Dec. 9, 2015 By Michael Florio
Cold Stone Creamery is nearing an opening on Steinway Street, a year after closing its doors on Broadway.
The new Cold Stone will open on the corner of Steinway Street and 28th Avenue in February, according to owner Mike Belvedere.
Belvedere also owned the Cold Stone Creamery that was open on the corner of Broadway and 35th Street for 10 years, but had to close in December of 2014 due to a rising rent.
This location though will be very similar to the Broadway location, Belvedere said. The shop will offer the usual items found at a Cold Stone Creamery, such as ice cream that is made on location and ice cream cakes.
“It is going to be the same product and service,” Belvedere said.
It will offer soup from The Original Soup Man, as the Broadway location previously did. The soup will be delivered from The Original Soup Man shop in Manhattan, which was founded by Al Yeganeh, who is popularly known as “The Soup Nazi” from “Seinfeld.”
The Cold Stone Creamery will also offer Kahala Coffee Traders coffee. Belvedere purchases fresh ground beans from them in order to serve fresh coffee.
This is the only Cold Stone Creamery in Astoria, and Belvedere claims to be the only place in Queens to purchase soup from The Original Soup Man and the only place to purchase Kahala Coffee Traders coffee on the East Coast.
There will be three separate stations in the shop, one for each product.
This location provides Belvedere with more space, as it is twice the size of the Broadway location. It will be able to seat up to 24 people inside. He said once he opens he will work on obtaining an outdoor seating license.
The hours are still being worked out but he is considering opening earlier than he used too, now that he will serve coffee.
“We used to open at 11 [a.m.] but I think we will open earlier,” he said. “We will stay open to midnight and even later in the summer.”
Originally, Belvedere had hoped to open this location in April, but the renovation work has taken longer than he expected. He also took some time off from the construction process.
“I just wanted a little break and some time to myself,” he said.
Belvedere said customers continue to ask him about the shop’s opening.
“People have been asking me when we are going to open for the past year,” he said. “There is a lot of excitement.”
The location was previously Steinway Fresh Farm, a fruit and vegetable market.
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One Comment
Nice but, would be happier if it was a Ben and Jerry’s.