This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.

Cold Stone Creamery vs. Dairy Queen? This is Liston vs. Ali, American Idol vs. 60 Minutes, Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Woody Allen. The young, brash upstart vs. the wily veteran champion. With butterfat.

Dairy Queen is, of course, the veteran. At 4,500 readily recognizable locations throughout the U.S., the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) company serves up a time-tested menu of coney dogs, Dilly Bars, and Blizzards at prices that the average Joe can afford. So what if the décor is 1980s, and its ice cream is to cream as bologna is to steak?

Cold Stone is the brash upstart, starting in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona. Owned by the privately-held Kahala Corp., it has grown to over 1,400 outlets in strip malls across the country. The super-premium product it serves is hand-scooped, full of butterfat and bounteous flavor. The price is also bounteous, though; in my neighborhood, a single scoop of vanilla on a wafer cone sets me back $3.58.

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Battle of the Brands: Cold Stone Creamery vs. Dairy Queen originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 May 2008 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.