Monday, August 31, 2015

YOLO : Yoforia Only Left One

Yoforia has closed on Howell Mill

Atlanta-based Yoforia has closed its westside location on Howell Mill Road at Westside Provisions.  The frozen yogurt purveyor shuttered their Morningside and Brookhaven locations earlier this year leaving the "chain" with few locations.  Although their website and Facebook are grossly outdated, it appears that Yoforia's sole remaining Atlanta area location is on Monroe Drive near Piedmont Park with access and visibility from The Beltline.

A sign posted on the door of the Howell Mill location promises to continue to serve patrons at the Monroe Drive location for "many years to come."  

In North Carolina, a previous expansion market for the eatery, it seems the only remaining locations are at EpiCentre, a lifestyle center in Uptown Charlotte and Mooresville.  (I say seems as I was unable to confirm both are still open as of this week.)  

The Yoforia website seems to have languished for months while their social media platforms (facebook and twitter) have not been updated since last year.  On facebook, a platform on which they were previously especially active, they still have over 15,000 "likes."  

The first Yoforia shops opened in 2007 in Alpharetta on Windward Parkway, in the Perimeter Mall food court in Dunwoody, and in Morningside.  

Altogether, Yoforia previously operated over a dozen domestic locations in Georgia, North Carolina and Connecticut.  The chain also had a pair of licensed locations in Kuwait that appear to have closed. Interestingly, eleven locations licensed in India remain open.  
With all the yogurt businesses both local and nationwide, Yoforia does have one of the most unique, "brandable" names, so it's sad to witness their demise.       

Frozen yogurt is no doubt a tough business, whether you are a local upstart or a nationwide powerhouse.  Locally, Cowlick's Yogurt & Floats and Yoreka closed both of their locations.   National players like Menchie's and Pinkberry have each closed locations while Red Mango and Swirll have left entirely.  

There have been a few success stories.  Atlanta-based Yogli Mogli still operates (via franchise) 21 metro locations.  Yogli Mogli also has two locations in Illinois with single units in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.     

Irvine, California-based Yourtland operates three metro locations in TOWN Brookhaven, Buckhead on West Paces Ferry Road and in Norcross at The Forum.

Will you miss Yoforia?  What should replace Yoforia on the Westside?  Where is your favorite place to get fro yo in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.  

1 comment:

AJ said...

Sad to see any business struggle or close, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. I know I've written it before, but with all trendy businesses, there is a cycle: Trend begins, businesses open, people complain, less successful businesses close, trend ends and a few successful businesses (whether because of location, quality of product, etc) remain for the long term. It applies to cupcakes, burgers, pizza, etc. as well...

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