Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's
5007 Black Road
767-3178

Earlier in the week, Jiro (7) and I were out east running errands. We thought it might be nice to get a treat. Both Muddy's and the Cosmic Coconut were closed for the holiday (!!) so we went over to Ben & Jerry's. I'm not sure why I've never actually been in, but can only guess it's because of the store's proximity to the two aforementioned places. Jiro has been several times with his movie buddies and assured me that it was a good choice.

There was a nice, older couple working behind the counter. I can only guess that they are the owners? Anyways, they were very friendly and chatty. Jiro and I tasted a few flavors before making our decisions. He went with a cup of the 7 Layer Coconut Something and I got a small cone of Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz. (I thought for sure Jiro would get a sprinkle cone or toppings, but he went for just ice cream. I had a taste and it was way sweet on its own.)

He saw a table with an over-sized checkers board on it and asked if we could play. I know he can kick my ass in chess, but I thought I might stand a chance at checkers. "Sure!" I said.



We had a lovely game, and I won by a hair. I was really impressed by the level of kid-friendliness going on in the store. In addition to checkers they had decks of cards, a foosball table, coloring stations, and so on. The bathrooms are clean and have changing tables too.

I definitely see why Ben & Jerry's is always crowded!

Jiro's only complaint was the wooden spoon they gave him to eat his ice cream with. I'm guessing it's a nod to being more eco-friendly, but I would like all restauranteurs everywhere to know that food does NOT taste good on wood. It just doesn't. (I also noticed that they used popsicle sticks for tasters. I think that's passable since it's just one bite.) Stick with a cone until they find a better alternative to the wooden spoons.