is also one of the few shops open late at night in the downtown area that isn’t a bar restaurant. It’s location near the convention center/​greyhound and hotels is super convenient.
The service is decent all the times I’ve been but I understand how the workers can be a turn off. They are quite young, but they have always been polite, speedy and cool every time I’ve been down there. Also it’s nice to have a friendly fun vibe.
A+ location
A+ scoop size
A+ décor. (I like cows on an incline. It’s so Pittsburgh)
Mileage may vary on service but I like the atmosphere a lot.

Wow, I visited twice while staying across the street at the Courtyard. The first time was ok, but the second visit was EPIC. My wife and I stayed longer just to observe how ridiculous the staff was. Picture this:
1. 1 girl behind the counter refusing to help the 4 customers in front of us stating that someone would be right with us. She was referring to the gaggle of 6 employees siting at a table having a conversation about who knows what.
2. One of the girls comes to counter, no uniform and rolls her eyes and stands behind counter making eye contact with no one, as if she does not see us…
3. When we speak up, she looks at us as if we are bothering her. The customers have to explain to her who is first despite the fact we are in a single file line.
4. The whole time, there are uniformed employees talking and bit$hing about everything and anything.
5. As the customers get their items and move on, only then do the employees get up to bet behind the counter. As long as there were no customers, the employees knew where to stand. As soon as customers came in, they all scurried to the back or worse, had a conversation right behind the counter, ignoring customers.
We stayed and counted at least 9 employees in uniform, no tables wiped, no trash addressed, service remained horrible, and it was obvious that management was unable or unwilling to address the issue. The only corrective action seen was when one employee was told to put her uniform shirt on…
Ice cream was still good, but if your are looking for the definition of bad service, Ben and Jerry’s on Penn is where to go…

Horrible in every since of the word. I have never been to an ice cream shop that was completely clueless about how to make a banana split. After describing at least 4 times what I wanted, they still came back with one scoop of strawberry ice cream and four pieces of banana? I asked «is that a banana split». The other girl took it from the person making the split, and proceeded to complete it. Her completed banana split masterpiece was the worst banana split that I have ever had. Not to mention that they had about ten kids «working «that night. All were invisible until we asked for two banana splits. They came out of the woodworks. And when the did, it was as if they were just asked to leave a party. I repeat, this was the worst ice cream experience that I have ever had. Avoid this location at all costs.

Delicious ice cream, quick service and the counter help was quick to offer samples of anything I mentioned looked good.
I had a waffle cone with candy bar cake and salted caramel and I loved every last bite of it.

I don’t think I have ever said a bad thing about Ben & Jerry’s. My favorite flavor by the company is Cherry Garcia. I had the chance to go to the downtown shop for free cone day and told myself try something new. Even though the line was down the block, the employees were very organized at serving people and I had no complaints about their service. I ended up getting the funky monkey (banana and walnuts) and it may be a strong contender for my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor. I will definitely be going there during the summer!

I came by for Free Cone Day. The staff were wonderfully prepared for the huge crowd and the line, and they were all very friendly. My only complaint about how they handled the crowd was that, once you entered the store, there was no line. Although they only let a few people in at a time, I found this to be slightly hectic.
I got the Hazed and Confused ice cream on a cone, and I wasn’t that impressed. The ice cream was very creamy and solid, but there was no hazelnut flavor. It tasted faintly of chocolate.
The interior of the shop has some seating and is nice and clean.

I thought of ordering an ice cream cake for my wofe on her birthday and Ben and Jerry’s was the only place that came to my mind. A lady picked up the call and she explained how the ice cream works at their shop. Although they need a notice of 48 hours to prepare an ice cream, she accomodated my request to pick it up the next evening. She also explained to me what the different flavors are, that they offer. I loved the service provided!
When we the cake, it was one of the best ice cream cakes that we have ever tasted. Although it wasn’t in real a cake, but still it was! I loved the combination of Cherry Garcia with Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavors and most importantly my wife was so happy with the cake.
I wpuld definitely go back to this place for eating ice creams and ice cream cakes. They have some mind blowing flavors for sure and a bunch of very good staff at the Pittsburgh downtown store.

Just what you would expect from Ben and Jerry’s with the added benefit of supporting a good cause. This Ben and Jerry’s is operated by Life’s Work that gives job training to young people who face employment barriers.
I highly recommend the frozen greek yogurt.

I am just going to go ahead and give 1 star. During my experience the cashiers lacked any semblance of professionalism. They were clowning around behind the counter in a way that made me feel very uncomfortable and I felt was really inappropriate for a public space.
My little sister got a cup of vanilla ice cream that tasted like air… bummer. She and I made light of the tasteless dessert.
I got a small cone of coffee flavored ice cream. Her cup and my cone came to $ 9.58.
This Ben and Jerry’s location is for the birds.

Yum! We’ve been meaning to stop here. The 1^st day that this Ben & Jerry’s opened, it was crazy busy– I mean the line was all the way down Penn Ave. So we took a rain check and decided to head here this past Friday for dessert (which also happened to be light up night!)
We were pretty full from our dinner and decided to split a sundae. There was also a deal for light up night that was ½ off sundaes (score!) We decided on the brownie sundae. The brownie was huge and it was covered with hot fudge… our choice. We could’ve also chosen caramel. We also got to choose our ice cream! We decided on the milk & cookies. It was vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate chip cookies & double chocolate chip cookies as well as a cookie swirl. YUM!
The workers were all very entertaining. I think it’s awesome Ben & Jerry’s works with Life’s Work on this project. They were open an hour later due to light up night and the workers were still enthusiastic even though they were missing all of the fun activities outside of their door. They even started singing to the toons on the radio which was a good time and a great laugh.
This Ben & Jerrys rocks!

A Cookie Cookie Sundae with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and some sort of chocolate-​peanut butter concoction I can’t exactly name was a fitting finish to my fiery, fear-​fraught Friday night meal at Nicky’s Thai Kitchen on the opposite side of Penn Avenue. The cookies were crispy with just enough chew to keep them interesting, and the ice cream, being B&J’s, was expectedly creamy and overall, as superb as the storebought variety goes (I’m a little partial to Breyer’s, but I digress…). Whipped cream, tar-​thick hot fudge, and chocolate chips complete the sundae sufficiently.
The inside of the store is as clean, spacious, well-​lit, whimsical, and modern as a corporatized chain can be. Hip-​hop and r&b played softly and inoffensively from a stereo situated atop a refridgerator.
A young, gracious, exuberant staff (I was given coupons for a return visit simply by striking up a conversation with one of them about the fire extinguisher-​sized whipped cream dispenser he wielded) runs the show, and they alone make visiting B&J worthwhile.
This particular franchise is operated by a non-​profit group called Life’s Work. Life’s Work is an organization that helps direct disadvantaged teenagers and adults towards gainful, respectable employment opportunities.
That combined with B&J’s commitment to a living wage (what B&J associates are paid), opposing «big money» in politics, supporting the Occupy movement, utilizing sustainable methods to manufacture their products (energy-​efficient freezers, FSC-​certified paperboard for their ice cream containers, methane digesters to process their farm waste, fair trade, sourcing non-​GMO ingredients, etc.), and philanthropy (among many other endeavors) has garnered the company endorsements from none other than progressive activist/​knight errant Ralph Nader.
So if yer a lefty like me, and ya have a hankerin’ for somethin’ sug’ry, come on over. The ice cream’s good, but the company itself — along with all it stands for — is even better.
Unlike numerous chains, one can sleep easily at night after spending money at Ben & Jerry’s.
That is if you give a shit. Sadly, too few Unilocalers are thoughtful and informed enough to do so.

I’ll be honest, what I really wanted was a beer but I needed to find an adequate substitute for my carb craving that’s socially acceptable during work hours. Here’s where Ben & Jerry’s fit in with their abundance of sweet, sugary options!
I had heard that there was a B&J that opened up in downtown but to my surprise there was no indication of it on Unilocal — your welcome Unilocal community for putting this on the «map».
I’m hoping that the weather had a lot to due with the fact that no one besides the work staff was in there. It was chilly the day I went and I’m sure this place will get packed in the warmer months. They have numerous options for flavors and from the menu they looked as if they could concoct your ice cream fantasy with ingredients on hand. The place is new so it looks clean, let’s hope they keep it looking like that.
I ordered the Pina Coloda which hit the spot on a cold October day reminding me of the summer that just passed. It is a bit pricey but typical for Ben & Jerry’s — $ 4 for a small cup. Downtown friends check it out!