Quicklys San Mateo: 59 Cents Fro-Yo

Quickly, a world wide bubble tea store, has “quickly”, no pun intended, responded to the frozen yogurt craze. With Pinkberry recently receiving millions in funding from Starbucks founder, the goliath remains ahead of the game with word of mouth viral buzz including Hollywood A- listers such asLeonardo DiCaprio fueling the craze.

After my meal at the all you can eat joint Masu last week, I was enticed by Quickly’s $.59 promotional frozen yogurt (additional cost for topping). Can anything cheap bring value? First surprise to note, Quickly has partnered up with ice cream giant Dreyer’s (division of Nestle) to develop this tart tasting treat. This is a sign that mainstream food companies want a piece of this craze.

Food. When tasting frozen yogurt, texture is key and this differentiates the taste from other shops. With a creamy finish, the full bodied yogurt resembles more of a traditional frozen yogurt with a slight taste of tartness. Compared with Pinkberry, Quickly’s fro yo lacks the tartness and clean after taste.

Ambiance. Not a great date place. As a restaurant consultant, I often encourage restaurateurs to deliver experience. A great example is Rain Forest Café. As for Quickly, the décor is full of clutter. Imagine a cluttered closet and no sense of “coolness.” The walls are covered with amateur food photos and creating a lot of “noise.” In San Francisco, visit Tuttimelon, Jubili, and YoCup and you will experience a clean minimalist design that mirrors the frozen yogurt.

Restaurant consultant. Quickly’s has made their fortune selling bubble tea drinks and now wisely wants to grab a piece of the frozen yogurt craze. I think it is a smart decision for them to work with Dreyer’s since they have the resources including equipment, chemist, nutritionist, and a host of other resource to deliver a product rapidly.

Three years ago, I was in the middle of the Hawaiian BBQ craze. I helped convert a mom ’n pops restaurant to a franchise. Now, Hawaiian BBQ is a thing of the past. For those who want to get into this competitive game, focus on being innovative and operational cost.

Social programming.Food plays a powerful role in social programming. Pregnant woman tend to crave pickles while frozen yogurt or any sweet treats help us get through a though day.

4 Innovative Ideas
1) create an organic fro yo shop
2) create a website and let the consumers vote for the next featured flavor
3) create a Facebook application so that you can spread your brand virally
4) offer additional products that would create a meal such as a healthy salad

Conclusion. Quickly’s is a great place for nominal frozen yogurt for the price of $.59. Toppings are extra, butt expect sub par ambiance.