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Yogoluv intrigues customers with tasty treats

Yogoluv's frozen yogurt aims for a lighter, and less expensive, snack.

By David Conway

Published Jan. 22, 2010

Without seeing it, you might think it would be easy to miss Yogoluv, a 700-square-foot frozen yogurt shop tucked into the corner of the Missouri Theatre. Decked out with vibrant green and pink walls, green pod chairs and two flat panel televisions, the store instead has a penchant for making passers-by stop in their tracks and take a closer look.

"It's like it's from the future," said Megan Quick, customer and junior at Columbia Independent High School. "Like something out of The Jetsons."

More than pleased with the shop's location, Yogoluv owner Kerry Chao admitted he was doubtful about the possibility of succeeding at the tiny space at Ninth and Locust after initially seeing it.

"At first, it looked really small," Chao said. "When we walked by here and looked inside, we were like, 'There's no way we can fit everything.' But we started to lay everything out, and we thought, 'Hey, this might work.' "

Although the storefront draws the customer in, the real star is the product. Yogoluv, which is entirely self-serve, offers 10 varieties of frozen yogurt from vanilla and chocolate to pecan praline and peach mango. Thirty toppings are also available, including fresh fruit, candies and cereal. Once the customer completes their creation, it is weighed and they're charged 40 cents an ounce.

"I liked it a lot," said Jeff Mondlock, MU sophomore and first-time customer. "I can pretty much mix anything with it, and it's pretty healthy, too."

Located almost halfway between Sparky's and Cold Stone Creamery, two popular ice cream shops, Chao views Yogoluv as a lighter alternative for both the stomach and wallet.

The flat-screen TVs say, "Would you believe our yogurt is non-fat? Believe it." They also display the nutritional information for frozen yogurt (90 calories in half a cup) versus soft serve (191), ice cream (266) and custard (314).

"If you go in and get the same amount by volume of ice cream, you're going to be paying a lot more," Chao said. "People who are a little more health-conscious are going for the yogurt, people who want something a little more decadent will go for ice cream."

"Nothing compares to Sparky's," customer and MU nurse Laura Billings said. "But this is a different experience, and it's good, too."

Halfway through the process of building his store, Chao learned Lollicup had installed its own frozen yogurt machine. Although he hadn't accounted for another competitor in the immediate area, he remained unconcerned about the competition.

"They concentrate more on drinks and things of that nature, so I felt like we'd be okay," Chao said. "We can still live together and not be too competitive."

Chao admitted opening in the winter wasn't ideal but business has been good in spite of the cold.

"The people that come in, they come back," Chao said. "I've had people come back three times in one day. I think there's a big demand for it."

The location has helped guide much of that demand through Yogoluv's doors. Chao said the proximity to campus has attracted customers who had been headed to shops farther north. Since the store's opening, people interested in the spot Yogoluv calls home have emerged from the woodworks, Chao said.

"I've had several people tell me that they wanted to open a frozen yogurt place here, in this exact location," Chao said. So far, their loss has been Chao's gain.