Update: They're no longer affiliated with Fivestars!…read more
I've since gone two additional times to try their waffle bites. My last trip was kind of spontaneous because I suddenly got a Fivestars reward that day for these waffle bites. However, when I arrived, I was looking for the Fivestars tablet only to be met by a Clover tablet instead.
It felt like I went through a time warp because the employee working behind the register didn't seem to have any idea what I was trying to say regarding Fivestars, though he did notice a little trifold card on the front counter mentioning Fivestars. I asked if he could get his manager so I could explain, and even show, him my Fivestars reward.
The reward said "already accepted", which he almost thought meant I had redeemed it already, but if that were the case, then it would have said "already redeemed". Given that they've now done away with Fivestars, I'm not too surprised he may have gotten the words "accepted" confused with "redeemed", but luckily, he was happy enough to honor it for me.
The employee who assisted me was very helpful, though he did ask me to repeat the topping and the drizzle that I wanted. I chose the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor ice cream with Fruity Pebbles toppings and a Strawberry drizzle on top. Since I had already tried the cookie flavors before, I figured I'd try the fruity flavors this time around.
He said he needed about 5 minutes to prepare my waffle bites, which were presented a little different than last time. Last time, I got the Cookie Butter flavor with *Cookie* Crisp and Peanut *Butter* (see what I did there?), and it came in a small plastic takeout container. This one came in a large plastic cup, and I'm thinking the logistics may have changed a ton between my last two visits.
I did appreciate how the employee asked if I wanted the waffles on top of or beneath the ice cream before making the waffle bites; I chose on top. He also asked if I'd like powdered sugar on top, to which I agreed.
Unfortunately, neither of the waffle bites I got from my last two visits impressed me that much. As a matter of fact, the only thing that impressed me was the strawberry drizzle. Everything else fell kind of flat. While generous in size for the $8 price tag, the Cookie Butter and the Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream didn't really taste like these flavors at all! For whatever reason, the peanut butter didn't add much flavor, but the strawberry drizzle added a lot! How even?!
In short, the waffle bites weren't that much of an upgrade from the ice cream scoop that I had on my first visit. I'm willing to say "too much good was no good" here. The waffles themselves were good, but they can only do so much when a flavored ice cream doesn't even taste like that flavor.
It's worth noting that on my penultimate visit, when I got the Cookie Butter Waffle Bites, I saw two employees behind the front counter who were ready to take my order. I asked them to explain what the waffle bites were, but it took them a couple of tries to actually understand what I was asking. From what I gathered, the waffle bites were similar to the ice cream scoop I had on my first visit, but with the addition of a warm waffle to supplement the ice cream. However, the step-by-step process remains the same.
I was initially told it would take 6 minutes to prepare the Cookie Butter Waffle Bites, but it actually took 15! It seemed like one was training the other or they were trying to gather the ingredients and/or the steps needed to create the waffle bites. After about 10 minutes, I was told by one of the employees they had to make a new batch of waffles because the first batch had burnt. The music was getting pretty loud, so it was hard to hear him after that, but I didn't want to hold up the kitchen prep process any longer. I just said "Alright, sure" so he could continue preparing my order. I do appreciate how he let me know of this so that I'd know the reason for the extended wait, but I wish they weren't so ill-prepared during my visit.
So overall, still 3 stars overall. I appreciate the prior partnership with Fivestars, but these missed opportunities have led me to believe that Cravings is just not for me. I doubt I'll try anything else on their ice cream menu, and considering that there are only a few parking spots in their lot, it will take a lot to get me to try their hot chicken.
And speaking of lack of parking, I also want to mention that on my second visit, I saw two open parking stalls right in front of Cravings, one on either side of a car. That car had its driver's side wide open so that I couldn't park there. I had to park on the passenger side of that car, which he left much less room for. Perhaps a microcosm of the clientele in this part of town?
Everybody deserves a second chance, right? Unfortunately, not everybody can make the most of them, and this is just one example of such. Thanks for the sweet treats Cravings, but I'll get my next one somewhere else.
