Ever been to this place "Cold Stone?"

[DrWeird]

It's a newish ice creamery with franchises popping up all over creation. The gimmick is they take your ice cream and mix in all your toppings on a big refridgerated slab of marble. The ice cream itself is actually quite good.

The catch is the bastards sing. Apparently they have to audition when they apply to scoop ice cream. They ask if you've ever been there before, and if you haven't, they sing. If you give them a tip they sing. Which is really fucked up for the poor employees, since I, and I'm sure many others, now refuse to tip them just to keep them from singing. It's like if Jack Chick, Thomas Kinkade, and Heinrich Himmler decided to open up an ice creamery in the 11th circle of hell, it would be like this.

[GOPisEvil]

1. I was in one on Saturday.

There was no singing, except for the "Happy Birthday" I heard coming from the party room.

The ice cream was pretty f-ing tasty.

[VelmaD]

5. Yup, it was yummy...

I still prefer Marble Slab, but in a pinch Cold Stone will do. :)

If they ever sing to me...I'm leaving.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

2. The singing is annoying as hell.

But that's some good ice cream! Just a little on the expensive side though.

[SheilaT]

3. There was a similar

place here called Maggie Moo's, only they didn't sing.

The ice cream was supposed to be a premium one, but it had a very chemical taste to it, so I only ever went there a couple of times. The stuff really left an after taste in my mouth. Yuck.

Anyway, if you like the ice cream at this place, tell the employee you will tip him or her for NOT singing.

[Speck Tater]

4. My daughter kept raving about the place so I tried it.

For what a little cup of ice cream cost me I could have bought a gallon at the supermarket.

For my money it was nothing special. They did sing everytime they got a tip though.

[eyesroll]

6. No singing in my local location

Just (a tad overpriced, but good) ice cream.

[jobycom]

7. My daughters tip just to hear the singing, so maybe it balances

The whole mixing before your eyes thing has been growing for a while now. A local chain here in Austin (Amy's) has done it for decades, and Maggie Moo's has been doing it for years. Others, too, I'm sure.

The singing is new. It's funny at first. The ice cream has that artificially natural flavor that most giant "fresh" chains have, but it's not bad.

[Jivenwail]

8. Yes, been there

They are everywhere here. And boy, are they dangerous if you are trying to watch your weight, eat low carb or generally just stay away from sweets.

Before I left Houston 14 years ago, there was a place there called "Marble Slab" and they did the exact same thing - put the fixings on the marble slab and mush it all together and into the serving bowl/cone, etc. This place looks like the same thing.

[Pithlet]

9. Thankfully, they didn't sing when I went there.

We were the only ones in the store at the time. The ice cream is good. They mix it up a little too much though. I think they should leave the ingredients chunky. I guess I can ask them to do that next time.

Damn, now I want some ice cream. It's really hot out today.

[Village Idiot]

10. There is a chain of Burger restaurants

in Canada where they sing your order, what they are grilling, your tip and change, etc...called Lick's...

The burgers are very tasty (the best veggie burger in the known universe!), but the singing is sooooo annoying...;^)

[radwriter0555]

11. They don't SING in los angeles, they just serve up DANG FINE

ice cream.

[denverbill]

12. Went for the first time on Saturday.

Ordered a small bowl, and it was $4.19. Good stuff though.

And for a small, that was a lot of ice cream:).

[demosincebirth]

13. I was in "stone cold" one day and...

I was sober.

I just had to say that.

[sus]

14. I have, but no one ever sings for ME!!

I want my money back.

[SmileyBoy]

15. Yeah, they got a couple in my town...

The singing pisses me off to no end.

The ice cream is really filling also.

[Ratty]

16. I really DESPISE mixins

Ruins perfectly good ice cream. I don't mind toppings, I don't mind fruit mixins like strawberries, but getting into the whole mashed-cookie/granola/M & M etc., right there mixed into the ice cream where you can't get an untainted spoonful of delicious creaminess... Yuck.