Like many, senior psychology major Sam Morrell can’t seem to get enough Yogiberry.
“It makes me happy,” Morrell said. “You can come here at any point in the day. That’s why it’s glorious.”
In just its first two weeks of business, Yogiberry — a new frozen yogurt shop on Route 1 between Ratsie’s and Chevy Chase Bank — has seen a steady flow of customers, suggesting it might buck a revolving-door trend that forces many businesses out of College Park as quickly as they come in.
“Business has been better than we expected,” general manager Gregory Shaw said. “And we were expecting a lot.”
The year-and-a-half-old franchise began in the Washington area to fill a void in what owner Mimi Huynh saw as a lack of frozen yogurt options, Shaw said. After branching out to other D.C. suburbs, including Columbia, Rockville and Cleveland Park, College Park was next on the list.
“College Park has always been one of our desired locations,” Shaw said, noting that pairing a frozen yogurt trend with a busy college town sounded like a recipe for success.
“It’s a fresh option coupled with the recent craze in America to get healthy,” Shaw said. “The market has been out there for awhile.”
Students, who have been flocking to the new dessert destination in droves, seem to be responding well to the relatively low prices, multiple flavor options topping varieties and colorful decor. Although ice cream and frozen yogurt are no strangers to College Park’s downtown scene — Wasabi Bistro offers frozen yogurt and Cold Stone Creamery serves up ice cream just a block away — students point to Yogiberry’s relatively healthy options and variety as its biggest draws.
“I feel like I’m being healthier than if I’m going to Cold Stone,” junior communications major Blayre Widener said. “It probably doesn’t matter because I put on so many toppings, but I still feel less guilty.”
Others love the self-serve factor, which puts the customer in charge of portion and price, which is determined by weight.
“It’s self-everything,” junior hearing and speech sciences major Danielle Kopkin said. “I like that I can go and spend $2 or get a giant heap of yogurt depending on what I want.”
The all-you-can-eat toppings also won Morrell over.
“I panic when I get to the buffet-style toppings,” she said. “That’s why I get two rounds.”
Although yogurt flavors rotate daily, the original and Oreo flavors have emerged as early favorites, patrons and managers said.
The toppings, which remain consistent, include fruits, such as strawberries, kiwis, oranges and mangoes, alongside sprinkles, chocolate chips, granola and breakfast cereals, among others.
Junior family sciences major Amanda Fachler said she loves the self-serve factor and the “four million toppings” but added there’s always room for improvement.
Although she is a fan of the tart yogurt, which is usually the healthiest option, she said Yogiberry could expand its appeal by adding more unhealthy options.
“Girls like the tangy tart flavors,” she said. “Only a select population of males like it.”
Fachler said offering some type of delivery-system would likely stand to benefit the new business. Yogiberry is currently one of few local restaurants not available on Campusfood.com — a website where many students go to order food for pick-up and delivery.
But many students said Yogiberry’s atmosphere is part of the fun. Students lauded Yogiberry’s decor as a key factor in separating it from other downtown businesses. The bright colors and lights stand out through glass doors, and its white tables and translucent chairs give the establishment a pristine look, students said.
“It’s very clean, much cleaner than most of the other eateries in College Park,” Fachler said. “It’s all around very inviting.”
Manager Hyo Joo Choi said business is definitely looking up. The senior accounting major, who has worked at other Yogiberry locations, said the College Park venue is much busier than the Rockville and Cleveland Park stores.
“We get big waves of people after class and around 6,” she said. “Business is good.”
ga at umdbk dot com
