Pros
I don't know much about the corporate level of Carvel, but working there for close to five years through college and after graduation, they constantly tried new initiatives and products to garner a broader appeal, especially in regards to keeping up with competing ice cream bakeries.
Because it's a franchise, I can't speak for all Carvels, only the one I worked for and under the previous owner (I left after the new owner came in and changed pretty much everything to less of a democracy).
BUT, as far as a fun place to work, it was definitely that. Because we were open year-round, I was able to get a lot of homework done while working in the winter-time, which was great. But, come summer, you were really earning those dollars. But, I have to say, I think the reason I loved it so much was because of the people, especially the owner who grew up working there and bought the business from her father who opened it.
I worked in a Carvel in a snobby-esque town and, even though some of the customers were stuck up and snobby (god FORBID you run out of fat free ice cream!), most of them were wonderful and I loved some of the regulars we had. It was like Cheers, but with ice cream instead of beer.
When I went to a corporate function once (my boss asked if I would dress as Fudgie the Whale for a conference in our state, hahaha), it wasn't boring at all and most other owners and managers present seemed enthusiastic about their jobs and positions.
Overall, a great place to work, although it doesn't really translate well on a resume for a completely different job...but if you're going into the food industry, it can work in your favor.
Cons
It's a franchise so I don't really know how well working at one can translate to "moving up" in the company, as far as going from a store to a corporate level.
