DANG it!

DANG’s soft serve looks better than it tastes.
Photo: Taelar Pollmann · The Sentry

DANG Soft Serve Ice Cream is all appearance and no taste. The flavor variety of the ice cream is limited, their toppings are unlabeled, and the ordering process is tedious and annoying.

The outside aesthetic caters to the influencer crowd that spends more time posing with the ice cream than enjoying it. During the half hour spent in this establishment, there were at least three separate couples who assumed a pose right outside the glass windows with their sugary treats in hand.

Inside the building, the customer is greeted with the menu and DANG’s current flavor options, but the atmosphere was as cold as the soft serve despite the welcoming and happy employees. The purple hand chairs provided to sit in are more appropriate in a kindergarten classroom than a business that caters to all ages. It didn’t help that in practicality they are uncomfortable and do not invite the guests to stay long.

Of the eight choices available, two were vegan, and none of them were a simple vanilla or chocolate flavor. DANG’s vanilla, named ‘Nilla Eclipse, has added charcoal to give it a gray color that stains not only a person’s lips but also their tongue. There did not appear to be any other reason for the charcoal additive beyond the appearance, and the actual flavor of the ice cream was lackluster on top of that.

Once a base ice cream flavor is chosen, along with the container—cup, cone, waffle cone—the employee asks which toppings should be added. Without labels on the topping bins, it is difficult to identify all the options and are forced to point through a glass barrier and ask the employee what is in each bin. If one of the sugary options is selected, the employee will haphazardly smash the toppings around the outside of the ice cream, the excess falling into a tin bowl.

Again, the core of this is just for the appearance of the ice cream, but it isn’t very appetizing to watch something edible be manhandled right before eating it—despite the fact they are wearing gloves. Ironically, the white cup was no longer photogenic after being stained by the chocolate soft serve ice cream from the employee’s glove.

One of their major selling points, the Dang Good Fries, were limp and soggy, the stark opposite of the perfect fry to dip in soft serve ice cream. None of the items ordered were finished, and the feeling of dissatisfaction lingered after leaving the brightly colored building.

If the amount of effort put into the décor was put into the flavor recipes, then DANG would deserve all the buzz around this mediocre soft serve establishment.

With options like Little Man Ice Cream, where their care and effort are reflected in their rich and bold flavors, it is strange that anyone would decide to go to DANG.