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The awesome ice cream at Parm on Mulberry Street
May 19, 2015- By Steven E. Greer, MD
Tonight, I went in search for some ice cream. I first tried Battery Place Market but they had no Jeni’s ice cream. The managers have dropped the ball.
Next, I went to Le District, but they did not yet have their ice cream stand opened.
I then considered El Vez, but they make too big of an ordeal out of ordering two scoops of ice cream, so I tried Shake Shack.
I have not been to Shake Shack for almost a year due to the long lines and lack of seating. But since I just wanted a shake, I went to the express line. I was surprised that they give people buzzers and a wait-list for ice cream customers rather than serve it immediately, since the machine is right there by them.
I went outside and waited, and waited. I emailed Danny Meyer, “How long does it take to get a shake?”. I went back inside and stood. Ten-minutes went by since my order. I noticed two shakes on a tray, and a customer picked one up leaving the other one still there. I thought that they might have messed things up, and they did. The lady blamed the buzzer, claiming it was out of energy, and said that she yelled out for me. I know she did not yell out because I was standing right by her. She did not apologize.
I took the shake and walked around the block. It was melted, so I returned it. The manager was a new guy. The staff were all new as well.
I have consistently praised the management and staff of the Battery Park Shake Shack, even as I wrote negative reviews of Blue Smoke and North End Grill, but all good things come to an end. This new crew is no better than Chipotle or McDonald’s (Which makes one wonder about the growth potential for the stock SHAK).
I then went to Little Muenster in Hudson Eats. I saw their shake being made and it was unimpressive, so I gave up for the evening.
Why are there so many soft-serve ice creams in restaurants now? The Chinese joint in Hudson Eats has one. El Vez has one. Shake Shack Has one.
It is due to classic group-think. The owners see the success of Shake Shack and are gutlessly copying them. Even El Vez, which has nice real ice cream in the sit-down section, decided to go with soft-serve for their burrito hut. Why? Few people are buying it. I told them so.
Hopefully, the ice cream section of Le District will not disappoint. I am also hearing that Parm might have an ice cream section.