Friday, August 23, 2013

TCBY featured in QSR Magazine

Add almond milk fro-yo to the list of things you’re going to hunt down this summer. TCBY was recently featured in QSR Magazine for their one of a kind product.  TCBY has partnered with Silk to create a product that lactose-intolerant people can enjoy. Dustin Finkel, senior director for TCBY’s parent company Famous brands, talked to QSR Magazine about the partnership. In order to meet Silk standards the product had to be non-GMO, use all natural ingredients and be taste tested in the market. During a blind taste test in Fort Collins, CO, the public responded positively. 

To read the full article about the new Fro-Yo partnership, click here

TCBY Innovates Again With Silk Almondmilk Fro-Yo

August 8, 2013

By: Mary Avant 
In another first for frozen-yogurt stalwart TCBY—and the fro-yo category as a whole—the brand is unleashing Silk Chocolate Almond, an almondmilk-based frozen-yogurt option.
Combining the brand’s signature frozen yogurt with Silk’s almondmilk, the product will be an indulgent, dairy-free product that the concept is calling “the perfect match.”
Dustin Finkel, senior director for TCBY’s parent company, Famous Brands International, says non-dairy alternatives are a hot commodity right now, with almondmilk becoming a must-try product. He adds that partnering with Silk, one of the leaders in the almondmilk category, was a natural fit.
“Almondmilk attracts both lactose-intolerant people, as well as health-conscious women who are looking for an alternative to dairy,” he says. “So as we saw this opportunity to expand our market to a non-dairy platform, Silk seemed like the best partner out there as the leader in the non-dairy set.”
With health-conscious women at the core of TCBY’s customer base, Finkel says the new Silk Chocolate Almond product helps them serve this customer even more effectively.
“Obviously, frozen yogurt gets that benefit of being a better choice than ice cream, but we position ourself as a healthier alternative period—a permissible indulgence, so to speak—and our consumer really enjoys some of our current non-dairy offerings, like our sorbets,” Finkel says. “But what we don’t offer—and really no frozen-yogurt shop out there offers—is an indulgent non-dairy platform.”
During blind taste tests in Fort Collins, Colorado, stores and at the brand’s corporate headquarters unit in Denver—where it served guests Silk Chocolate Almond with ‘Chocolate’ on the flavor tag—Finkel says customers responded positively.
“We didn’t hear any complaints,” he says. “In fact, there was a lot of favorable comments about, ‘Wow, this is a little different, but it tastes great. We like what you’re doing with your chocolate flavors.’ So we created a flavor that’s not only going to be attractive to the alternative-dairy crowd, but with our average consumer, as well.” 

To read full article, click here

Friday, August 16, 2013

TCBY Featured on Go Dairy Free with new Silk Chocolate Almond Yogurt

If you haven’t heard yet, you’re not in the frozen yogurt loop; TCBY has just launched the first nationwide dairy-free frozen yogurt. “Go Dairy Free’s” staff writer Alisa Fleming went and visited Reno TCBY and the owners Vince and Marlene Frallicciardi and wrote this review of the new Silk Chocolate Almond product. The product boasts a soy free, gluten free, vegan product that still contains all 7 live and active cultures that other TCBY yogurts have. Fleming answers a ton of questions about the dairy-free fro-yo options in her article. 

 To read more about her full experience visiting Reno TCBY and the splendors of the new product, click here


TCBY Launches the First Nationwide Dairy-Free Frozen Yogurt

POSTED ON  BY  

“I wish I could go out for a frozen yogurt,” were words that left my lips just a few days ago. Not a sorbet, areal creamy, soft serve frozen yogurt. It was a foreshadowing moment; within 24 hours, on August 8th 2013, I received word that TCBY had partnered with Silk to launch the nation’s first dairy-free frozen yogurt. I was online in seconds to find out if there was a TCBY in my local area, and as luck would have it, there was!
TCBY Silk Chocolate Almond Milk Dairy-Free Frozen YogurtTony, Kylie and I made the short trek yesterday – yes, the gummy bear topping is definitely our resident teen’s fro yo – and were all presently surprised by this delicious chocolate almond milk treat. Kylie, who can have dairy and has very recent memories of dairy ice cream, couldn’t believe her taste buds. “I expected it to taste weird, but it is really, really good.” Tony and I concurred, this fudgsicle-like dairy-free frozen yogurt is worth a return trip. As expected, it was lighter than ice cream, almost like a spoonable frosty, but still rich and luxurious. The spot-on chocolate soft serve flavor had notable hints of almond for a perfect compliment.
The shop owners at our local Reno TCBY, Vince & Marlene, were actually onsite that day, and were extremely accommodating with all of our questions. Here are some of the details:
Is it soy-free? Yes! The new flavor is an almond milk-based chocolate, created by Silk. It is not only a dairy-free frozen yogurt, but also soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Dairy free also means lactose-free, so this is a great option for lactose intolerant frozen yogurt lovers.
What about the probiotics? Like all TCBY flavors, the dairy-free frozen yogurt has 7 live and active cultures. Perhaps this is why my tummy still felt tame even after devouring the monster serving (and we got smalls!).
To continue reading the full review, click here

Thursday, August 8, 2013

IT’S THE PERFECT MATCH! TCBY and Silk® Partner to Launch Silk® Chocolate Almond

Health-conscious Brands Combine Forces to Provide the First Ever National Almondmilk-based Frozen Yogurt; “The Perfect Match” Kick-off Campaign Features Grand Prize Caribbean Getaway

DENVER – TCBY and Silk® are proud to announce Silk® Chocolate Almond, the first ever national dairy-free, almondmilk-based frozen yogurt option. Combining TCBY’s legendary frozen yogurt with Silk’s nutritious almondmilk, Silk Chocolate Almond is a delicious addition to the TCBY family of flavors.

“We are excited to let our customers enjoy this new, innovative and revolutionary product,” said Famous Brands International CEO Neal Courtney.  “Silk Chocolate Almond is the result of collaboration and development between TCBY and Silk in order to provide our customers with a delicious flavor experience unlike any other currently on the national market.”

As a dairy-free and indulgent offering, there were numerous challenges to ensure TCBY delivered the perfect product. TCBY’s research and development team worked hand-in-hand with Silk, the No. 1 brand of almondmilk, to perfect the formulation, flavor profile, and texture of Silk Chocolate Almond.

The two brands are a naturally perfect pairing. TCBY and Silk customers are linked by their dedication to a healthy lifestyle and love of products that deliver wholesome nutrition without sacrificing taste. Those who previously were unable to enjoy TCBY due to milk allergies or lactose intolerance can now dig in to a swirl of Silk Chocolate Almond.

 “Silk is committed to providing even more great-tasting plant-based choices to consumers, and this further extends that commitment,” said Tyler Holm, Vice President of Silk Marketing. “Partnering with TCBY allows us to reach even more consumers with a delicious dairy-free option.”

TCBY and Silk are celebrating their “perfect match” with “The Perfect Match” campaign on social media.  Fans are encouraged to join in the celebration by posting to social media, utilizing the #TCBYPerfectMatch hashtag, and by entering the “You + Beach = The Perfect Match" sweepstakes for the chance to win a trip for two to a Caribbean destination of their choice, including airfare, three-night hotel accommodations, and $500 spending cash. The sweepstakes launches in conjunction with Silk Chocolate Almond and runs through August 22nd, 2013.  In addition to the Caribbean getaway, weekly winners will receive iPad Minis and daily winners will receive $25 TCBY gift cards.  More information is available via “The Perfect Match” Facebook app.

“We’re so excited about the perfect match we found in TCBY and Silk that we wanted to give our fans a chance to close out the summer with the opportunity to win a perfect match of their own,” said Famous Brands International Vice President Dustin Finkel.  “What better way to celebrate than with a trip for two to anywhere in the Caribbean?”

TCBY is the established leader for innovation in the frozen yogurt sector.  The company was the first to market with its soft serve Greek Super Fro-Yo in 2012 and was recognized for the launch of its healthy Super Fro-Yo line in 2011.

Interviews with members of the TCBY and Silk team are available.  Visual elements and samples of the new product are also available by request.

For more information, http://franchise.tcby.com/ and http://silk.com/.

ABOUT TCBY
TCBY is the first and largest frozen yogurt brand, leading the industry with its new self-serve concept. With more than 30 years of experience, TCBY is a successful model that has fueled the growth of a thriving industry. TCBY, which currently has 400-plus franchise locations systemwide, offers an extensive product line, with all yogurt flavors low in fat, nonfat, or no sugar added. TCBY launched its new frozen yogurt classification called "Super Fro-Yo," the healthiest frozen yogurt product available in the market. TCBY was also the first brand to market Greek Frozen Yogurt. TCBY is part of Famous Brands International and a sister company to Mrs. Fields. For more information, visit www.tcby.com or franchising.tcby.com.

ABOUT SILK
Silk was founded in 1996 on a promise to make the world a healthier place. The brand believes that plant-based foods are the best way to nourish people and the planet and today offers a broad portfolio of nutritious, great-tasting milk alternatives, including Silk® Soymilk, Silk PureAlmond,® Silk PureCoconut® and Silk Fruity and Creamy. Silk’s products use the highest-quality plant-based ingredients, and Silk is a proud participant in the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program. Silk is also committed to making the world a healthier place through socially responsible and environmentally sustainable business practices, and supports programs like Change the Course—an ongoing effort to conserve freshwater and preserve the ecological health of the Colorado River Basin. For more information, visit www.silk.com, Facebook.com/SilkUS or follow us on Twitter @LoveMySilk.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

TCBY Featured in the News & Record

TCBY was a featured company in a story about several restaurants in the North Carolina area in an article written by News & Record online called Short Orders: Mix and match Mexican meals. The story features Biren Pate the owner of TCBY in Greensboro County Park.  Biren’s store stands out from most TCBY locations as Biren himself stands on the corner handing out samples of the yogurt nearly every Saturday and some Sundays over the summer.  He also offers raffles for free yogurt for a week each week and a discount on Waffle Cones on Wednesday. 

Click here to read the article


A free treat from TCBY
Visitors to Greensboro Country Park might get a cool treat on Saturday.
That’s when Biren Patel will be handing out 3-ounce samples of TCBY yogurt.
Patel, who is a full-time engineer, opened a TCBY (286-5020) self-serve frozen yogurt shop with his wife last October at 3343 Battleground Ave. at Westridge Square in Greensboro.
Patel says he or one of his staff will be at Greensboro Country Park handing out samples nearly every Saturday and some Sundays for the rest of the summer.
Or stop by the shop for a sample of white chocolate mousse, mango sorbet or the new blueberry or Wild Berry Greek yogurt flavors.
A dozen rotating flavors are on hand every day.
Click here to continue reading article. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Franchisee Spotlight: Steve Rudzinski, Winston-Salem, NC

Steven Rudzinski is the only military veteran in the entire TCBY network. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1979 where he served for four years until late summer of 1983. Steven grew up in Albany, NY and went to college in Albany, but moved to North Carolina with his family. Following, Steven became an Electronics Technician for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, NC and repaired the electronics on machines. Working for them for 28 years from February 1984 to February 2012, Steven experienced a layoff along with hundreds of others because the cigarette industry kept shrinking. As a result, he was ready to start the next phase of his career – TCBY. Thus far, the store has done extremely well, routinely ranking within the top 25 stores network-wide of the brand’s 400-plus locations.

“When I enlisted in the Marines, I wanted to get into electronic technology at the time. They sent me to electronics school and then I became a radar repairman and did that for 1.5 years of training and 2.5 years of service,” Rudzinski said. Stationed in Cherry Point, NC, Steve cites his military experience as being very beneficial to his life and career trajectory because it gave him leadership and management skills, which has been key for TCBY.

How did you learn about the brand?
I was looking for a job in other factories, but it was challenging because a lot of companies were looking for candidates fresh out of tech school and pay entry level.

My wife and I have always been frozen yogurt fans and would go at least once a week. So, it dawned on us and we saw a frozen yogurt need in town that we could benefit from. There were other brands around, but we wanted to eat it closer to us.

Why did you choose an opportunity with TCBY?
I thought, “Someone should do it, it may as well be us.” The opportunity was very good and after deciding they didn’t want to go mom and pop, particularly since I never had business experience, I decided to go the franchise route.  

We tried every frozen yogurt shop in Winston, and drove to Charlotte to try TCBY. We loved the taste, texture and the nutrition was better than any of the others.

Did you receive a military discount?
Yes, I received 20-25% off the franchise fee of $25,000.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?
Yes, we are very active in the community hosting fundraisers, sponsoring local schools and organizations. Below are some different events that we have hosted and we always continue to find more ways to support our community as a whole.  have done several events very recently, which represent our larger vision of supporting the community:

·         We had a fundraiser for one of the schools giving them 10% of the sales brought in. 
·         We gave out 60 sample cups to a school for teacher’s appreciation.
·         We gave out 300 samples cups of yogurt to people in Lowe’s hardware store as part of an event that day.
·         We gave away free frozen yogurt on Mother's and Father's Day. 
·         We support Relay for Life with 10% of all net sales on the day goes to the organization.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?
Getting business experience was a learning curve and finding the space was challenging. But mostly, it’s been a challenge to run a company, which I have never done before. We’ve done very well so far and every day we’re learning new things.

What is your staffing like?

About a year ago, my daughter married a Chick-Fil-A franchisee, so all of these job interviews have been with the help of him. Right now, we have 12 plus me and my wife (Kim).

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Franchisee Spotlight: New Opening Exeter, California

Sisters Leslie Rivas, Tracey Stearns, and Stephanie Lusk were all born in Visalia, CA.  The three sisters and their mother, Carol Nickel, moved to Idaho for eight years during their childhood, but returned to California where they all graduated from Exeter High School. All three sisters are college graduates; Leslie- UC Davis, Tracey- Cal. Leslie teaches first grade in Woodlake, Tracey is a Resource Specialist at Exeter High School, and Stephanie works for Connections Academy in Visalia.  The three very close sisters decided to go into business together and claimed that, “TCBY will be our ‘second job’!”

How did you learn about the brand?
TCBY was a brand we were familiar with because there were local stores in Visalia years ago. They had since closed and we wanted to bring some fun and excitement to the community.

Why did you choose an opportunity with TCBY?
We researched other franchises and TCBY was willing to come to a small town and we knew TCBY was known for its high quality product. We would of course like to supplement our teaching jobs, but we saw it as a fun project we could work on together and it would be great for the community.  We didn't research other franchising concepts.  We thought self-serve frozen yogurt would be perfect for our location.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?
I can't think of any major challenges we have experienced or overcome.  When you have three sisters working on a project together, it’s nice to divide and conquer. This was more a fun pet project so it’s been a relatively painless journey.

What makes your business different, what are you able to bring to the area that other frozen yogurt shops can’t?
We will be the only self-serve frozen yogurt shop in town. Currently, the closest one is 15 miles away.  We have a strong connection to the community and we want to provide a fun, friendly location that will be a bright spot for the residents of Exeter; as well as for visitors to our community to enjoy.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with TCBY?

Expansion would always be a possibility.  Our end goal would be for our TCBY to be a thriving, successful business that we enjoy owning and participating in. Our local paper the Foothill Sun Gazette has already asked to do a story on us. 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Franchisee Spotlight: Ritesh Patel, Pittsburgh, PA

Ritesh Patel was born in India and came to New York in 1995 Ritesh lived in New York for 16 years where he owned  a convenient store/deli and a calling card wholesale company. By 2011, Ritesh was ready for a change and moved to Pittsburgh for a franchise opportunity. A couple friends had TCBY locations in other states so he started looking into the concept himself. Ritesh is married with two kids.

What are some benefits regarding why customers should come to a TCBY?
Most of our products are 98% fat free, no sugar added products, and 80-90% of the products are also gluten free. At our store, we’ll have six machines, with 18 total flavor options (12 flavors and six swirls) paired with 50 toppings. Plus, we’ll also have a non-dairy option every day for lactose intolerant individuals such as a sorbet. Most of our neighborhood is middle-age people, and likely very familiar with TCBY from years ago, so we’re hoping us coming back to the community will be exciting for everyone.

Why did you choose an opportunity with TCBY?
It really came down to the quality of the yogurt itself as well as what the product stands for as a classic frozen yogurt brand. I sampled other ‘froyo’ brands, actually looking into 15 total franchises, and TCBY tasted the best.

With additional TCBY locations in Cranberry, PA (90+ miles from Pittsburgh) and Murrysville, PA (under 20 miles), it’s exciting to be opening the first location within the city of Pittsburgh itself.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?
As part of our build-out, we have a 60 square foot play area that will be part of the store. Area organizations are certainly welcome to utilize the space for free for fun interaction or reading activities when they come into the store. For example, the local library has a reading program, and they can come in and use the space.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?
It took over a year to find the perfect location, so it has been quite a complex situation to get things going.

How many employees do you plan to have when you open?
We’ll have eight to 10 employees when we open our doors, which will be considered our full staff at this time.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with TCBY?

We want to open more locations. I also have a Mrs. Fields Cookies location that is open in Pittsburgh, so next year, we’re looking to add TCBY to that location.