Fro-Yo Lessons Learned

Fro-yo girl here. Those of you who know me know that I consume a great deal of fro-yo and have visited many fro-yo shops. I’ve learned some lessons along the way that should increase your chances of having a good fro-yo experience.

Lesson 1: Don’t order fruit as a topping unless you can see the fruit first. Inspect fruit toppings for freshness.

I’ve seen rotten fruit out there and you don’t want to let that ruin your cup of fro-yo. You can usually tell if chopped fruit has been sitting around for hours or days. You should be able to tell whether the fruit is fresh, thawed, or canned.

Lesson 2: Ask for samples before ordering

Most places have sample cups. You don’t want to order a cup of something you don’t like if you can sample it first. If you can’t sample it, vanilla and chocolate are usually safe flavors (safer than original/plain tart).

Lesson 3: Look at the cup size before ordering

A small cup usually is 5 to 6 ounces but I’ve seen a great deal of variance in cup sizes, e.g., from 4 to 8 ounces for small cups.

Lesson 4: Match the number of toppings to the cup size

If you’re dealing with a tiny cup, choose 1 or no toppings. The larger the cup, the more toppings it can hold (obviously).

Lesson 5: Match the toppings to the fro-yo flavor

Which toppings complement which fro-yo flavors depends on the individual palate but I personally think that berries and acidic fruits are better suited to tart fro-yo than candy and cookies. I also never mix sweet toppings with tart toppings.

Lesson 6: Ask for a bonus card

Most places have frequent buyer cards but sometimes you have to ask for the card.

Lesson 7: Provide feedback

Even the larger fro-yo chains have local managers who care about local preferences. If you want to see new toppings or have other suggestions, speak up. Many fro-yo shop owners read their Yelp reviews. Some have a presence on MySpace and Facebook.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.