Anna Colacchio started working at Baskin Robbins 32 year ago, today she celebrates the brands 75th Anniversary. She spoke to Onside Media about how the brand has evolved over the years and few of her all time favorite flavours.
What was your first Job at Baskin Robbins in 1998? How did you get your foot in the door at Baskin Robbins? Which location you started working (please share your story along with few pictures from 1998 and now)
I started at Baskin-Robbins in 1988 as an Administrative Assistant for the Franchising and Development Department. It was my first full time job and I am so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to join the team. Although I never worked at a store, I’ve had opportunities to jump behind the counter and serve guests whether it be helping out at a Grand Opening event or assisting a new Franchisee.
Working from Past 32 years is a milestone, how does it feel working with the brand and celebrating the brand’s 75th Anniversary?
I feel proud to be able to say I work for a brand that has so much history and that has been part of so many family celebrations and memorable moments. I’ve had the privilege to work with so many amazing individuals and Franchisees and got to watch the brand evolve over the years.
Which are your three favorite flavours?
That’s a tough one as I love so many of our flavours but I will have to say my favourite flavour is mint chocolate chip, followed by Gold Medal Ribbon and Peanut Butter’n Chocolate.
How did you see the difference over the years in terms of product offering?
We’ve really expanded our product menu over the years and have adapted our flavour offering to meet the needs of our consumers such as no-sugar added, yogurt, ices and sorbet flavours and now we are introducing 3 new non-dairy flavours, which is very exciting. We often have long-term-offer promotional products and this year we launched Creature Creations which was very successful. We’ve also introduced many innovative new cake designs especially for our key cake holidays.
Your views on changes in customer service experience from the past 32 years?
We are in the business of customer service. Guests come to our store for a treat, a celebration or a pick me up. We’re all about creating a fun and memorable experience. It’s our goal to provide every guest with exceptional customer service.
How have you seen the company keep up with Brand Loyalty as many other new brands were launched after Baskin Robbins?
As far as brand loyalty in concerned, we are lucky to have the best customers in the world. We have families that have been to their local Baskin-Robbins location for generations. It is a wonderful feeling to see our customers come back year-after-year and we hope to keep them happy with delicious treats, and exceptional service.
Eating Ice Creams takes us away from all what is going on around us for a while, please share personal/happy experiences with us from over the last 32 years?
There are so many great stories I can share but the most recent one took place this spring. There are a few families in my neighbourhood with young kids. With the pandemic I found everyone was pretty stressed out as they struggled to work from home while trying to home school their kids. One Sunday afternoon I noticed there were a number of kids playing outside and I decided to visit the local BR store and purchase a variety of flavours scooped into individual cups to hand out to the kids with enough to for the parents as well. The kids were so excited! It’s funny how everyone started sharing a story from their childhood that involved Baskin-Robbins ice cream. In additional to having a great treat it was also a nice distraction.
For more info: http://www.baskinrobbins.ca/
This story edited by Yugbodh, for The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – info@theonside.com
