Franklin Fountain

I was so disappointed in The Franklin Fountain. The ice cream and waffle cones were not fresh and overpriced for th quality-I would have done better with Hagan Daz. I had none of the experience that I expected from the fountain. When I asked one of the soda jerks a question about the flavors, he acted as if I was asking him to fly me to the moon. I would have happily paid the steep price if I would have received the experience, unfortunately I got neither good service nor good ice cream!

It's unfortunate that the customer service at Franklin Fountain, is not as sweet as its ice cream. Talk about subpar customer service! I had my boyfriend order me a sundae with cherry vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and raspberry sauce, and they rang him up a la carte, charging him $10 for a "sundae" that was AT MOST half the size of any of the listed sundaes on the menu.When my boyfriend came back to the car to give me the icecream which was much smaller than I'm used to, we had driven away and he told me he couldn't believe that they charged him $10 for the icecream. I was shocked as well, as I'm used to the sundaes being significantly bigger. I decided to call Franklin Fountain and explain the situation; that my boyfriend had ordered a sundae with these specifications, and they charged him a la carte which was not my boyfriend's fault. I calmly explained that in the past, I have ordered sundaes off the menu and substituted flavors and toppings. In return, I would get a massive sundae, well worth the $10! In this case, not only did we receive a pathetic amount of icecream, but when I called and spoke with him, he did absolutely nothing to accomodate me, even after I had first suggested if he'd give me a complimentary cone, and when he refused, I suggested a refund. He told me he could not accomodate me. As a loyal patron, I felt totally ignored. Customer service! Please! Furthermore, I explained that I wanted to continue being a loyal customer to Franklin Fountain, but that if I wasn't going to receive the right customer service, I'd be forced to take my business elsewhere. He said non-chalantly, "That's fine," and then HUNG UP ON ME! Honestly, for an establishment that celebrates Philadelphia's own Benjamin Franklin and a time long gone, they do a lousy job of acting the part.

If ice cream is going to be really expensive, I expect it to blow me away. Not at all what I found here. The average ice cream is not what upset me so much as the fact that for two people it cost $17. The menu says Cups and Cones, 4.50, 5.50, 6.50, but it doesn't mention the extra $2 for waffle cones and $1 for sprinkles. I hate when places don't at least tell me upfront what things cost. The waiters were no help, as they did not even mention the $3 extra per person for a waffle cone + sprinkles. My wife and I left realizing that there are 10 other places in the city that we could have got comparable ice cream at half the price.

We ordered two ice cream sodas. One was a root beer float and the other was a Lady's Choice. We found the ice cream mediocre (Bassett's is 100 times better) and the sodas weren't cold enough. At $6.50 each plus tax, we could have done better buying a 1/2 gallon of Breyers and a bottle of A & W root beer. The ice cream is way below par and way over priced.

Love Frankin Fountain! The staff is wonderful and friendly and the ice cream is delicious. The homeade Hot Fudge is a real treat. Try it over cinnamon ice cream if it's available. It's my children's favorite and the staff knows their orders we go there so often. As tourist season approaches, lines get longer and they seem to be understaffed at times. But, I admit it's worth the wait.

Definitely the best ice cream I've ever had, the price is proportionate to what you get, and the people are always friendly. Most places would charge as much as them, but very few would give you ice cream scoops the size of baseballs. My girlfriend and I split sundaes or sometimes just a medium cup. And the people are always fast and friendly. On slow days if the brothers are there, be sure to say hi.

Franklin Fountain, though still young, has instantly become a Philadelphia treasure. I think it might be impossible to walk in the door without being filled with delight, regardless of your age. For this reason, I always make sure to bring out-of-town visitors. The space and the delicacies are clearly a labor of love -- from the marble fountain to the array of yummy phosphates (hadn't had a phosphate since childhood!). They seem to pay great attention to the quality of ingredients and my understanding is they also try to use local ingredients as much as possible. Truly a gem.