Premium ingredients and premium quality, accompanied by premium service, results in premium ice cream, according to Anthony Dayyani.
On Friday, May 6, Dayyani opened Herndon's first Cold Stone Creamery, an ice cream shop catering toward satisfying any ice cream lover's sweet tooth or fulfilling their wildest ice cream creations.
"Our ice cream is made fresh every day," said Dayyani. "We have the highest quality ice cream across the country."
Dayyani went on to explain each Cold Stone Creamery location has about 50 employees — Herndon's location already has 25 and is looking to hire at least 25 more within the next month — to maintain the chain's premium quality.
“Our staff is involved in every step of the production," he said. "We have five waffle irons and we make about 250 to 400 waffles a day."
In addition he said staff members cut candies and makes the ice cream. The ice cream, which requires four to six hours in a ‘hard’ freezer where it is kept at -35 to -40 degrees, is moved to a ‘soft’ freezer where it thaws for eight hours before being placed in the storefront freezer.
Staff members also bake brownies every day and, in addition to doing the production work, sing songs to keep customers upbeat and to make work fun.
"Customers come for presentation more than anything else," said Dayyani. "We rotate all of our products so everything stays fresh, it's a premium price because of this premium quality."
The idea behind Cold Stone Creamery's success is the choices offered to patrons.
Customers can decide what flavor of ice cream they would like, and then choose various mix-ins which range from fresh fruit to white chocolate chips and other candy or nut pieces.
The ice cream is then placed on a marble slab where the employees fold in the ingredients, creating a creamy mixture.
In addition to ice cream Cold Stone also offers fresh brownies, cakes, milk shakes, smoothies, banana splits, malts and other dessert options.
Located in Worldgate Shopping Center — with both an indoor and outdoor store front — Cold Stone Creamery is open Sunday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Dayyani said in addition to serving the Herndon community quality ice cream and service, he plans to become involved with area schools, events and other community organizations in the years to come.