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Coming Soon: Tasti D-Lite

partysugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:15:47 -0700

New York's most popular low-calorie, ice-cream alternative, Tasti D-Lite, has announced plans for international expansion. James Amos, the owner of Tasti D-Lite, which was featured on Sex and the City, told the Wall Street Journal about the brand's growth:

Two Tasti D-Lite stores opened this month in Seoul; expansion into Israel and Mexico is in negotiation. Late last month, Tasti D-Lite signed franchising deals for a minimum of 16 stores in Tennessee and at least 40 in Texas, including San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. It is working on expanding into California and adding to the seven stores already in New Jersey. Next month, Tasti D-Lite plans to open two flagship stores in New York, including one on the ground floor of the Empire State Building.

The chain offers over 100 flavors and has developed a cult-like following among New Yorkers. As Pinkberry and Red Mango continue to open stores across the US, it's no surprise that Tasti D-Lite is following suit. Have you had Tasti D-lite? Are you excited the chain may be coming to a location near you?

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Frozen Yogurt Chains Show No Signs of Melting

YumSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:44 -0700

With Summer heating up, Nation's Restaurant News reports that many of frozen yogurt's top chains are gearing up for some rather chilly competition. This month, Pinkberry announced it has received an additional $9 million from investors, and plans to open 35 stores in the Middle East as well as expand domestically. Meanwhile, top competitor Red Mango has grand plans of its own - to launch 550 locations over the next five years, and at least 40 new domestic stores this year in states such as Texas.

Last week, New York-based frozen dessert chain Tasti-D-Lite signed a deal to open 35 new stores in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut over the next ten years. That's in addition to more than a dozen outposts in Nashville, TN, plus 40 more in southern Texas. Yet another competitor, Yogurt-land, plans to more than double in size before the end of the year.

While I did predict that custom blended fro-yo would be the next big trend, I think the industry may have gone a bit overboard. At a time when Starbucks has been forced to lower prices on coffee, do yogurt chains truly believe they can exponentially grow their empires on $5 cups of yogurt? Are you in agreement, or are you simply excited by the prospect of having more frozen yogurt options?

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Krispy Kreme's New Plan: Smaller Stores and Soft-Serve

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:00:28 -0700

After three years of floundering sales, Krispy Kreme has unveiled a new business plan. The doughnut chain famous for its hot-off-the-line, melt-in-your-mouth glazed doughnuts will roll out its own brand of soft-serve ice cream, Kool Kreme. The company also plans to open smaller-sized stores and expand its overseas market share.

Later this year the Winston-Salem, NC-based company plans to open smaller, less costly stores. Shops continue to open, with new franchises outside the United States, in Puerto Rico and Australia.

Kool Kreme has already been tested in markets such as such as Tacoma, WA, and will feature flavors such as Very Vanilla and Deep Chocolate, along with a toppings bar. Krispy Kreme is clearly trying to capitalize on the growing trend of frozen yogurt stores such as Pinkberry and Tasti-D-Lite, but I can't help but think that this move comes a year or two too late, as big cities have already become oversaturated with frozen dessert options. Will you try the latest offering from Krispy Kreme?

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Meet SoGreen, San Francisco's Frozen Yogurt Darling

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:15:12 -0700

New York has Tasti D-lite, Los Angeles has Pinkberry, and finally San Francisco has jumped on the frozen-yogurt bandwagon with the opening of SoGreen. Like it's counterparts, SoGreen uses real yogurt with active cultures that can help with digestion and boosting the immune system. The hot spot opened literally downstairs from our office, so a bunch of us recently took a froyo field trip. To check out our trip and interview with SoGreen's co-founder, watch the video below!