By Marisa Marturano ’13
Just picture swirls of frozen yogurt with all your favorite toppings. What if you could regulate the amount of yogurt and toppings that you would want to consume? Well, you can! Did not get enough raspberries? Put some more on! Need more hot fudge? No problem! These are some of the perks of self-serve yogurt shops.
Once inside these magical frozen yogurt palaces, you can go up to the machine, push down on the handle of your favorite flavor and purchase as much as you want. So are these frozen yogurt shops here to stay or is this a new food fad that will soon disappear?
There is a bit of a downfall to these self-serve yogurt shops, though. Let’s talk about the machine handle. The handles can have millions of tiny little germs. Everybody touches these handles and you better make sure you use hand sanitizer before the first spoonful. Let’s not forget the unsanitary problem in which germs could accumulate in the topping section. An adult or child could stick his or her hands in the whole pile of gummy bears or a person could sneeze all over the fruit section!
There are many of these new shops popping up all over the place. There is the original Pinkberry and then Go Greenly, Bananaberry, Froyoworld, Peachwave, Red Mango and 16 Handles. In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives and these self-serve frozen yogurt shops are a hit with all ages, as they are healthy and delicious at the same time. Here to stay? I think so…
I agree they are here to stay. There are deffinatley more positives than negatives. The negatives are only minor health risks that can be solved with some purel. I never heard someone say they hate froyo, and if people still like it the shops will keep selling it.
I have no doubt that these types of stores are going to stay, and maybe even increase in popularity. The level of freedom and customization that you get from places like Greenley’s is unrivaled. No where else can you decide the exact amount of yogurt and toppings you put on. Another major point is that they sell frozen yogurt, not actual ice cream. Regular ice cream is much more common, but frozen yogurt is slightly more healthy, with a nearly identical taste. Lastly, the germ related health risk is rather insignificant. When you really think about it, the same amount of germs located on the yogurt handles can be found all over your house, at school, at work, in restaurants, etc. It is a given that the handles will be covered with germs. We come into contact with these germs on a daily basis, and are barely affected. Germs are simply a minor issue with self-serve froyo restaurants.
I agree with Ricky in that the factor of germs is rather insignificant to the matter. Frozen yogurt is also something that the majority of people like. It is not some obscure treat that only select people will be wiling to purchase, which is even more of a reason that something like frozen yogurt is not just a fad. With the constantly changing flavors relating to the season or time of year, frozen yogurt stores are never getting old because there is always something new to entice customers.
I personally do enjoy getting some frozen yogurt from time to time. I agree with Steph and Ricky on their points about Froyo Shops being here to stay. The business is growing and only getting more popular. It’s also great to see a brother and sister coming together and sharing a nice moment about yogurt =)
I think the best part about these frozen yogurt places is the variety of flavors they provide. It is almost impossible for a person to not find a flavor they like, and they can test them out by the samples the shops offer. Originally, before frozen yogurt places started opening everywhere, the main frozen yogurt place in the area was Pinkberry. I am a fan of Pinkberry, but i know of a lot of people who are not. This is because Pinkberry has a more tangy, yogurty flavor that you must like. The new frozen yogurt places have some with a tart, yogurt taste while others just taste like ice cream but are healthier for you. I definitely think froyo places are here to stay.
Personally im a Sunny Days kind of guy. The froyo is nice and all but it’s so expensive. Plus you can’t buy an ice cream sunday using froyo cause it wouldn’t be right. Also I agree with the germ thing. You don’t know what the person before you was doing with their hands. They could have just pick there nose or something. Good article! Short, simple, SWEET…Get It? 🙂 , and to the point.
I think their here to stay and although I agree with the germ factor I think there are alot of different things out there that produce alot of germs that have been around for a long time for example gum ball machines so I agree with self serve frozen yogurt shops being here to stay