TCBY
Encyclopedia
TCBY is an international franchise
chain of frozen yogurt
stores based in the United States
. It is the largest U.S. retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures.
, USA
by Frank D. Hickingbotham. TCBY began franchising the next year, and by 1984 there were over 100 stores. As the company grew, the name was applied for a time to the tallest building in Arkansas, known until 2004 as the TCBY Tower, in downtown Little Rock. It is now known as Metropolitan Tower.
Prior to 1984, the company's name was "This Can't Be Yogurt", but a lawsuit from a competitor named "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" forced TCBY to create a new name from its initials.
In 2000, TCBY was acquired by Mrs. Fields Famous Brands
.
In the summer of 2010, the company opened a prototype store in Salt Lake City, Utah
operating under a different business model. Instead of customers ordering and being served in a traditional fashion, they serve themselves using any combination of available yogurt flavors, add their own mix of fruit or candy toppings, and pay by the ounce. The store sports a different logo to match the store's ultramodern, European styling. Numerous stores have since opened across the United States.
. Some stores have soft serve and hard scooped yogurt, while some newer stores have only soft serve. The Soft serve only stores use a self service model, with customers being charged by weight. The soft serve yogurts consist of Golden Vanilla, Chocolate, and White Chocolate Mousse that are to be served daily, and then a variety of other flavors. Most stores have at least three soft serve yogurt machines allowing them to serve at least one no sugar added soft serve yogurt flavor. The No Sugar Added yogurt is made with splenda instead of regular sugar. TCBY offers many regular and sugar free toppings. One of the most popular toppings is wet walnuts, which consists of walnuts in hot artificial maple-flavored syrup. TCBY also serves drinks such as Berriyo yogurt smoothies and Frappe Chillers.
In September 2010, TCBY said it was launching the test of breakfast and lunch meal replacement bowls, parfaits and smoothies made from non-frozen "fresh" yogurt called Yovana-Simply Yogurt in two self-service company stores in its headquarters of Salt Lake City. TCBY announced in June 2011 that customers may visit stores in Little Rock and Harrison, Arkansas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee to taste Yovana, Simply Yogurt. The company plans to launch Yovana, Simply Yogurt nationwide later in 2011.
In May 2011, TCBY launched Super Fro-Yo, a reformulated version of its yogurt with a more nutrient-rich profile. The company brought down the fat content of its yogurt to below 2 percent, so it can be labeled low fat. However, the product has also maintained its rich, creamy texture with the addition of fiber
, something American consumers are told to eat more of. The fiber in TCBY's product also serves as a prebiotic, or food for the healthful bacteria in the yogurt, which boosts the benefit that live-and-active cultures bring to the digestive system. Super Fro-Yo is also higher in protein
, vitamin A
, vitamin D
, and calcium
, and the product now includes seven types of probiotics. To qualify as Super Fro-Yo, for example, the yogurt must have fewer than 120 calories per serving, a minimum of 10 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A and 20 percent of the recommended level of vitamin D, 1 gram or less of saturated fat
, and a minimum of 20 billion live-and-active cultures at the point of manufacture.
on Mother's Day
, and fathers a free frozen yogurt on Father's Day
.
the chance to enter and win when there was talk of him leaving the Tonight Show.
On May 26, 2010, it was announced that the winners of the contest were Jared and Sarah Greer of Fayetteville, Arkansas
. The Greer's opened their store in April 2011 in Rogers, Arkansas
with TCBY’s new self-serve prototype and store design.
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
chain of frozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert containing yogurt or other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat...
stores based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the largest U.S. retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures.
History
In 1981, the first TCBY store was opened in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Frank D. Hickingbotham. TCBY began franchising the next year, and by 1984 there were over 100 stores. As the company grew, the name was applied for a time to the tallest building in Arkansas, known until 2004 as the TCBY Tower, in downtown Little Rock. It is now known as Metropolitan Tower.
Prior to 1984, the company's name was "This Can't Be Yogurt", but a lawsuit from a competitor named "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" forced TCBY to create a new name from its initials.
In 2000, TCBY was acquired by Mrs. Fields Famous Brands
Mrs. Fields
Mrs. Fields Famous Brands is a franchisor in the snack food industry, with Mrs. Fields and TCBY as its core brands. Through its franchisees’ retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly baked, on-premises specialty cookies and brownies in the US and the largest retailer of...
.
In the summer of 2010, the company opened a prototype store in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
operating under a different business model. Instead of customers ordering and being served in a traditional fashion, they serve themselves using any combination of available yogurt flavors, add their own mix of fruit or candy toppings, and pay by the ounce. The store sports a different logo to match the store's ultramodern, European styling. Numerous stores have since opened across the United States.
Products
TCBY has many flavors of frozen yogurtFrozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert containing yogurt or other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat...
. Some stores have soft serve and hard scooped yogurt, while some newer stores have only soft serve. The Soft serve only stores use a self service model, with customers being charged by weight. The soft serve yogurts consist of Golden Vanilla, Chocolate, and White Chocolate Mousse that are to be served daily, and then a variety of other flavors. Most stores have at least three soft serve yogurt machines allowing them to serve at least one no sugar added soft serve yogurt flavor. The No Sugar Added yogurt is made with splenda instead of regular sugar. TCBY offers many regular and sugar free toppings. One of the most popular toppings is wet walnuts, which consists of walnuts in hot artificial maple-flavored syrup. TCBY also serves drinks such as Berriyo yogurt smoothies and Frappe Chillers.
In September 2010, TCBY said it was launching the test of breakfast and lunch meal replacement bowls, parfaits and smoothies made from non-frozen "fresh" yogurt called Yovana-Simply Yogurt in two self-service company stores in its headquarters of Salt Lake City. TCBY announced in June 2011 that customers may visit stores in Little Rock and Harrison, Arkansas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee to taste Yovana, Simply Yogurt. The company plans to launch Yovana, Simply Yogurt nationwide later in 2011.
In May 2011, TCBY launched Super Fro-Yo, a reformulated version of its yogurt with a more nutrient-rich profile. The company brought down the fat content of its yogurt to below 2 percent, so it can be labeled low fat. However, the product has also maintained its rich, creamy texture with the addition of fiber
Fiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
, something American consumers are told to eat more of. The fiber in TCBY's product also serves as a prebiotic, or food for the healthful bacteria in the yogurt, which boosts the benefit that live-and-active cultures bring to the digestive system. Super Fro-Yo is also higher in protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
, vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
, vitamin D
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....
, and calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
, and the product now includes seven types of probiotics. To qualify as Super Fro-Yo, for example, the yogurt must have fewer than 120 calories per serving, a minimum of 10 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A and 20 percent of the recommended level of vitamin D, 1 gram or less of saturated fat
Saturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
, and a minimum of 20 billion live-and-active cultures at the point of manufacture.
Yearly specials
Every year, TCBY offers mothers across the nation a free frozen yogurtFrozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert containing yogurt or other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat...
on Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
, and fathers a free frozen yogurt on Father's Day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
.
Store giveaway
In October 2009, TCBY launched the "This Could Be Yours, The Great TCBY Store Giveaway." The contest rewarded one person with his or her own TCBY store. To enter, contestants submitted a video, no longer than two minutes, explaining why they should be the recipient of their very own TCBY, why their town is the perfect location, and what they have to offer the brand. Submissions were judged on creativity, a sense of business acumen and originality. Originally, videos were accepted until November 30, 2009, but the deadline was extended until March 31, 2010. Following the initial entry round, TCBY narrowed all video submissions down to 10 semi-finalists. Beginning in early April 2010, the public was then given the opportunity to help narrow the list down to 5 finalists, who then went through an informal interview process before the winner was chosen. TCBY even offered Conan O'BrienConan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
the chance to enter and win when there was talk of him leaving the Tonight Show.
On May 26, 2010, it was announced that the winners of the contest were Jared and Sarah Greer of Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. The Greer's opened their store in April 2011 in Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
with TCBY’s new self-serve prototype and store design.