Danny ChaiWhile sitting on a bench waiting for the train yesterday, to my right was a transient, probably suffering from mental illness, who was talking animatedly to no one. To my left was some random guy talking on a bluetooth headset. They sounded remarkably similar. Not that there’s significance to it or anything. It was just interesting.
So I went to the new Red Mango in PA yesterday. I love this Korean-style frozen yogurt thing, but honestly, I’m not that discerning; they all pretty much taste the same to me. Yeah, I know Pinkberry isn’t strictly yogurt and Red Mango prides themselves on actually having enough cultures to qualify as yogurt. But it’s mostly the same to me. I’ve heard from one proprietor that most places get their supplies from the same distributor also; some of the different chains are literally using the same yogurt. Anyway, here’s how I would rank them:
1st place (tie): Pinkberry – Cafe Aroma – Berripop – froyo? – Yogurtland
6th place: Red Mango
Red Mango below all the rest for the sole reason that they didn’t have mochi, and worse, the people there didn’t even seem to know what it was. That’s just wrong. Mochi is, without question, the key topping. I won’t go back until they have it. It’s that critical. Even more important than the yogurt itself, if you ask me.
I wonder if this yogurt thing is going to last or if it’s going to be like the last Western-style frozen yogurt craze, epitomized by TCBY, which essentially went the way of the dodo. We’ll see.
I do find the froyo? / Yogurtland business model fascinating though. It’s all do-it-yourself, and you’re charged strictly by weight at the end. Must reduce a lot of overhead. I wonder how much.