froYo opened its latest location ten days ago in a space formerly occupied by Gelato di Riso at 4663 Maryland. Judging from the crowds that frequented the store the first weekend, the premium frozen yogurt operation needed little introduction to the neighborhood. The CWE location joins three others in a growing chain of local stores, one in UCity and two in West County. The owners of froYo were so anxious to open a store here that they bought out Gelato di Riso's lease last Fall.
Over the past six months the space has been completely renovated. This is a self-serve operation. froYo's frozen yogurt dispensers are along one wall of the store. Flavors, either non- or low-fat, include dutch chocolate, white vanilla, cookies & cream, peanut butter, mango tart, red velvet cake, and New York cheesecake, 42 cents an ounce. Cups come in two sizes, small (medium) and large (huge). It was hard for this neophyte to judge what an ounce (or five) of frozen yogurt looks like so, unless you are one to throw caution to the wind, take heed. The scale is at the cash register, and by the time you add toppings, which include lovely fresh fruit, nuts, candies and cookie bits, shown below, you may be surprised at what you've packed into your container. Forty-two cents an ounce adds up.
The toppings are not self-serve too.
I asked a young customer who created the combination shown left if hers was the "everything but the kitchen sink" froYo. "No," she said, "I like mine a little rough."
froYo has a fresh, very appealing contemporary look to it, and on a sunny afternoon last week attracted a young crowd to its outdoor tables. I always love to see the students from Paul Mitchell, The School on Maryland Plaza (shown clad in their signature black through the window) out and about, and there they were enjoying a break from their classes.
For all its hipness however, there is one glaring omission in froYo's concept: the shop's paper containers are not "green." I looked at the bottom of the cups for the recycling symbol and then asked two different employees. There was a moment of slight surprise that I asked, but the answer was negative. This seems way out of step as we work toward becoming a more environmentally conscious society…and neighborhood.
froYo, 4663 Maryland, Sun. to Thurs. 11a.m.-10:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Thanks for reminding me of that Kadesoto. I remember that now and the employees come right behind and make it look beautiful again. I’ll change that.
Toppings at Froyo are self-serve.