The Owner of the Only Cold Stone Creamery in Reno Speaks on Past Enterprises and Expanding During a Pandemic
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Sitting in a half-demolished dead mall with a blocked-off parking lot is the only Cold Stone Creamery in Reno.
Despite being located in a deteriorating building amidst a raging pandemic, the store is one of the busiest in the nation. The owner Chris Reynolds has owned and operated numerous Cold Stones in Reno since February of 2003, but the one in Shoppers Square has been his most successful. In fact, Chris is currently working to expand Cold Stone in Reno and is expected to move locations in the next month.
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.
Chris maintained his success during the pandemic due to his early adoption of delivery services, and an apparent desire to keep customers and staff safe. He had initially begun to use delivery services to recoup the loss from construction but it ended up saving him from the four-week installation delay that many restaurants faced during the lockdown. This ended up being one of the most important decisions he made as it allowed him to remain open continuously, although he attributes it to “dumb luck.”
While it was hard for everyone to adapt to social distancing guidelines, he made sure to have clear and professional signs instructing customers where to stand and how to order with minimal contact. Many former employees and colleagues of his also worked in the store during the initial lockdown which allowed them to maintain a source of income in a time of great hardship.
Although his expansion has been met with difficulties the additional time spent building and planning his new store has allowed him to implement digital menu boards, blender rinsers, plexiglass dividers, and an improved seating area. Allowing for a safer and faster experience for the customer and the ability to display limited-time offerings. In the coming months, a food truck will also be available along with a ghost kitchen to accommodate the high volume of delivery orders.
You can visit the new and improved Cold Stone Creamery on April 1 at 273 E Plumb Ln, Suite 100. Chris can be contacted at chris@coldstonereno.com
