Alex: Team Yumz

Ever since it has been one of the first frozen yogurt places in town, Yumz Frozen Yogurt has had its share of competition, to say the least.  The fro-yo bar was the first of its kind, with customers choosing their own self-serve flavors, completing their desserts with an array of toppings.

Places such as Yogen Fruz, Yogurtland, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, and classics like Dairy Queen and Dairy Mart have always been fan favorites.

Emma and I decided to find out once and for all which place had the “cherry on top.”  After eating cake batter fro-yo with cookie dough and strawberry boba from both Yumz and Menchie’s, I decided that Yumz reigned supreme.

Yumz offers 10 yogurt flavors, which include the basics: chocolate, vanilla, cake batter, and peanut butter.  Seasonally, they offer several tarts and sorbets, including georgia peach, raspberry pomegranate, and lemon.

Their local competitor, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, offers 14 flavors, including caramel frappe and vanilla latte for the fall season.

Personally, I think Menchie’s flavors are a bit over the top and they should leave the caramel frappes and vanilla lattes to Starbucks.

Frozen yogurt toppings can make or break the tasty treat.  Menchies offered 32 toppings, including the typical candies and cookies.  However, their topping selections lacked fresh fruit, with only four choices of strawberries, bananas, kiwi, and pineapple.  Yumz offered 35 toppings, with a greater variety of cookie choices.  They also offered an astonishing eight options of fresh fruit.

Where Yumz has fewer yogurt choices, it makes up with toppings, which I think are way more important.

Lastly, let’s talk price.  Most fro-yo places charge their customers by the ounce.  Before I reveal the prices, remember we are talking about broke teenagers here.

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt charges its customers $0.54/ounce.  Coming in at a full $0.08 cheaper is Yumz at $0.46/ounce.  This means that no matter how much fro-yo customers purchase, it will always be cheaper at Yumz.  I do not know about you, but price is a major factor when I decide where to eat.

Both places had fun, colorful environments with upbeat music playing.  Although, Yumz did offer comfy couches to lounge on while Menchie’s only had the standard table and chairs.

So next time you are deciding on where to go to get a sweet treat, I highly recommend Yumz Frozen Yogurt.  Its topping choices, fresh fruit, and cheaper price are worth it.  I promise you will not be disappointed.  

Emma: Team Menchie’s

Alex and I took a quick trip to find the best frozen yogurt in the Area. We went Yumz, which is located off of Randall Rd. and Menchie’s which is located in the Algonquin Commons. At both places I got chocolate and vanilla yogurt with strawberries.

Personally, Menchie’s stood out, although they did not have as many toppings as Yumz and was more expensive, (54 cents per ounce, opposed to Yumz at 46 cents). To me, the fruit tasted more fresh, and the flavor choices were incredibly unique. At Menchie’s you have choices like seasonal choices and choices like caramel latte, ice cream sandwich and pineapple sorbet, along with the classics, unlike at Yumz where the flavors are limited.

Also, although the prices at Menchie’s were more expensive,  the cups are much bigger, the Yumz cup was almost half the size. To me, the yogurt taste didn’t differ that much between restaurants, but the fresh toppings at Menchie’s were the “cherries on top.”

Menchies only had fresh fruit including but not limited to strawberries, kiwi, and banana slices. Unlike at Yumz where I could only focus on the obviously canned pineapple. Both restaurants service was mediocre, and the customer count was about the same.

Overall, they are very similar, I could find the same name brand candy toppings like Oreos, Heath, Kit Kat, ect. I also thought it was interesting that at Yumz the toppings relating to nuts were easily contaminating the other toppings. Unlike at Menchie’s, where the candy and nut topping options where all contained with lids. So, if your child or family member has a nut allergy, I would be careful at Yumz, since the toppings are so easy to contaminate.

At both places and I had no problem finding what I wanted, but to me Menchie’s just has a little more to it. The atmosphere at Menchie’s is more kid friendly, with kids drawings on the walls, bright colors filling every corner, and little characters as mascots, while Yumz decor is obviously more modern and casual, as a perfect example, Yumz has a couch for customer to enjoy their yogurt, while Menchie’s is sticking to the traditional tables and chairs.

All in all, they both mostly serve the same food, but not in the same way. I recommend Menchies to anymore looking for fresh ingredients, and a kids friendly environment.