| Ice
Cream to Sing About at Cold Stone Creamery |
By Erin E. Fogg 
Observer Staff Writer |
| All ice creams are not created equal. That's what the Cold
Stone Creamery coming to the Worldgate Center wants anyone
who experiences one of its "creations" to understand. |
| "Cold Stone is about the ultimate ice cream experience,"
said store owner Anthony Dayyani. "There's no such thing as
a bad ice cream. But what we provide is an indulgence." |
| Dayyani is not joking when he says "indulgence." Sure, you
can quietly order a plain vanilla cone once the shop has its
grand opening planned for May 6. But that day will also be
the perfect opportunity to try a creation such as Dayyani's
favorite, Apple Pie A La Cold Stone. |
| The creamery's main attraction are its creations. After
a customer picks a flavor, the ice cream is placed on the
"cold stone," a granite slab kept at 16 degrees by a freezer
underneath it. A "creator" makes a divot in the ice cream
to add extras like nuts, candy or fruit. The creators, a metal
spade in each hand, fold the ice cream over for about 10 seconds.
The result is a creamy creation with sweet treats mixed throughout
instead of sprinkled on top. |
| And the array of choices are a pleasant surprise as well.
The store offers standby flavors like chocolate, vanilla and
Oreo, but also carries equally popular and unique flavors
like white chocolate, cheesecake and cake batter. Mix-ins
range from peanut butter cups to Snickers, strawberries, roasted
almonds, gummi bears, graham cracker crust and brownies. |
| Each month the Cold Stone chain introduces a flavor that
will be in stores for 30 days, unless a spike in demand calls
makes the flavor a permanent option. Dayyani said May's flavor
will be carmel latte, in honor of Mother's Day. |
| The chain has grown quickly since Donald and Susan Sutherland
opened the first store in Arizona in 1988. Franchise stores
have been popping up since 1995, primarily on the west coast. |
| Dayyani was living in San Jose, Calif., and working in an
executive position at telecommunications equipment manufacturer
Nortel Networks when he first experienced Cold Stone. |
| "There was a Cold Stone literally behind my house where
I always took my two daughters," he said. "One day I tried
the product and I absolutely loved it." |
| The Mud Pie Mojo creation had Dayyani hooked. Working for
a worldwide company and spending most of his time traveling
and away from his family, Dayyani wondered what it would be
like to work for a small company. |
| "I wanted to get out of that business and get into something
completely nontechnical that deals with people," he said.
|
| Cold Stone is a perfect match for him. The Herndon location
is his second after opening a store in the Crystal City area
of Arlington last October. Dayyani's territory includes upcoming
stores in Bailey's Crossroads, Falls Church and Bethesda. |
| Ice cream eaters are known for their happy expressions.
"I wanted to see some people with a smile on their face for
once," Dayyani said. And his daughters, 5 and 3, are elated
about his choice of business. "They know all the Cold Stone
songs and they even come in and critique the staff in Crystal
City," he said. |
| Singing is Cold Stone's other trademark. To keep employees
and customers upbeat, the creamery's staff will sing one of
about 10 songs, such as "If You're Happy And You Know It,
Clap Your Hands," for which Cold Stone has adapted new lyrics. |
| "It's designed to motivate the team and motivate the customers,"
Dayyani said. "We want our employees to be silly and have
fun." |
| Dayyani has hired about 18 high school students, mostly
from Herndon and Westfield, to work in his shop. Eventually,
a staff of about 50 will be trained to perform tasks from
mixing ice cream, making waffle cones, baking brownies and
creating ice cream cakes. "We want it to be their best first
job ever," he said. |
