Several Cold Stone Creamery stores near me have closed since I wrote this article. Cold Stone is trying to stay alive by co-branding with Tim Hortons, a coffee, doughnut, and sandwich chain.
Over the last several months, I have been put on an email list for Cold Stone franchisees from people who are leading a legal action “to hold Kahala-Cold Stone accountable for their many egregious actions and to pursue them as a franchisee group in an attempt to recover a potion of our substantial losses.” Kahala is the parent company of Cold Stone. The info that I receive states that the effort has “registered nearly 250 current franchisees and ex-franchisees representing 355 stores who have taken the first step to recuperate their financial losses from Kahala-Cold Stone…”
An interesting quote from the email to franchisees states (my bold emphasis)… here.