I Scream. You Scream. We All Scream for…Frozen Yogurt?

Originally introduced in the 1970s, frozen yogurt, or frogurt as it was first called, struggled to be noticed in an ice cream dominated market. Then came the health craze of the eighties, popularized by celebrity-endorsed weight loss products and aerobics videos. Suddenly people recognized frozen yogurt as a healthier alternative to ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, such as TCBY (The Country’s Best Yogurt), were popping up everywhere. But this popularity did not last; these shops experienced a major decline in the 1990s.

Today, however, fro-yo (as it is so often called) is back and bigger than ever, with self-serve shops opening up all over the country. Stores offer a variety of flavors and toppings to satisfy any sweet tooth, guilt free. Or is it? Alone, frozen yogurt has fewer calories than ice cream as well as little to no fat. However, many of the popular self-serve frozen yogurt chains sell two cup sizes: large and very large. While those are not the actual names of the offered sizes, that is how they appear. Even when one chooses the smaller size, most do not fail to fill it to the brim with multiple flavors and overflowing amounts of toppings. The end result: a highly caloric frozen dessert costing as much as eight or nine dollars.

Many argue that the “self-serve” option, while being more fun for the consumer, results in a not-so-healthy treat. While this might indeed be true, it seems that people feel less guilty in over-indulgence because frozen yogurt is the ‘better for you’ option. After loading on fruit, cereal, cookie dough bites and other popular toppings, the yogurt creation is weighed and priced based off its weight.  Over-indulging proves to be a common issue in Americans’ diets, but a practice that is certainly a financial benefit for frozen yogurt shops around the country.

Perhaps that is why so many keep sprouting up across the nation. When I typed “frozen yogurt” into a simple Google search, a list of eight different stores in my area popped up with a link to  even more. Like Starbucks and McDonalds, frozen yogurt shops are getting to be a dime a dozen. But with so much competition how will they all survive? And is the frozen yogurt market here to stay this time? After all, its popularity in the eighties eventually wore off. These are common questions being asked right now.

Despite the dense amount of frozen yogurt storefronts, ice cream chains like Coldstone Creamery and Baskin Robins are starting to offer frozen yogurt too. Can these well established ice cream chains suffice for our frozen yogurt supply? Or will stores like Red Mango and Pinkberry continue to dominate the frozen yogurt scene? What kind of marketing techniques will keep such froyo stores in business and strong enough to beat out a sea of competitors? Or is the frozen yogurt popularity just another fad? Perhaps only time will tell, but what do you guys think?

Tags: Baskin Robins, Coldstone Creamery, competition, fads, Frozen Yogurt, ice cream, Mary Sinker, Pinkberry, Red Mango, self-serve

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