'The Worst Nightmare': One Cold Stone Creamery Location Lost All of Its Inventory — and the Meltdown Went Viral Employees had to pour the ruined product into garbage cans.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

Vince Talotta | Getty Images

It's been a rough month for U.S. ice cream parlor chain Cold Stone Creamery.

TikTok videos uploaded by an anonymous Cold Stone employee on Monday reveal a fire suppression sprinkler malfunction that flooded a store and destroyed all of its inventory, Fox Business reported.

Related: Cold Stone Creamery Employee Loses 3 Fingers in Accident

The videos, which garnered more than 220,000 views and appear to have been removed from the platform, were posted via a "Cold Stone Treats" account, which documents what it's like to work at the parlor. According to Fox, the clip showed "tipped-over shelves, wet floors and many vats of melted ice cream" and employees dumping the ruined product into garbage cans.

"If this wasn't enough, I fell and hurt my wrist," the employee behind Cold Stone Treats said in the second video, per the outlet. "I was making these videos and taking these pictures. I couldn't believe [it] — I wanted somebody to come and pinch me because this was the worst nightmare. And this is where I fell and hurt myself."

The incident followed another disaster earlier this month at a Corvallis, Oregon Cold Stone Creamery. There, several employees quit after a co-worker lost three fingers cleaning an ice cream machine; they claim they never received adequate safety training and that management demonstrated a lack of compassion.

Related: Is Your Local McDonald's Ice Cream Machine Broken? Check the McBroken App.

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cold Stone Creamery is owned by parent company Kahala Brands, an international franchisor of quick-service food restaurants that also operates brands including Blimpie, The Counter, Thai Express, Sweet Frog and more, per Reuters.
Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Zillow Predicts These 10 Places Will Have the Hottest Housing Markets in 2025

Zillow predicted that the hottest housing market of 2025 will be Buffalo, New York. Here's why.

Business News

'Masculine Energy Is Good': Mark Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan He Thinks Companies Need More Aggression

On the most recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said corporate culture has become "neutered."

Business News

'More Soul-Crushing Than Ever': Popular Hiring Platform Finds Around 20% of Its Postings Were 'Ghost Jobs'

Is that job listing too good to be true? There's a one-in-five chance that it might be.

Growing a Business

5 Risk-Taking Lessons From Founders Who Bet Big and Won

Discover the bold moves and strategic risks that catapulted these entrepreneurs to success. Learn how their fearless decisions can inspire your own path to growth.