A new location for the frozen yogurt chain Yogurtland opened in River Park on Dec. 7, 2010.

To celebrate the establishment, Yogurtland will be hosting a grand opening on Jan. 8, from 12-2 p.m.

At the event, the shop will be holding a variety of giveaways: One allows customers who spend $5 to receive a free T-shirt or cooler bag, while another provides the first 50 customers with gift cards.

Activities for kids, such as balloon animals and fingernail art, will also be held on the grand opening.

Yogurtland’s business model

Yogurtland’s motto, “You Rule,” goes along with its mission “to bring people together for the most flavorful, natural, and fun frozen yogurt experience while promoting a healthy lifestyle,” according to its website.

The three managers — Jonathan Choe, Ajay Hira and Kevin Kinworthy — work together to keep the motto and purpose alive.

Yogurtland has many locations in California as well as in other states such as Hawaii and Texas. The chain chose to open a store in Fresno because of the city’s atmosphere, Hira said.

“The reason we chose Fresno was because it’s very community-oriented: A lot of people like to help each other out,” Hira said. “What we are doing is we want to give back to them as well; when we do our grand opening, 10 percent of our sales will be going to Children’s Hospital [Central California]. I think people will appreciate that.”

According to the managers, Yogurtland aims to provide a vast selection of options for its customers. The shop offers 16 flavors of frozen yogurt, including red velvet cupcake batter, dutch chocolate, pistachio and mango. Toppings like fresh strawberries, brownie bites and caramel syrup are also available.

In addition, Yogurtland offers fundraising opportunities for organizations such as clubs, sports and charities.

“For sporting venues, we make flyers for you, and you can hand out flyers to the audience or to the family members. If they come in with that flyer, 100 percent of the revenue from that flyer is given to the fundraiser,” Choe said. “They can spend as much as they want because the spending is optional.”

Views on Yogurtland

After being open for about a month, the managers look forward to their business and the experience of working with it, Hira said.

“We went into this business because it’s fun — not only for us as managers, but employees enjoy selling it as well,” Hira said. “The product speaks for itself, and all we’re doing is helping you figure out what you like.”

Since its opening, freshman Kaitie King has enjoyed visiting Yogurtland with her friends and family, she said.

“The first time I went to Yogurtland was with my soccer team,” King said. “Now, it has become a tradition to go with my friends after practice. Plus, I love the flavors and toppings!”

For Choe, the store’s low-price system is one of the most important aspects of Yogurtland.

“The biggest thing for me is ‘control your price,'” Choe said. “Let’s go in and have a fun time and not spend $10 on yogurt, or even $5, or even $4. Let’s spend $2.50 on yogurt and get all the food I want. The main thing is you control the price. You get to put how much you want and know essentially how much you want to spend.”

Senior Jenna Yee cites Yogurtland’s prices as an aspect that distinguishes it from other frozen yogurt establishments.

“Yogurtland is the cheapest frozen yogurt shop I’ve been to, so far,” Yee said. “Some of the other places I’ve been to, like Heart Village and Yodigity, are more pricy and have less variety of flavors and toppings. At Yogurtland, you get to choose the flavors and toppings you want, and as much as you want, at an affordable price.”

For more information, contact Yogurtland at 559.431.1171, or visit the new location at 170 E. Paseo Del Centro. For more community coverage, read the Dec. 16, 2010 article, ‘Take Me to the River’ promotes restoration.

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