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Sweet Escape: Yogurt shop boom offers Valley something hip and healthy
For the second time in about two decades, frozen yogurt is hot.
Nationally, big chains such as Red Mango and Pink Berry became common place in bigger cities about three years ago, says Elise Cortina, executive director of the National Yogurt Association. Frozen yogurt is all over, much like it was in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Now the frozen yogurt wave has struck McAllen. Four frozen yogurt shops will open soon along North 10th Street between Nolana and Trenton Road. Other frozen yogurt purveyors have opened in Edinburg, Mission and Palms Crossing near the McAllen Convention Center.
Why is this happening?
“There’s an awareness on the part of the consumer about the health benefits of frozen yogurt,” Cortina says.
Many of the new shops offer super healthy options. Both Red Mango, which has a location off Shary Road in Mission, and Chill Yogurt Bar, located in the thick of the battle on North 10th Street, serve frozen yogurt with no added sugar or fat.
“We don’t use table sugar, we don’t use high fructose corn syrup, we use natural fructose,” says Mohit Mirpuri, who opened Chill Yogurt Bar about two months ago at 5201 N. 10th St., which is exactly where T.C.B.Y. was located during the country’s last frozen yogurt craze.
Many of Chill’s flavors have added nutritional values. Creamy Peanut Butter, for example, comes with energy boosting ingredients while Double Chocolate has fat-trimming nutrients. A serving of these yogurts offers 100 percent of daily recommended B vitamins with only 80 calories, according to Chill’s nutritional information.
Red Mango and Chill both also feature fresh fruit toppings. You can load your dessert with sliced kiwi, pineapple, grapes and more.
Many of the new frozen yogurt shops haven’t opened yet, but they all have signage promising they’re coming soon. North McAllen will soon become a battleground, scattered with plastic spoons, pieces of yogurt-stained blueberries and super fit consumers loaded with live and active cultures, which you find in most varieties of yogurt.
The store owners have braced for battle.
“I’m concerned to a degree,” says Jose Ayala, who opened Red Mango in Mission about a year ago. “What stands out about this place is, first of all, the flavor.”
Red Mango’s rotating yogurts, parfaits and smoothies have won fans nationwide. Along with Pink Berry, the South Korea-based chain is one of the largest in the country.
Chill owner Mirpuri, who also voices confidence in his yogurt’s tastiness, says little touches also matter. For example, he has covered most of his shop’s tables with board games, including Chutes and Ladders, Sequence and Uno.
The game is on.
On a recent Monday night, a handful of couples file into Chill Yogurt Bar.
Jennifer Morales, 18, of McAllen, and Hector Bustos, 20, of Hidalgo, have forsaken their normal vice, ice cream. They are first-time customers at Chill.
With all apologies to her royal highness the Dairy Queen, Morales says she thinks the stuff here “is much healthier.”
Dairy Queen, according to its Web site, carried frozen yogurt years ago, but it doesn’t today. They recommend no sugar-added ice cream bars as an alternative.
Mario Rodriguez, 25 of Weslaco, and Cecilia Villarreal, 27 of Edinburg, say they’ve also given up ice cream, partially for the health benefits but also for the novelty of the new frozen snack.
“We’re huge foodies,” Rodriguez says. “To find something new and refreshing is very exciting.”
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Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.
Frozen yogurt locations:
Orange Leaf Yogurt, 601 Trenton Road, McAllen
Yo La La Yogurt Heaven, 5612 N. 10th St., McAllen
Chill Yogurt Bar, 5021 N. 10th St., McAllen
Crazy Yogurt, 4019 N. 10th St., McAllen
Red Mango, 201 S. Shary Road, Mission
Yumi Yogurt, 1402 W. University Drive, Edinburg
Sweet Spot: Frozen Yogurt, 4025 S. McColl Road, Edinburg
Frozen yogurt health benefits: Most standard serving sizes of yogurt are low in fat, high in calcium and abundant in vitamins and minerals, including B12, phosphorus and potassium. Yogurt can also help the lactose intolerant digest dairy.
SOURCE: www.aboutyogurt.com
