The Great Ice Cream Debate: Cone or Cup?
Whether you prefer salty or sweet, Edward or Jacob, minimalist or maximalist, we all love picking sides. The same goes for the contentious debate: cone or cup? Do your ice cream scoops sit atop a pastry-like cone, or are they cradled in the safety of a cup with a tiny plastic spoon? Many favor the latter, believing you get more for your money. A bigger container means more ice cream, right? Plus, no sticky hands and more pistachio gelato than your naive friend who chose a cone. It seems like a win-win… but is it? Metro investigated to find out definitively if you get more bang for your buck in a cone or a cup.
Consumer Perspectives
Londoner Josie de Kock, 27, tells Metro: “There is less of a time constraint when you get a cup, which I enjoy. It’s not a race against the clock before the ice cream starts melting down your hand. The whole experience is just less stressful.” Jessica Corrigan, 26, an “anti-cone” advocate, agrees, saying cones “distract from the rich ice cream flavor” and act as a “taste barrier.”
However, some people ride or die for wafer cones. George Oglethorpe, 29, says: “100% it has to be a cone – cups make me feel like a middle aged mum just having ‘a little sweet treat’.” Bethan Sandall, 25, adds that she loves cones only if they are thick waffle cones, not paper-thin ones. She notes, “a cup does feel more boujee and sophisticated because it stops the ice cream from running down your arm and getting sticky.” Filipa Castro, 28, bases her decision on her company: “If I’m comfortable making a fool out of myself trying to eat an ice cream cone while it’s melting, then I’ll definitely go for the cone.”
Expert Insights: Value for Money
Celine Thompson, co-owner of award-winning Jefferson’s ice cream in South London, debunks the myth that cups offer more ice cream. At her family-owned shop, they use a traditional scoop for consistency. “We scoop with control, whether it’s a cup or a cone,” she explains. Jefferson’s sold 60,000 cups and cones last year, with a 60/40 split favoring cones. Thompson attributes the misconception to the “iceberg theory”: “Ice cream in cups can often feel more visible, whereas cones are more like an iceberg – you only see the top.”
The Gelato Variable
Stefano Franchi, Operations Manager for Gelateria Badiani, notes that gelato presents a different situation. “At Badiani’s, we serve gelato the traditional way. It’s not like the classic British ice cream that’s rolled up in a small ball. Instead, we use a spatula,” he says. With gelato, portion control is harder in cones because of hand shaping. “The size you get usually depends on the guy behind the counter,” Stefano reveals. New starters are closely monitored to ensure they don’t accidentally give away too much. In cups, however, space is limited, so what you see is what you get. Despite this, Badiani sells more cups than cones (75% cups to 25% cones) because gelato melts faster, and cups are less messy and slightly cheaper. When children insist on cones but parents prefer cups, Stefano offers a compromise: a “unicorn” – a cup of gelato topped with an upside-down cone.
Conclusion
Next time you’re craving a sweet treat, check which tool the servers use before deciding. Whether you choose a cone or a cup, the amount you get may depend more on the server’s technique than the container itself.
