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Ice Cream Survey — Brooklynian

Ice Cream Survey

shank bone mystic
shank bone mystic
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights
Hi. I'm doing research about the ice cream business in our part of Brooklyn and made a short (10 q's) survey. It would be supremely helpful if you took a sec and filled it out. And while we're here, whats the state of ice cream in Prospect Heights. I know there is that Ciao Bella place on Flatbush which I've yet to try but heard is good. And there is a new Baskin Robbins/ D and D which doesn't move me, whats in Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill or anywhere else around?...And here is the link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=64352674201

Thanks!

Comments

  • pitu
    pitu
    the link says your survey is closed . . .
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    woops. Ok now it should be good. Thanks for pointing that out.
  • findcate
    findcate
    Why are you doing this survey?
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    I am doing market research for a potential ice cream shop. I want to know what you want. Sprinkles or fudge? Fruit flavors or candy mix ins?
  • idlewild
    idlewild
    I want Mister Softee to be able to play his jingle without our gestapo mayor fining the driver for so called noise pollution.
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    Thanks to everyone who has done this survey. The answers have been very useful for me. Please keep em coming.

    The most interesting responses have been to the "Would you be turned on or off by the idea of an ice cream sundae bar where customers scooped and topped their own sundaes? Why?"

    I thought I'd try to open that one up for discussion. Seems some people are totally skeeved out by the idea and some people think it sounds fun for the whole family.

    Basically I want to open up an ice cream shop somewhere in the neighborhood and am in the process of deciding what its character should be, and of course if its a moneymaker.

    One idea that I've been toying with is a pay by weight sundae bar inspired by something I came across recently in Brazil. Customers have access to all the flavors and toppings and have a choice of what to put it in and then weigh it when they are done. It was great in Brazil, but maybe not so good in BK. Clearly it would have to be kept clean and frozen, but even so maybe thats too much for BK to handle.

    What does PH or PS want in their ice cream shops? Are we down for the experimental flavors? or do we want regular premium ice cream flavors?
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    Shank Bone Mystic wrote:
    What does PH or PS want in their ice cream shops? Are we down for the experimental flavors? or do we want regular premium ice cream flavors?
    I say go the experimental flavors. If you come up with something truly innovative and tasty and interesting, something that they can't get anywhere else, people will just have to try it.

    Edit: to agree with Shishkab, a few staples as well of course, not least because there'll be hot and bothered parents who know exactly what the kids are going to demand after a walk in the BG etc.
  • shishkab
    shishkab
    i say, "both". there are times when i want a simple flavor and like to add toppings to it. there are also times when i just want the plain ice cream, so an interesting flavor will pique my interest over a plain ol' average one.

    and oh, just for the record, i'm one of those folks who hates the idea of people being able to handle their own food in your store. i can guarantee you i wouldn't set foot in your establishment if i knew half of PS could stick their fingers in my m&ms or sneeze on the rocky road.

    ick.
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    Yeah I think thats a reasonable kind of person to be. I wish there was some way to replicate what I had in Brazil that met American hygienic concerns, because it was totally fun and I walked away with a sundae that could only be made in that kind of setting. A little bit of a lot of things.

    What about the somewhat 'out-there' flavors? Spicy chocolate, cucumber mint, green tea etc...Are people willing to go there?
  • findcate
    findcate
    you could do something like the salad places do--you tell the person behind the counter what you want and they mix it up, i love that. Which I guess is already how they do it at ice cream places...maybe with more choices and a more 'design your sundae' style menu and approach...

    you could have a touchscreen where visitors build their virtual sundae onscreen and view it and then the order is automatically passed to the counter person who builds it in real life. the visitors could save their combinations & view/vote on other people's favorites. instead of those paper cards that food places give you to get something free after 10 visits (which always get lost), you could just have it saved in the system. ice cream 2.0 :)
  • shishkab
    shishkab
    well, again, i'm just speaking for myself, but...

    one of my absolute favorite memories of childhood was going to Roosevelt Field to shop (which i hated) with my mom and getting the rare reward of Baskin & Robbins ice cream afterwards (which i loved). we didn't have very much money growing up, so these outings were a big deal for me. i rarely went for the regular flavors. B&R was great for debuting one or two new flavors per month, and i almost always went for one of those. tried some really weird and sometimes unpalatable flavors, BTW, but that was half the fun, i think.

    if you are trying to appeal to the general public, i think i'd stay away from vegetable based ice creams :wink: , but spicy chocolate sounds like a winner, as does green tea. cucumber mint sounds more like a sorbet that i would eat at a restaurant between courses as a palate cleanser. which isn't to say i wouldn't like it if presented to me, but i'm not going to an ice cream parlor for the purposes of buying it.
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    What a neat idea. Getting that computer system in place seems a little expensive but I think there are ways to make the rate-a-sundae idea work.
    Its worth looking into. And the salad bar concept might be a good model to work from.

    I think above all, delicious ice cream will be the key. And to agree with you guys, good simpe flavors are a must. If you don't have a good vanilla you're nobody. But I like the idea of having some more interesting flavors too. Considering anything can be an ice cream flavor, I feel most places are falling a little short. Generally they just try to put more candy in the flavor. Sure fudge snicker mint heath swirl sounds good but...
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    Shank Bone Mystic wrote:
    What about the somewhat 'out-there' flavors? Spicy chocolate, cucumber mint, green tea etc...Are people willing to go there?
    Yes yes, bring it on! And what about black sesame & lotus, sweet redbean, or celery like my favorite Dr Brown's soda?
  • boygabriel
    boygabriel
    Idlewild wrote: I want Mister Softee to be able to play his jingle without our gestapo mayor fining the driver for so called noise pollution.
    just to start a non-serious debate, does it not bother you when the mr. softee idles in front of your house for 20 minutes with the song playing over over?

    i understand the song is part of his livelihood, but enough's enough. he needs to lower the volume a bit, and perhaps when idling over 5 mins turn the music off for a minute.
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    I'm more annoyed by the idling than anything else. The song does get old after 30 cycles but at least its musical. I used to work at a restaurant where every sumemr the same truck idled across the street from the restaurant all day long every day. He didn't play music but the constant rumble of his truck and flow of exhaust meant that the restaurant couldn't keep its doors open on nice summer days.
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    Boygabriel wrote: [quote=Idlewild]I want Mister Softee to be able to play his jingle without our gestapo mayor fining the driver for so called noise pollution.
    just to start a non-serious debate, does it not bother you when the mr. softee idles in front of your house for 20 minutes with the song playing over over?

    i understand the song is part of his livelihood, but enough's enough. he needs to lower the volume a bit, and perhaps when idling over 5 mins turn the music off for a minute.

    311 his hide, I say.
  • figbash
    figbash
    o o o! im so glad you asked about ice cream. i moved here from columbus, ohio last year and have really never looked back. there is little to like about columbus but among the 2 or 3 (all food-related, of course) things i miss is the fantastic ice cream. denise's (http://www.denisesicecream.com/) and jenny's (no website but some highlights are salted caramel, five spice, and thai peanut) are worth missing columbus over.
    So. my recommendation is to go with interesting flavors. the simple ones are fine but it is great to have unexpected combinations that translate deliciously to ice cream. and no self-serve. that's just plain gross. and i like to do as little work as possible when i am paying for food.
  • xueling
    xueling
    I would love to see a great ice cream place open up in PH. I just went to that Ciao Bella place on Flatbush and it was just okay. The gelato is good and the people are nice, but the atmosphere in there is lacking. I just got a cup of strawberry for my daughter so she could eat it in the stroller and I left quickly. If it had been a nice place to sit down, however, I would have indulged in a cone myself.

    I would like to see some interesting flavors, but definitely need the old stand-bys as well. No help-yourself toppings, that's just gross and not necessary. It would be great to have kiddie size cones and cups so I could bring the kids frequently. Also, start off the portion size for adults smaller than what everyone else does. A "regular" these days seems equivalent to a pint of ice cream, it's just too much. Follow the logic at Joyce Bakery, smaller but yummier than the competition.
  • shishkab
    shishkab
    xueling wrote: Follow the logic at Joyce Bakery, smaller but yummier than the competition.
    that is some fine advice. hear hear! :D
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    Good advice all around. Let me pose this question. Do you guys ever go out for ice cream once it gets cold? Do you maybe get pints/cakes to bring home? What might be likely to pull you into ice cream shops in the winter?
  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    i eat ice cream year round. i love ice cream so much that i thought haagen daaz ought to have been stopped from highway billboard postings of its ads of a few years ago that were just huge pictures of ice cream, because every time i saw one i would get so distracted i might have caused an accident. and i don't even like haagen daaz all that much.

    the best way to get people to eat in the shop in winter, i think, is to make sure it looks very cozy and warm from outside. steam on the windows kind of place.

    oh, and PLEASE don't use corn syrup. that's why i don't like haagen daaz.
  • ph_dreamin
    ph_dreamin
    I answered the survey and would love an ice cream parlor in PH. Onward!

    But, I won't be needing an ice cream parlor for a while... at Fairway yesterday, Breyer's ice cream (56 oz box) was on sale for $1.99!! It is usually $4.99!!! If you have a car, get over there pronto. limit two per customer. The black raspberry-chocolate flavor RAWKS.
  • xueling
    xueling
    I agree that you have to make it very warm and cozy for me to go in in the winter. Maybe get some really nice hot chocolates/teas/coffees as well to serve in the winter. The place on Flatbush plans to serve Hale and Hearty soups in the winter which I think is a great idea since you cannot get good soups here anywhere (or can you? I haven't found any yet).

    I got an ice-cream cake for my winter baby's birthday party and it was a huge hit. I searched high and low for Fudgie the whale but could only find sheet cakes at Carvel. Definitely do cakes! I think ice-cream cupcakes would be awesome too.
  • alafairnadia
    alafairnadia
    I LOVE ice cream and sorbet. I agree that having solid "normal" flavors and several "out there" flavors is the way to go. I used to go to Toscanini's in Cambridge http://www.tosci.com/ and my favorite thing to get was a small ginger ice cream (no one else makes their ginger ice cream like tosci's - it's hot and spicy, not the pansy-ass stuff you get everywhere else) with dark chocolate syrup on top. guh. if you could replicate that, I'd be in there every day. or every day possible.

    and I do agree that small portions (or at least having a smaller portion available for adults) are the way to go. getting a pastry at Dunkin Donuts, for instance, feels a lot more "guilty" than getting a pastry at Joyce's because of the size. and if price is an issue (Joyce is pricier than DD)
  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    xueling wrote: think ice-cream cupcakes would be awesome too.
    genius!
  • stacey
    stacey
    I have found the paradise called Stone Cold Creamery. I LOVE that place - the only problem - too many choices to make :)
  • cupcake
    cupcake
    sweet tea wrote: [quote=xueling] think ice-cream cupcakes would be awesome too.
    genius!

    Someone just told me about this place in the North End (Boston) that injects cupcakes with Ice Cream: Trani, 111 Salem Street

    I also used to go to Toscanini's in Cambridge and get Cake Batter. Delicious. Better than the crappy versions aval. in supermarkets now.
  • shank bone mystic
    shank bone mystic
    Ice cream injected cupcakes? Spicy Ginger ice cream w/hot fudge? These things sound fantastic. I already had a long list of ice cream related inventions that I thought would be real face melters, but its starting to seem like everyone does. I almost have to open a place, just so I can try all these things.
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    How about a savory ice cream with bacon bits?
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