Cold Stone... the new DQ?

Last night we went to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. It was quite an experience and one you wouldn't have too often. As you enter the sub-zero store you're greeted with a chorus of "Welcome to Cold Stone" from the staff. Make your way through the line and you get to choose from one of like 20 flavors of freshly made ice creams and sorbets. I had the raspberry. Here's choice number 2. They don't come in normal sizes. Instead they come in "Like It", "Love It" and "Gotta Have It." We all got the "Love It" size which was plenty, trust me. After choosing your base, they take it over to a marble slab where they soften it up and make a well. Now comes another set of choices. You get one add it and for $0.60 you can add in another choice. I got strawberries and twix! It may not sound appetizing but WOW!!! It was great. She actually puts in fresh strawberries and a real twix bar. Mash & Mix, Mash & Mix. Now that your custom ice cream is mixed you have yet another choice. How do you want to eat it? You can get it in a waffle cone (plain, dipped in chocolate, choclate with nuts, chocolate with sprinkles, chocolate with cocoanut) or you can get it in a waffle bowl (same subchoices as before) or you can get it in a plain dish. Unless you're glutton, stick with the plain dish. Grand total for last nights trip with 1 "Like It" and 4 "Love It"?????? $24. Pretty comparable to DQ Blizzards but unless you've got patience, stick to DQ. If your CS staffer is new it could take her a bit to mix it and the line gets long and bunched up. All and all I'd give it *** / *****.