When was cold stone founded

Milkshakes and smoothies are also available, and workers are encouraged to sing when accepting a tip. Other products include ice cream cakes, pies, cookie sandwiches, smoothies, shakes, and iced or blended coffee drinks. Arizona In Your Inbox spinner. Thank you! You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Love Arizona? Cold Stone Creamery sold not just ice cream, but a concept: Customers designed their own personalized "dessert creations," choosing from basic ice cream, yogurt, and sorbet flavors and adding in fruit, candy, nuts, syrups, and other ingredients.

Cold Stone Creamery staff, called crew members, mixed these ingredients together using spatula-like utensils on a frozen granite slab. The idea of add-ins was not new, having been first introduced in by Steve Herrell of Steve's Ice Cream of Somerville, Massachusetts, but Cold Stone Creamery took the add-in concept one-step further. The company aimed to deliver the "Ultimate Ice Cream Experience" by selling entertainment along with its super-premium ice cream.

According to the company's web site, a visit to a Cold Stone Creamery store should be "a community event" as in the "good old days" of ice cream parlors.

Aided by the aroma of fresh baked waffle cones and brownies and the warm reception of crew members, it would "transform the simple pleasure of eating ice cream into a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience Cold Stone Creamery was a hit, and, in , the Sutherlands opened a second store in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Third and fourth stores followed during the next five years, during which time the company added partners as well: Ken Burk as chief executive officer in charge of establishing the foundation of the fast-growing company in , and Doug Ducey as president responsible for business development and direction in Ducey began to build Cold Stone Creamery from a regional ice cream company into a national brand through adding franchises.

Between and , the number of franchises increased dramatically and, by August , the year in which Ducey became chief executive officer as well as president, the company had stores in 16 states and placed 94th on Entrepreneur magazine's list entitled the " Fastest-Growing Franchises in America. Cold Stone Creamery also began in-store promotions to raise interest in its products.

Adopting the motto "Create Your Own Happiness," and claiming the title of "the nation's fastest-growing franchiser of gourmet ice cream and frozen yogurt stores," the company held a contest in in which customers submitted their own recipes for ice cream creations to compete for the chance to become an honorary partner of the company.

Magazine Subscriptions. Home Home. Cold Stone Creamery. Cold Stone Creamery Ice cream, sorbet, ice cream cakes, shakes. Find out what franchise is right for you. Take the Quiz. Units as of 1, 0. Jump to Franchising Overview. Take our free franchise matching quiz Complete our short quiz to pinpoint your perfect franchise. Take our free franchise matching quiz. Company Overview. Franchising began in , and the company is now owned by Kahala, which also franchises Blimpie, Surf City Squeeze, TacoTime and other concepts.

Each Cold Stone store makes its ice cream fresh daily, and the ice cream is blended by hand with fruits, nuts, candy, cookies and more according to customers' requests. About Cold Stone Creamery. Industry Food. Founded Franchising Overview. Franchising Since 27 years. Where seeking This company is seeking new franchisees throughout the US.

This company is seeking new franchisees worldwide. Franchisor Information. Social Facebook , Twitter , Instagram. Corporate Address E. Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors. Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital.

Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Term of Agreement 10 years. Is franchise term renewable? Financing Options Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing Cold Stone Creamery has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment. On-The-Job Training 80 hours. Classroom Training 40 hours. Ongoing Support Newsletter. Toll-Free Line. Grand Opening. Online Support. Field Operations. Franchisee Intranet Platform. Marketing Support Co-op Advertising.