News & Trending Shopping & Deals News

8 Ice Cream Shops That Just Aren't Worth It Anymore

Prices at these ice cream chains might just cure your sweet tooth

By Amanda Skidmore , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Nov. 4, 2026

Even strict budgets often leave room for the occasional sweet treat, and a trip to the local ice cream shop, where a cup or a cone might be just a few dollars, used to be an excellent way to satisfy that craving. With a major spike in fuel prices impacting the cost of key ice cream ingredients, like vanilla and cocoa, that's not quite the case anymore, especially if you're trying to stretch your eating-out budget.

While ice cream prices are up in grocery stores as well, an increasing number of cost-conscious customers can no longer justify paying the difference to go out for a cone or cup.

Customers have been questioning value and price hikes at these eight major ice cream chains.

Editor's note: Prices may vary by location and change frequently.

Earn $100 cash rewards bonus with this incredible card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card (Rates and fees) has no annual fee and you can earn $100 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

Cardholders can also earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

The best part? There's no annual fee.

Click here to apply now.

Cold Stone Creamery

Though Cold Stone Creamery is popular enough to have more than 1,000 stores in the U.S. and a presence in all 50 states, some customers are finding it hard to justify the scoop price.

A small cup, or "Like It" as Cold Stone calls it, is $6.99 and only includes about one to two scoops. The cups do come with one free "mix-in," like brownies or Oreos, but any additional topping is another $1.29. A small shake that offers the same mix-in deal also starts at $6.99.

The ice cream chain does sell pre-packed pints, quarts, and triple pints that offer a bit more bang for your buck, but even those range in price from $12.99 to $18.99.

Make Money: 8 dumb ways to make money (almost anyone can do this)

Dairy Queen

Dairy Queens have been shuttering across the country in recent years, with more than 46 locations closing since early 2025. And while it's hard to knock the famous BLIZZARD, customers certainly do knock the price.

A small BLIZZARD is now $6.59, and even a small, classic DQ cone is $4.29.

To stay competitive in the fast-food game, though, DQ does often offer a value menu, which currently features $3 coffee coolers in flavors like Oreo, salted caramel, and toasted marshmallow mocha.

Dippin' Dots

Dippin' Dots offers a gimmicky take on your classic cup of ice cream, with a unique texture that lends itself well to an array of fan favorite flavors.

How much you'll pay for a cup of the cold and colorful dots really depends on where you get them, since Dippin' Dots stands pop up all over the place, from stadiums to amusement parks to local fairs.

Typically, a small cup of the dots (5 oz) is around $6, and a medium is more than $8. That's more than you'd pay for most pints at your local grocery store, no matter where you live in the U.S.

Earn as much as $1K doing simple online tasks

A company called Freecash has compiled all sorts of quick cash tasks from about a dozen advertisers and market research companies thirsty for more data. Freecash has paid out over $13 million to users since 2019, and has over 50,000 five-star reviews on Trustpilot.

Carvel

While Carvel remains a household name and has locations across the U.S., with a heavy presence in New York and New Jersey, complaints about shrinking scoops and spiking prices have been mounting.

Currently, a small cup of classic soft serve at Carvel is $4.49, while a medium milkshake is $7.49.

Carvel ice cream cakes still offer quite a bit of bang, or bite, for your buck, though. A round ice cream cake, with customization, is $32 and can feed 10 to 12 people.

Baskin-Robbins

Like Cold Stone, Baskin-Robbins is still incredibly popular in the U.S., but that doesn't mean it's immune to customer complaints about cost.

If you go for the most basic deal at Baskin-Robbins, a single scoop cup or cone of one of their signature flavors, it's quite affordable at just $4.59, but adding a topping (for 99 cents) brings that total to $5.58, and switching to a waffle cone brings it up to $7.27. A 16 oz milkshake is similarly priced at $7.19.

Those prices are hard to justify when you could potentially swing by your local grocery store and pick up a 14 oz cup of Baskin-Robbins ice cream for $3.99 or less.

Friendly's

The number of Friendly's locations has been dwindling in recent years from more than 800 locations at its height to less than 100 around the U.S. today.

Though some may think of it as more of a diner, Friendly's has long been known for its ice cream sundaes. The dwindling Friendly's footprint suggests customers are not so hot on those anymore.

A single scoop at Friendly's is still an affordable $3.99, but their famous sundaes range in price from $7.99 to more than $12. Customers are particularly unpleased that adding an extra cherry is 99 cents.

Don't miss: 8 clever ways to save money so you can still afford to eat out

Freddy's

Freddy's, previously known as Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, is known for much more than just its ice cream. But that frozen custard may not be worth the price tag to cost-conscious customers anymore.

A plain vanilla, chocolate, or half-and-half cone with no toppings is an affordable $4.19. However, if you want to try one of the custard creations the chain is famous for, that price goes way up.

For example, their "Signature Turtle," which mixes vanilla custard with hot fudge, caramel, and pecans, is $6.39 in standard or shake form. Standard milkshakes are a bit more affordable at $5.49.

Marble Slab Creamery

Marble Slab has more than 200 locations across the U.S., and customers tend to agree it's tasty, but perhaps not tasty enough for its prices.

A small cup from Marble Slab, which comes with three toppings, is close to $7, and a small milkshake is $7.49.

Both are a bit hard to justify knowing you can nab a pint from a range of different brands, even Ben & Jerry's, for less than $5 at Walmart.

Bottom line

Many customers have cut out, or at least cut back, on their ice cream shop visits because paying more than $5 for a single cone simply does not fit their budget. The same amount can get you a solid pint or, with a few grocery budget hacks, even a gallon of ice cream at the grocery store.

If you're extremely partial to one of the shops listed here, there are still ways to save as prices go up.

Big chains like Baskin-Robbins and Cold Stone have rewards programs where you can score discounts, and small chains often give back to loyal customers with deals and promos as well.

More from FinanceBuzz: