Local Cold Stone’s success attributed to dedicated employees and excellent customer service

Chris Reynolds has owned and operated multiple Cold Stone Creamery franchises in Reno, Nevada since February 2003. The franchise he owns at the Reno Public Market, previously located in Shoppers Square, has been the most successful of them all. Reynolds hopes that the new location will attract new customers while keeping the loyal ones.

The catalyst for Chris becoming a business owner was a man named Mike who managed the Round Table up the street; Mike’s apparent dissatisfaction with his position highlighted the importance of owning his own business. At the age of 18, he started a landscaping company and was soon offered an opportunity to buy two run-down subway stores in the Reno area even managing to build one up “to be the most successful store in Northern Nevada”. While his initial experience owning subway stores was positive he diversified to own a Cold Stone and found it was a perfect fit.

The small number of stores allowed his voice to be heard, he talked about his experience with corporate with pride saying, “for three years, I sat on the National Advisory Board, where I would fly down to Scottsdale three or four times a year.” Being heard at the corporate level is something that is very important to Chris, and what has made his experience with Cold Stone “like night and day” compared to his experience with Subway. Despite his early start with Subway, there were still around 10,000 stores in 1995 making it impossible for him to be recognized amongst other franchisees. In 2018 Chris found his Subway crowded amongst competing stores and eventually had to sell his store, while it wasn’t necessarily of his own volition he says “I look at it as a blessing” despite the initial loss it has allowed him to focus on his more successful venture.

The pandemic tested his entrepreneurial spirit as he continuously adapted to changing safety requirements, but he remains committed to providing excellent customer service and the highest quality ice cream. The ice cream is mixed with toppings on a frozen marble slab, which is why the franchise has its unique name.

The lengthy construction process for the new location finally ended, and Reynolds is excited to operate in the shiny new space. The store is now located across from the Sprouts supermarket, just a few hundred feet from its previous location. The new store has ample space for employees and a dedicated area for families to enjoy their ice cream on-site.

They make their ice cream and waffle cones in-house using restaurant-grade waffle irons and an industrial ice cream churner. This process takes all morning, and each task has a dedicated employee. They have to make multiple batches of ice cream and waffle cones to avoid running out during the post-dinner rush. Reynolds jokingly stated, “Who wouldn’t want to go home smelling like a waffle cone?”

The back room of the store features a community board filled with doodles, drawings, and flyers promoting one of their employees’ radio shows. Despite the pandemic’s difficulties, Reynolds appreciated how it forced him to lean into his entrepreneurial spirit. He came up with innovative ideas to rearrange the store and create new ordering methods that minimize contact between workers and customers, including a specialized phone order system and delivery apps.

Reynolds attributes the surge in sales during the pandemic to parents trying to calm down their children during lockdowns. “Pizza shops and ice cream shops really flourished,” Reynolds said. Reno’s ice cream habit stuck, and the past two years have been some of the busiest for the Cold Stone franchise.

Finding dedicated employees has been a challenge for Reynolds. But with people becoming more comfortable working in close proximity to each other again, he is hopeful that staffing will become less of an issue. Reynolds looks forward to the world settling back into normal times.

Reynolds can often be seen in the morning setting up chairs in the dining area and running across the parking lot to Sprouts to buy an armful of bananas to get employees through the day. He understands that providing excellent customer service and high-quality products is crucial to the success of any business.

Chris Reynolds’ successful management of his Cold Stone Creamery franchise at the Reno Public Market demonstrates the importance of finding dedicated employees and providing excellent customer service to achieve business success. Reynolds’ dedication to providing the highest quality ice cream, his innovative ideas for customer service during the pandemic, and his commitment to taking care of his employees are all critical factors that contribute to his franchise’s success. Reynolds is happy the world has returned to mostly normal he remains committed to providing excellent customer service and high-quality ice cream to his loyal customers.