GET YOUR LICKS

On July 2, Cold Stone Creamery
opened on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, less than two weeks after Brooklyn’s
first Cold Stone opened at the Atlantic Terminal Mall. The stores join approximately
1,050 Cold Stone Creameries in the United States, with more to follow this
fall in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.



The Bay Ridge storeowners, Keith Grupico, Dave Fiore and Anthony Mastrandrea,
donated 50 percent of their opening-day profits to the Wishing Well Foundation,
an organization that grants wishes to terminally ill children. The owner
of the Atlantic Terminal shop, Marlon Lloyd, donated half of his first-day
sales to the Brooklyn Hospital Center and Brooklyn Technical High School,
both in neighboring Fort Greene.



Nakeya Taylor (at left) worked the waffle cone maker at the Atlantic Terminal
Mall opening on June 24.



Whatever you order, the ice cream will be made fresh in the store that day,
and all of the "mix-ins" – what normally might be toppings – are
mashed into the ice cream before your eyes on, you guessed it, a cold granite
stone. The decor of the store mirrors the ice creams’ flavors – tan and
cocoa floor tiles and wallpaper with the company’s ice cream cone logo.



Both branches offer 16 flavors, a variety of "mix-ins" and ice
cream cakes. Each cup, waffle bowl or waffle cone comes with up to three
mix-ins and is available in three sizes: the 6-ounce "like it";
the 10-ounce "love it"; and the 14-ounce "I gotta have it."




You can play mixologist and create your own combinations, or go with the
company’s concoctions like "At the Cocoa Banana Cabana" – banana
ice cream with chunks of yellow cake, bananas, fudge and whipped topping.




Servers at both locations are local high school students. The Atlantic Terminal
shop features students from the Brooklyn High School for the Performing
Arts and Brooklyn Tech who, according to company policy, audition – not
interview – for the job.



Why?



"To keep the atmosphere happy," says Grupico. "The students
sing a 5-second Cold Stone Creamery jingle every time they receive a tip."



Cold Stone Creamery in Bay Ridge [8403 Third Ave. between 83rd and 84th
streets, (718) 745-1555] and in the Atlantic Terminal Mall [139 Flatbush
Ave. at Atlantic Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 230-8020] accepts American
Express, MasterCard and Visa. The Bay Ridge store is open daily from 10
am to 11 pm, while the Atlantic Terminal shop is open 11 am to 10 pm, Sunday
through Thursday, and 11 am to 11 pm, Fridays and Saturdays. Cups and cones:
$4.49-$5.49 (59 cents for additional mix-ins).