TCBY
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryChain restaurant/Franchise
Founded1981 (1981) in Little Rock, Arkansas
Headquarters
Broomfield, Colorado
,
United States
Number of locations
>470[1]
Area served
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • China
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Malaysia
  • Qatar
  • Taiwan
Key people
Dustin Lyman CEO
ProductsFrozen yogurt / Ice cream
ParentMrs. Fields (2000–present)
Websitetcby.com
Logo previously used by TCBY

TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt) is an American chain of frozen yogurt stores. It is one of the largest U.S. retailers of soft-serve frozen yogurt.[2]

History

A TCBY in 2006 using the former logo in Lynnwood, Washington.
A TCBY Restaurant in Matthews, NC bearing the current logo

In 1981, Frank D. Hickingbotham opened the first TCBY in Little Rock, Arkansas. TCBY began franchising the following year, and by 1984 there were over 100 stores.

Prior to 1984, the company's name was "This Can't Be Yogurt," but a lawsuit from a competitor, I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!, forced TCBY to create a new name from its initials, eventually using "The Country's Best Yogurt".[3][4] TCBY began co-branding with Taco Bell, McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King in 1995.[5]

In 1991 TCBY moved into the tallest building in Arkansas, Simmons Tower located in downtown Little Rock, and the building was renamed The TCBY Tower until 2000 when TCBY vacated.[6]

Mrs. Fields acquired TCBY in early 2000 and became Mrs. Fields Famous Brands.[7] The combined company relocated headquarters to Broomfield, Colorado in 2012.[8]

TCBY was also present in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for several years, but closed all of its branches.

In 2001, there were 1,777 TCBY locations across the country. By 2011, after several waves of closings, there were 405.[9]

Products and promotions

TCBY offers frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors. The chain typically serves hard scooped and soft serve yogurt, while newer concept stores only offer soft serve. The new concept stores follow a self-service model, with customers being charged by weight.[10] Soft serve yogurt comes in Golden Vanilla, Chocolate, and White Chocolate Mousse flavors, in addition to various rotating flavors. TCBY also serves drinks such as Berriyo yogurt smoothies and Frappe Chillers.

In September 2010, TCBY announced the test launch of breakfast and lunch meal replacement bowls, parfaits and smoothies made from non-frozen "fresh" yogurt called Yovana-Simply Yogurt in two self-service company stores in its headquarters of Salt Lake City.[11]

2010 also saw the opening of a prototype store in Salt Lake City, operating under a different business model. Instead of customers ordering and being served in a traditional fashion, they serve themselves using any combination of available yogurt flavors, add their own mix of fruit or candy toppings, and pay by the ounce.

In May 2011, TCBY launched Super Fro-Yo, a reformulated version of its yogurt with a more nutrient-rich profile. The company brought down the fat content of its yogurt to below 2 percent, so it can be labeled low fat. On January 10, 2012, TCBY launched a Greek frozen yogurt product.[12] TCBY is the first frozen yogurt chain to offer Greek frozen yogurt.[13]

Every year, TCBY offers mothers across the nation a free frozen yogurt on Mother's Day,[14] and fathers a free frozen yogurt on Father's Day.[15]

Store giveaway

In October 2009, TCBY launched the "This Could Be Yours: The Great TCBY Store Giveaway," a contest that rewarded one person with their own TCBY store. To enter, contestants submitted a video, no longer than two minutes, explaining why they should be the recipient of their very own TCBY, why their town is the perfect location, and what they have to offer the brand. Submissions were judged on creativity, a sense of business acumen and originality. Originally, videos were accepted until November 30, 2009,[16] but the deadline was extended until March 31, 2010.[17] On May 26, 2010, it was announced that the winners of the contest were Jared and Sarah Greer of Fayetteville, Arkansas.[18] The Greers opened their store in April 2011 in Rogers, Arkansas with TCBY's new self-serve prototype and store design.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TCBY Offering Its Own Stimulus Package in Store Giveaway". Yahoo! Finance.
  2. ↑ Chasan, Emily (August 15, 2008). "Cookie chain Mrs. Fields to file for Chap. 11 bankruptcy protection". Reuters.
  3. ↑ Seth Stevenson (May 3, 2004). "Alphabet Soup: Now what does KFC stand for?". Slate. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  4. ↑ Michael Barreir (1988). "Cold product, hot company: TCBY frozen yogurt". BNET. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  5. ↑ Williams, Jeff (January 20, 1997). "TCBY tries to thaw profits; overhaul includes co-branding, efficient distribution". Journal Publishing, Inc.
  6. ↑ "Simmons Tower, Little Rock | 122472". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  7. ↑ Cooke, Lynne (February 11, 2000). "Mrs. Fields to Buy TCBY". Lakeland Ledger.
  8. ↑ "Mrs. Fields moving HQ from Utah to Denver". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 4, 2012. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  9. ↑ Finaldi, Laura (December 1, 2012). "TCBY will try again in Mass". The Boston Globe. p. B5. Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ TCBY unveils a new self-serve prototype Archived 2011-01-05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 6, 2011
  11. ↑ Liddle, Alan (September 28, 2010). "TCBY launches breakfast, lunch product test". NRN.com.
  12. ↑ "TCBY to serve up Greek Fro- Yo". USA Today. January 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "In a First, TCBY Adds Greek Fro Yo To Lineup". QSR Magazine. January 10, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Mother's Day Givaway" (PDF). TCBY press release. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  15. ↑ "TCBY to Celebrate Father's Day with Free Frozen Yogurt". Chain Leader.
  16. ↑ "TCBY opens store giveaway contest to video submissions". QSR. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
  17. ↑ "Still Time to Own your Own TCBY, Chain Extends Contest Deadline". Restaurants and Institutions.
  18. ↑ Greer Family Chosen as Winner of the TCBY Store Giveaway Contest
  19. ↑ "TCBY Returns to Its Arkansas Roots With a Vision for the Future". RestaurantNews.com. April 11, 2011.
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