Tempe is welcoming not only one, but five new yogurt shops.
Mill Avenue is home to three frozen yogurt stores that opened or will be opening in the upcoming months, My Ultimate Bliss, IN Yogurt, and MOJO Yogurt. Yogurtini will be opening in Cornerstone Plaza on Rural and University in October, while Spoon Me will be opening on the ASU campus.
Frozen yogurt stores openings have recently boomed all over the United States.
Yogurt sales have increased 33.4% over the past year, according to Phil Lempert, Consumerologist and Food Marketing Expert of supermarketguru.com.
The five stores all opening within such a short time period of each other in Tempe have raised questions of competitiveness.
“I'm very surprised that all three of the yogurt shops [on Mill] have decided to open when they are certainly aware of the other shops opening,” says Tom Tokoph of Urban Realty and Development. “Unfortunately, I would bet that not all three of the new yogurt places will still be open a year from now.”
Yun Choi, owner of My Ultimate Bliss Yogurt, said that he is “not concerned with the competition” or the two other shops opening on Mill Avenuee.
“We don’t try to compete. We’re making new age frozen yogurt here,” Choi said. “Our fruit is cut fresh everyday, and we give more for your amount of money.”
Choi says the shop is leaning towards a lounge type café.
“We want to provide a cool place for people to relax, hang out, have meetings, and do homework,” Choi said as he pointed out the fireplace and high top tables.
My Ultimate Bliss, located in the Brickyard on Mill, is having its grand opening on Thursday, when it will be giving out free frozen yogurt from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. My Ultimate Bliss officially opened several weeks ago.
IN Yogurt will be opening in the building on Fifth Street and Mill Avenue owned by Don Plato.
Plato is also the owner of the popular The Gelato Spot store that has four Valley locations.
“I want to give Cold Stone a run for its money,” Plato said.
MOJO Yogurt takes up the space that was formerly Quizno’s Subs at Hayden Square on Third Street and Mill Avenue.
Hitesh Patel, owner of MOJO, says the store plans to open the first week of November. A “Freedom Friday” will be held in celebration of the opening, where free yogurt will be given out all day.
Patel, like Choi, is not uncomfortable about the other yogurt stores opening or the competition.
“I’m not worried about it. The quality of our product is superior,” said Patel. “We’ve come up with a beautiful store.”
Reach the reporter at bssener@asu.edu.
