Cold Stone Creamery is a popular ice cream parlor chain known for serving premium ice cream. With over 1,400 locations worldwide, Cold Stone offers ice cream lovers a wide variety of flavors to create their own customized ice cream creations. From mixing in candy pieces and baked goods to fresh fruit and syrups, Cold Stone provides an interactive ice cream experience you won’t find anywhere else.
With their focus primarily on ice cream, a common question many customers ask is: does Cold Stone serve smoothies? Let’s take a closer look at what’s on the Cold Stone menu to find out.
Overview of Cold Stone’s Menu
Cold Stone Creamery’s menu features their signature ice cream creations, ice cream cakes, milkshakes, and frozen yogurt. Their Create Your Own Classics allow you to choose a signature ice cream flavor and mix in your choice of candy pieces, fruit, or other mix-ins that Cold Stone employees then mix together on a frozen granite stone. Some of their most popular signature flavors include Sweet Cream, Chocolate Devotion, Cheesecake Fantasy, and Cake Batter.
For customers looking for a lighter option, Cold Stone offers low-fat and no-sugar added ice cream flavors as well as non-dairy sorbet. They also serve ice cream cakes and pie shakes for special occasions and treats. Gluten-free flavors and options are available upon request.
When it comes to beverages, the main drink item on the menu is ice cream milkshakes. You can choose from traditional hand-mixed milkshakes or Cold Stone’s signature Cake Batter Shake.
Absence of Smoothies on the Menu
After reviewing the items served at Cold Stone Creamery, it’s clear that smoothies are noticeably absent from their menu. Cold Stone does not offer any traditional fruit, yogurt, protein, or health-focused smoothie options. The closest drink item they offer is a milkshake, which is made from ice cream and milk rather than fresh fruit and juice like a smoothie.
So the quick answer is: No, Cold Stone Creamery does not serve smoothies. Their menu strictly focuses on ice cream, yogurt, milkshakes, and cakes rather than smoothies and other blended fruit drinks.
Why Cold Stone Doesn’t Offer Smoothies
There are a few potential reasons why smoothies are not part of Cold Stone’s core menu offerings:
Brand Identity is Ice Cream-Focused
Cold Stone Creamery has established itself as an ice cream parlor first and foremost. Their brand identity and reputation centers around delivering the ultimate customized ice cream experience with mix-ins stirred together on a frozen granite stone. All of their marketing, advertising, and in-store experience focuses on ice cream as their specialty. Expanding into other offerings like smoothies risks diluting their brand identity.
Equipment and Store Layout Not Conducive to Smoothies
The average Cold Stone store features a prominent ice cream preparation area with granite stones for mixing in customer selections. Their blenders are specifically designed for mixing milkshakes rather than crushing and blending fresh produce and fruit. Most stores don’t have workspace set aside for prepping and storing fresh fruit, yogurt, and other smoothie ingredients. The equipment and layout are tailored for ice cream rather than smoothies.
Added Complexity to Operations
To offer smoothies, Cold Stone would need to source and store fresh fruit, train staff on smoothie preparation, and potentially disrupt store workflows designed around ice cream. This adds inventory costs, food safety concerns, staff training requirements, and overall operational complexity that Cold Stone likely prefers to avoid by keeping the focus on ice cream.
Could Impact Speed of Service
Customizing an ice cream order takes precision and time compared to simply pouring a pre-made smoothie. Blending smoothies after each order could potentially slow down speed of service and counter throughput during busy times. Cold Stone may prefer avoiding this potential service bottleneck by sticking to just ice cream and milkshakes.
Are Smoothies Completely Off the Table for Cold Stone?
Just because smoothies are not currently on Cold Stone’s menu doesn’t necessarily mean they will never offer them in the future. There are a few scenarios where Cold Stone could potentially add smoothies as a new menu item:
Limited Time Offers
Cold Stone may test adding a few smoothie options for a limited time such as a summer promotion. This allows them to experiment with a smoothie menu while containing the complexity and extra costs. It also builds buzz and interest for customers to try something new from Cold Stone for a short promotional period.
Entering New Dayparts
Most Cold Stone locations are focused on the afternoon and evening dessert crowd. If they wanted to attract more of the breakfast and lunch crowd, adding smoothies could complement their ice cream menu during these dayparts. A meal deal with ice cream and a fruit smoothie could appeal to customers looking for something cool and refreshing earlier in the day.
Catering to Health Trends
Smoothies have grown in popularity over recent years as customers seek functional, better-for-you options. To cater to this health trend, Cold Stone may see an opportunity to offer smoothies made with yogurt, protein, vitamins, and superfoods as a lighter complement to their richer ice cream.
Competitive Pressure
If other ice cream chains begin offering smoothies, Cold Stone may feel pressure to do the same to keep their menu offerings competitive. But so far, competitors like Baskin-Robbins, Dairy Queen, and Ben & Jerry’s have not added smoothies either.
The Bottom Line
While Cold Stone Creamery does not currently offer smoothies on their menu, never say never. Food trends and customer preferences change over time, so they may test limited-time smoothie offerings in the future. But ice cream remains at the heart of Cold Stone’s brand identity and operations, so smoothies will likely never be a core part of their everyday menu.
Cold Stone fans craving a refreshing blended fruit drink will have to fulfill their smoothie fix at dedicated smoothie chains like Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Cold Stone will continue satisfying ice cream lovers with their signature customizable frozen cream creations instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t Cold Stone Creamery offer smoothies?
Cold Stone Creamery focuses on ice cream as their specialty and has built their brand identity around delivering premium, customized ice cream experiences. Offering smoothies does not align with their ice cream-centric operations and menu. They are not equipped with the ingredients, kitchen setup, or staff training to prepare fresh fruit smoothies.
Does Cold Stone ever serve smoothies?
No, there are currently no smoothie options on Cold Stone Creamery’s menu. Their menu strictly consists of different types of ice cream, yogurt, milkshakes, and ice cream cakes. They do not blend or offer fruit and yogurt-based smoothies.
What’s the closest drink item to a smoothie at Cold Stone?
The closest drink item Cold Stone offers would be a milkshake blended with fresh fruit or yogurt. However, their milkshakes traditionally contain ice cream and milk rather than just fruit and yogurt like a smoothie. So their milkshakes are still more of a dessert drink rather than a nutritional smoothie.
Could Cold Stone start offering smoothies in the future?
It’s possible Cold Stone could offer smoothies as a limited-time promotion or test out smoothies on their menu in the future to cater to health trends. But ice cream is so core to their brand identity that smoothies will likely never fully replace their signature ice cream offerings. Any smoothie menu offerings would probably just complement their ice cream rather than becoming a core part of their permanent menu.
Where can I go for smoothies near a Cold Stone?
Some good smoothie options near Cold Stone Creamery locations include dedicated smoothie chains like Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Many coffee shops like Starbucks also serve fruit smoothies. So check what other restaurants and chains are located near your local Cold Stone for some smoothie alternatives.
Comparison of Cold Stone Creamery vs. Smoothie-Focused Chains
| Chain | Menu Focus | Types of Drinks Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Stone Creamery | Ice cream, yogurt | Milkshakes, float shakes, ice cream mix-ins |
| Jamba Juice | Smoothies, juices | Fruit smoothies, protein smoothies, energy bowls, juices |
| Smoothie King | Smoothies, health drinks, supplements | Fruit smoothies, protein smoothies, Revive energy/tea drinks, supplements |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | Smoothies, wraps, sandwiches, bowls | Fruit smoothies, protein smoothies, veggie smoothies, oatmeal bowls |
As shown, chains like Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe focus specifically on smoothies and other blended fruit drinks. Their menus offer far more smoothie options and ingredients compared to Cold Stone’s ice cream-centric offerings.
The Smoothie Experience at Dedicated Chains
For customers specifically looking for a delicious fruity or nutritious protein smoothie, visiting a dedicated smoothie chain provides an entirely different experience versus Cold Stone:
Greater Variety of Flavors
Smoothie chains offer diverse smoothie menus with far more flavors and combinations than just ice cream or milkshakes. From green veggie smoothies to tropical mango and pineapple, there’s something for every fruit smoothie craving.
Nutrition-Focused Options
Smoothies allow adding nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins, probiotics, antioxidants, and superfoods. Chains promote nutritional smoothies for energy, meal replacement, muscle recovery, vitamins, etc.
Made-to-Order Freshness
Each smoothie is freshly blended when ordered rather than pre-made, ensuring the fruit tastes bright and the nutrients are intact. Customizing smoothies is also easy.
Light and Refreshing
Smoothies provide lighter refreshment compared to dense, creamy ice cream. The fruit and juice combinations are lower in fat and calories while hydrating.
Portability
Smoothies are easy to take on-the-go with drink lids rather than requiring a bowl and spoon like an ice cream sundae. They travel well for an anytime refreshment.
Smoothie Chains Worth Trying
If you’re interested in enjoying nutrient-dense smoothies, here are some top smoothie chains to check out:
Jamba Juice
Jamba Juice is one of the pioneers of smoothies operating since 1990. Their menu focuses on fruit smoothies loaded with real fruit as well as veggie smoothies and juices. Try their classics like Strawberry Surf Rider, Orange-a-Peel, and Triple Berry Yuzu Guava.
Smoothie King
Established in 1973, Smoothie King offers low-calorie smoothies made with whole fruits and vegetables. Their Gladiator, Slim-N-Trim, and protein smoothies cater to fitness and weight goals.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Tropical Smoothie has an island vibe with smoothies featuring flavors like mango, coconut, pineapple, and passionfruit. Their Detox Island Green and Island Green smoothies pack nutritional ingredients like spinach, kale, and avocado.
Planet Smoothie
Planet Smoothie has a wide array of fruit smoothies with fun names like Razzmatazz, Strawberry Shortcake, Caribbean Passion, and Purple Monk. They also offer health-focused and protein smoothies.
Should Cold Stone Consider Adding Smoothies?
There are reasonable arguments on both sides whether Cold Stone should add smoothies to their menu:
Reasons Cold Stone Should Offer Smoothies
– Cater to current health and nutrition trends
– Attract new customer demographics like fitness enthusiasts needing post-workout protein smoothies
– Increase sales by driving repeat business for a daily smoothie routine
– Complement ice cream business with a lighter, cooler smoothie option
– Could start as a limited-time offer to test demand
Reasons for Cold Stone to Stick to Just Ice Cream
– Dilutes their brand identity and reputation for premium ice cream
– Operational complexity of ingredients, training, equipment, and preparation
– Slows speed of service during busy times blending custom smoothies
– Fruit has a short shelf life compared to ice cream ingredients
– Significant costs to source and store fresh produce and smoothie ingredients
– Staff may lack proper training in smoothie preparation food safety
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, Cold Stone’s ice cream pedigree has served them well for over 30 years. Layering smoothies on top of their specialized ice cream operations adds cost and risk that may not pay off. Cold Stone’s focus gives them excellence in ice cream rather than diluted competency across multiple areas. Smoothie fans are better off seeking out chains purpose-built to deliver exceptional blended fruit drinks.
Conclusion
In summary, Cold Stone Creamery built an empire on delivering the ultimate customized ice cream experience. Their brand identity and stores are designed around ice cream rather than smoothies. While they could potentially offer smoothies in the future as a promotion or menu test, smoothies are never likely to become a core part of the Cold Stone menu.
Cold Stone will continue satisfying devoted ice cream lovers with their unique in-store mixing theatrics and literally endless combinations of flavors and mix-ins. Smoothie fans are better served visiting dedicated chains like Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe for the widest varieties of blended fruit smoothies and nutrition-focused options.
So for now, Cold Stone will stick to the frozen concoctions and leave the smoothie segment to other brands. But never say never! Cold Stone does innovate, so a smoothie menu expansion can’t be ruled out down the road. But ice cream will always be their bread and butter…or rather their mix-ins stirred upon a frozen granite stone.
