So you’re a small business owner that now has three ice cream shops in the area (up from one this time last year). What’s the best thing that you can do when a new specialty ice cream shop opens in Danville?
The wrong answer is “Bash them on your own business Facebook page”.
Hazelnut’s Hand Dipped Ice Cream has expanded from their original location in Brosville to Piney Forest Road & South Boston Road locations in Danville. That’s a great small business success story and it shows that the owner is making smart business decisions to make money during the prime business season. But wait, there’s more.
Coco Ni is a new specialty ice cream and crepe shop that opened on Monday beside the Ben David Jewelers location on Mt Cross Road. Take a look at Coco Ni’s Facebook page. It’s a specialty shop that serves Thai-style crepes and ice cream. There’s enough ice cream consumer money around so that all of these ice cream stores can survive. And let’s be real, the Coco Ni store is more than just ice cream.
Anyway, the owner of Hazelnut’s decides to post this little gem on his business Facebook page…
Stay classy, Hazelnut’s. Honestly, what in the hell was the owner thinking when he wrote this? This is the guy who just tripled his number of stores in the last two months. You know, new businesses like Coco Ni. People made a “big deal” about his hand-dipped ice cream stores when they were new, too.
To his credit, the owner yanked this post down once he started getting the rightfully deserved negative feedback from it. But that hasn’t stopped a lot of people from hammering his attitude in the reviews section on his Facebook page. As you can see, nothing is truly deleted on the internet once you’ve posted it.
By itself, this is sad. If you’re not going to congratulate a new business in town, just shut up and don’t take a cheap shot at them. The Coco Ni store isn’t going to be any real competition for Hazelnut’s anyway. But to make it worse, this isn’t the first time that the owner has posted rude, non-businesslike things. Take this as an example…
There’s a way to properly handle customer complaints. That reply isn’t the proper way. And as you see, that reply hasn’t been deleted. Facepalm.
We’re going to get some ice cream later in the week. And totally based on what you’ve seen here, we’re choosing to go to Coco Ni. Words have consequences… especially when you’re competing for customers in today’s business world.
I believe the Hazelnut dude is not only rude but maybe prejudiced. He claims they serve American ice cream. Hello…. we have no claim on the treat. Plus he can not spell……It is bear with ….not bare.
I commented on a post that he put up of a woman eating ice cream, the picture was extremely sexist and advertising like that does not make people want to come in when they have families. I simply posted my distaste and was quickly blocked from commenting or liking the business. The reason I know this is my husband was still able to comment…kind of ridiculous.
I had been wanting to stop in but I will go to Coco Ni instead. I will also pass the word.
Hazelnuts ice cream isn’t anything special it’s only Hershey’s!!! If you want good homemade , creative flavors try Dippers in Martinsville!!
We had family visit the location in Brosville, while they were trying to figure out what flavors they wanted, the person behind the counter, huffed and said, “We’re y’all thinking about ordering today or next week.” – I personally would have walked out right then!
the owner did not immediately remove the comments, he spent most of Monday morning and afternoon responding to each and every one in an insulting and his normal arrogant and rude fashion! He only removed the post after he disabled the option for those that “liked” his page and those that really upset and angered this clown he blocked from being able to post anything!
I’m the guy who pointed that out to him, it’s not a misspelling but a misuse of the words bare/bear and when I corrected him he replied with “like a bear in the woods, yeah right”…so, he is never wrong! Oh, immediately afterwards all my comments responding to others were deleted and I was blocked from being able to comment further but the Reviews can only be removed by the person who left them and I don’t see him eating crow and apologizing to the now over 40 offended to possibly correct said issues. So, to quote Mr Hazelwood and his use of the word “bare”…are you wondering why today your stores are “bare”? Here’s another, you sir are just a bare a**hole!
I love ice cream! There will never be another “real” Bubba’s. That being said, I don’t know “hazelnut” I don’t know who wrote this article either. But when I read things like this I always wonder about motives, of those who made the original FB post, of those who pointed it out, of those who wrote this article. You don’t like a post, unfriend them, you don’t like a store, don’t shop there. The rest will take care of itself.
since you are the Grammar Police Mr LaPrade correct the chick that posted above you “We’re y’all thinking about “please tell us what she is trying to say?
Go back and read it again. Maybe you will understand this time. She was quoting one of the idiots that were taking orders. You must be one of them.
I went to Hazelnuts once. The ice cream was good but just couldn’t take eating it with the naked baby pictures on the wall. Nothing against naked baby pictures but it just didn’t enhance the “ice cream” environment. How about some bright colors and beach theme….
Marketing 101 , never talk badly about your competition, just be the best that you can be.
I pass Hazelwoods daily, but I think I will try Coco-Ni first!
So what makes Hazelnuts so special? They serve Hershey’s Ice Cream, but then again, so does the Eden Flea Market. My daughter and I went for a visit not long after the grand opening. The place was bright, clean and the staff was friendly. I ordered a double scoop cone and my daughter a double scoop cup, then requested an additional cup when cone ice cream started melting, I was charged an extra .20 cents for an EMPTY cup. I get that the owner has overhead but when I walked out spending .40 cents shy of $10 for two people to eat hand dipped ice cream, please excuse me for wanting to try something a bit more “ethnic”.
O’Kellys also serves Hershey ice cream, but offer many other homemade breads and pastry.
One thing no one has mentioned is his prices. Sure takes a bite out of the pockets