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Ice Cream Connoisseurs Don't Let Cold Weather Slow Them

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 00:00 CST

By Cheryl Berzanskis, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas

Dec. 27--People walking through the front door of Cold Stone Creamery on a freezing winter day often announce themselves.

They call themselves crazy, said Nicholas Hardin, shift manager at the local ice cream shop. He described his customers on Dec. 19, a day when ice covered streets and sidewalks.

"They'd come in, and I'd be like 'What kind of crazy people would come to Cold Stone? And they would usually say, 'We're crazy,'" Hardin said.

If Hardin didn't offer the first greeting, customers took the initiative.

"I know. We're crazy," he quoted.

During the first half of the day, with ice still forming and motorists crashing into one another, Hardin sold $100 worth of ice cream.

"It was pretty good considering the weather," he said.

Customers ordered their typical favorites, except for one thing.

"They pretty much got what they usually get, but they got 'em bigger," Hardin said.

At Marble Slab Creamery, Manager Steven Montee said flavor preferences don't change with the weather.

"We sell a lot of sweet cream or cheese cake ice cream," he said.

Ice cream eaters' top choices for extras are strawberries and Heath Bars, he said. Customers don't seem to be deterred by cold weather.

"If it's sunny outside, we do pretty good. If it snows, we get a rush about 7 at night," Montee said.

In fact, he said he has two rush periods each day -- from 3 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. December and January are typically Marble Slab's slowest months and May through August are its busiest, he said.

"There's always somebody around Amarillo who loves ice cream," Montee said.

Despite winter temperatures, take-home products sell pretty well, he said. With the holiday season, ice cream cakes are also selling well, Hardin said. His favorite is Midnight Delight, a chocolate cake.

"I notice every time I sell one," Hardin said.

Continuing the holiday theme, December's featured flavors are dark chocolate peppermint and candy cane, according to Cold Stone's Web site, and it's Hardin's job to give customers a free taste.

"I let them sample them, and they say -- usually they are like -- they have a pretty good reaction,'" he said.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas

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Source: Amarillo Globe-News

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