There are endless favorite ice cream flavors enjoyed inside endless local shops with 31 Dairy Queens, 15 Cold Stone Creamery shops, 36 Baskin-Robbins and 7 Yogurtology stores in the Bay Area.
But which ones failed state standards when an inspector walked in?
Bradenton's Cold Stone Creamery on 7476 Cortez Road West did not make the grade after inspectors issued a stop sale, forcing the place to throw out milk, whipped toppings and waffle batter at temperatures that could make you sick.
Inspectors found the reach-in cooler at 51°F when it should be at 41-degrees or below.
The state discovered dairy whipped topping at 50°F, Dairy-based lifestyle mix at 49°F and waffle batter at 70-72°F with no temperature monitoring being used.
Meanwhile, Cold Stone Creamery located at 140 University Town Center Drive in Sarasota also did not score well with smoothie mix and other dairy items at dangerous temperatures.
Inside the reach-in cooler, inspectors found whole milk at 48°F, whipped topping at 46°F and smoothie mix at 46°F. All should be at 41-degrees or colder in the cooler.
In addition, Cold Stone Creamery was issued a stop sale and required to throw out all products at dangerous temperatures.
ABC Action News anchor Wendy Ryan e-mailed and called Cold Stone Creamery's corporate office several times in Scottsdale, Arizona but no one ever responded.
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Our ABC Action News I-Team uncovered six Baskin-Robbins with double-digit violations in their last inspection this year.
Those include Baskin-Robbins in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Gibsonton, Tampa and two locations in Largo.
DOUBLE-DIGIT VIOLATIONS LOCATIONS:
- Baskin-Robbins 1525 4 Street South St. Petersburg (March 2018)
25-Violations
- Baskin-Robbins 2551 Gulf To Bay Blvd. Clearwater (March 2018)
18-Violations
- Baskin-Robbins 10608 New East Bay Road Gibsonton (June 2018)
19-Violations
- Baskin-Robbins 7004 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa (July 2018)
20-Violations
- Baskin-Robbins 3515 E. Bay Drive Largo (May 2018)
25-Violations
- Baskin-Robbins 13013 66th Street Largo (June 2018)
18-Violations
Last month's state inspection of Tampa's Baskin-Robbins at 7004 North Dale Mabry Highway revealed roaches on the premises along with products in the cooler at too warm a temperature.
Several containers of almond milk were at 65°f along with a tub of creamers at 65°f.
Both should be stored at 41°F or below.
BASKIN-ROBBINS STATEMENT:
At Baskin-Robbins, food safety is a top priority and nothing is more important to us than all of our franchisees operating clean and safe restaurants. We have stringent food safety and quality standards, and we take great pride in the food and beverages served to our guests every day. We take matters such as these very seriously. Upon learning of this report, we contacted the franchisees who own and operate these locations immediately to confirm all food safety and quality standards are being followed.
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Meanwhile, Dairy Queen's Bradenton location at 7155 53rd Avenue East had 14-violations last month with no certified food manager on duty and employees with no proof of required training.
The inspection also found no soap or paper towels at the employee's hand wash sink and food stored on the floor.
DAIRY QUEEN STATEMENT:
Food safety and quality, as well as the safety and well-being of our fans and staff, are our top priorities. All of our franchised restaurants are required to adhere to our strict food preparation and sanitation and health procedures that comply with or exceed county and state health regulations. All locations are also evaluated on a regular basis by our representatives. The franchisee of this location has worked with their local health department and have corrected the items noted in their most recent health report.
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"How good does it taste?" asked ABC Action News anchor Wendy Ryan to a young boy named Davis, enjoying Yogurtology's frozen yogurt at the South Tampa location on 3017 West Gandy Blvd.
"Probably the best ice cream I've ever had," Davis replied, with a big smile on his face, stained in bright blue frozen yogurt.
And Davis is not the only one who's a fan of Yogurtology.
State inspectors seem to applaud what's happening behind the kitchen doors as well.
All seven Bay Area Yogurtology shops had no double-digit violations, no food temperature issues and no insects, earning the sweetest score we found.
"We have to go through the whole process to make sure we have the freshest yogurt for our customers every day," said Manager Morgan Mendelson, who runs several Yogurtology stores in the bay area.
And Morgan says the company's strict rules keep each location in check.
"All the other machines are targeted every single day to make sure that all the yogurt is fresh and always at the right temperature. We have temperature logs so we use thermometers to take those," Morgan explained.
And Yogurtology's loyal customers seem to notice their efforts.
"Every time we come, it's always clean and well operated, clean, tidy, neat," said Georgia Gustafson, who brings her two girls to Yogurtology on a regular basis, when she visits from Wisconsin.
"It's very clean and sanitary every time we come here. Everything is put away. It's a real nice spot," said Anne Compton, who also loves to indulge on Yogurtology's Peanut Butter flavored frozen yogurt.
Anne brings both her kids a couple times a month.
