Is there a Yo bubble?
I like the occasional frozen yogurt as much as the next person (okay, not as much as some people I know), but with the opening of the new “Yo Wild!” up in the Cascade Village shopping center (replacing ColdStone Creamery) we have what, five froyo places now?
Cuppa Yo Westside, Cuppa Yo Eastside, Goody’s East (which has a “yo bar”), Bend Yogurt Factory downtown, and Yo Wild! up north—that’s five and I’m not even counting the Cuppa Yo in Sisters and the Yo Wild! in Redmond plus any others I don’t even know about. (Are there others?)
Yes, I was harping on this last year too; but how much Yo is too much? Is frozen yogurt really that popular? (And does anyone remember TCBY? They used to be everywhere too…)
I used to be addicted to TCBY’s white chocolate frozen yogurt over a decade ago. When they discontinued it, I never went back. Strange how we can become so accustomed to a certain meal, flavor, or service, and if it doesn’t exist any longer we move on. Can’t say I’ve had frozen yogurt since….
Back in the 80’s – Frozen Yogurt was all the rage in Bend. My fav was The Yogurt Bin… Ahhhhh and there was none of that non-fat Fro-Yo crud. Seriously, the next best thing was going to North’s Chuck Wagon and making a foot tall soft-serve ice-cream cone on the way out the door. Just try that at Izzy’s these days with the ice-milk junk they have.
So, I’ve only tried Cuppa Yo once and was not impressed. I’m worried that the others won’t live up to my 80’s memories either (of when no one cared about making your dessert healthy). š
At least there’s hope if I go to the Midwest and get some frozen custard,
There’s All Mixed Up in NWX. Don’t forget the yogurt machines at Sisters Coffee and Blooms n Sweets at the south end of town. I think five (eight?) yogurt places is probably a few too many for a town of our size. But time will tell….
So many frozen yogurt shops, and not one which doesn’t use pre-packaged powder mixes.
Frozen yogurt is not a healthy food — do a little Googling to find out what’s in that stuff.
Now, if someone were to open up a shop that used real, fresh ingredients and published the list of the ingredients, then Jack might go there. But until then, I see “frozen yogurt” as the Dairy Queen of “ice creams.”
I visited TCBY in the 80’s. I like froyo occasionally – and it’s a nice, inexpensive “dessert out” option for my family. I’ve only been to Cuppa Yo – since they are the “originals” (for this round, at least) I guess I feel some loyalty and they are always super friendly. I wish they still posted math problems on their Facebook page – that was fun and something that set them apart.
We’ve recently started making ice cream at home… the kids are old enough that I just have to buy the ingredients and they do the work.
Jack, if you want something with real, fresh ingredients try this: http://www.bontagelato.com/ Mmmm…
One would think that 5-8 froyo shops is far too many…but somehow, “a coffee hut on every corner” seems to do alright in this town. So maybe the’ll be OK. Or maybe the trick is to turn them into drive-thru froyo shops?
@Stephanie: There you go, 3 more I didn’t know about! So that’s what, 7 in Bend and 10 in the area generally? Wow.
@Eastsider: I don’t know, I don’t hit the coffee huts/drive-thrus/stands/whatever, but a drive-thru froyo shop sounds like just the thing! Call it Yo Hut or Yo to Go or something! š
Froyo shops aren’t a destination for me. It’s not worth driving across town or even getting in the car for, so I can see how multiple shops in different areas of town can thrive. If there was one within walking distance of my home my family would definitely visit.
You missed “All Mixed-Up” at northwestcrossing
“All Mixed-Up
If you’re in the mood for a cool treat, or a hot soup, All Mixed-Up is the place to be. An independent, locally-owned yogurt shoppe in the heart of NorthWest Crossing, All Mixed-Up offers organic and popular self-serve frozen yogurts with a variety of “hot bottoms” (pie, cake, or cinnamon roll, perhaps?) and “cool tops”, fresh smoothies, hearty and vegan soups and Strictly Organic coffee. Not only is it tasty, All Mixed-Up is earth-friendly! It’s Bend’s first completely compostable, zero-waste restaurant. Stop in today and give yourself a little treat!”
— http://www.northwestcrossing.com/businesses/Eateries/
and i only noticed it because of this article š