Phoenix ice cream store chain comes to L.A.

A Phoenix-based ice cream store chain that serves its sweets with an unusual flair has come to the Southland to compete with the likes of Ben & Jerry's and Haagen Dazs. Its first L.A. County outlet opened last week in Sherman Oaks.

Cold Stone Creamery was founded in 1988 and currently has 24 franchised stores, mostly in Arizona. Last year its founder and owner, Donald Sutherland (unrelated to the actor), decided to start aggressively franchising the concept in other states, including California.

Thousand Oaks entrepreneurs Armie Carabet and Doug O'Rear bought the rights to franchise the chain in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The pair plans to open a total of 80 outlets over the next five to seven years, 30 of them here in L.A. County, Carabet said.

The human touch

Cold Stone distinguishes itself from other ice cream outlets, first because it makes its ice cream and frozen yogurt fresh on the premises daily, Carabet said. In addition, Cold Stone prepares its treats in a unique fashion, he said.

Like some competitors, the chain sells many varieties of fruit, candy and other goodies that servers mix with each individual order. Like many shops, the goodies are not simply placed on top, but become part of the ice cream.

But Cold Stone adds a twist. Servers at other chains turn their backs to the customers and pour the ice cream and goodies into a machine to be mixed. At Cold Stone, Carabet said, the concoctions are mixed by hand, right in front of the customers, with big flat spoons, called spades.

The mixing is done on a frozen granite-slab counter (hence, the name "Cold Stone"), located in front of the customers, that is frosted over on the top like a windshield would be in the wintertime, he said.

The mixing draws a lot of interest from customers in line because it's done right in front of them, Carabet said.

Being done by hand, it has another advantage as well. While machines literally blend all of the fruit and other goodies into the ice cream, hand-mixing leaves plenty of chunks for customers to munch on, he said.

If it's any indication as to how they'll thrive in the Southland, Cold Stone is popular in its home market of Phoenix.

"People have responded well to their product," said Jonathan Cowen, a retail broker with DeRito Partners Inc., a Phoenix-based retail brokerage and developer.

"In good locations, they're packed," he said.

Aside from the Sherman Oaks store, which is owned by the "master franchisees," O'Rear and Carabet, Cold Stone plans to open an outlet in Westlake in November, and is eyeing potential locations at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade and Old Town Pasadena, Carabet said.