Hot New Trend: Frozen Yogurt?

What's giving frozen yogurt shops a surge in Miami? Here's a hint: self-serve.

July 30, 2010

MIAMI - Nationwide, frozen yogurt concepts like Pinkberry, Yogiberry and Reg Mango are satisfying consumer cravings for something cold, sweet and seemingly better for the waistline. Simply walk in, choose your flavor, add on toppings and enjoy.

But in Miami, where the warmer temps keep residents hungry for cool refreshments, self-serve, do-it-yourself yogurt shops are making waves.

"Self-serve, pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt shops are sweeping South Florida, creating a rage among kids and their moms, teens, college students ?" and pretty much everyone else," reports the Miami Herald, adding that folks are flocking to franchise shops like Menchie's and Yogurtland and independent stores like My Yogurt Bliss.

The newspaper adds that yogurt "is experiencing a renaissance," a sentiment echoed by NPD Group??s Harry Blazer, who notes that the yogurt category "is clearly the defining food of this decade.''

NPD research found that restaurant orders for frozen yogurt increased 43 percent nationwide from 2006 to 2010. Balzer told the newspaper that he attributes the self-serve yogurt craze to convenience, versatility, the health appeal and consumer desire to control cost and portion size.

Meanwhile, frozen yogurt pioneer TCBY, based in Salt Lake City, has struggled to keep up with the competition, but it hopes to bounce back by offering self-serve. QSR reports that the 30-year-old brand "showed off a new prototype last week that top brass hopes will remind consumers" of the brand??s expertise in making and selling frozen yogurt.

"To me, this was our opportunity to come back with a store design that??s not just beautiful but is really relevant to what people are looking for today as a place to hang out," Timothy Casey, president and CEO of TCBY parent company Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, told QSR in an exclusive interview, adding, "It??s obvious today when you look out and really see what the consumer wants, they want choice, they want to be more in control of their options."

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