TCBY’s New Self-Serve Concept A Hit

Now that springtime and some pleasantly warm weather is approaching, what's better than some refreshing frozen yogurt or sorbet?

How about choosing from a wide variety of toppings for your frozen treat, ranging from berries to small candy pieces. At TCBY Treats, located at 158 Seventh Street, the newly refurbished store has a brand new way to do business.

In late November, TCBY temporarily shut its doors for a two-month period to completely refurbish the store - both in design and concept. The typical counter service that had previously existed has been replaced with a modern do-it-yourself concept that allows customers to mix and choose their own flavors of frozen yogurt and sorbet.

TCBY reopened for business on Jan. 29, revealing their newly designed store and business model. 

“Prior to this, it was a regular, traditional countertop and topping bar. We had the machines obviously behind the counter where we would serve the customers,” said PJ Bruno, owner of the Garden City TCBY. “We had a choice of ten flavors daily on a signboard, the customers would tell us what they wanted and chose sizes of small, medium or large, all fixed price before this.” 

Even though TCBY is franchised, Bruno has owned the business for 11 years. He said the new model was recommended by TCBY for all of their new stores, and highly recommended existing establishments, such as the Garden City store, to change over.

This model now has machines lining the wall, which allows customers to take a single size serving cup, fill it with the flavor(s) of their choice and then head over to the topping bar to choose as many or as little as they desire of the approximate 40 toppings available. 

“This is a very hot concept right now,” Bruno said. After building their creations, customers make their way to the cashier where their treats are weighed on a scale. Discarding the old concept of fixed pricing, the frozen treats are now priced at 49 cents per ounce.

According to the old pricing, an approximate 7-8 ounce cup would have the customer paying $3.95. “If you actually do this right, it can be a little more cost effective for the customer, as long as you don’t go wild and make a 20 ounce cup,” Bruno said. 

Serving sizes and prices aren’t the only new addition to the plan. TCBY now offers 12 flavors a day, instead of the 10 previously offered. “We’re going to be having 14 very soon; we have another machine on the way,” Bruno added. 

Additionally, don’t expect to see the same flavors day after day. Even though vanilla and chocolate are offered daily, more than 50 flavors are rotated. “We usually change one or two machines a day,” Bruno said. 

So how have customers responded to the change? Bruno says he's gotten lots of positive feedback from customers. He's also seen an increase in the amount of customers, especially the number of families visiting.

“I think they like the idea of making it themselves, it's exciting for them to do. It becomes more of an event than just going out for ice cream or frozen yogurt,” he explained. “A lot of people are coming in together now, kind of like a place to hang out.”