The Fro-Yo Craze
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock via Los Angeles Magazine
When dining out at night, it’s common to finish your meal off with a little sweet treat. Amidst the options, one is beginning to take its rise – frozen yogurt. But this dessert option isn’t new to the scene at all; in fact, frozen yogurt has gone through its fair share of ups and downs. To truly understand this craze, we need to dig into its loaded past.
Photo courtesy of Goobalin via Flickr
Yogurt as a dessert was popular in numerous Middle Eastern and Asian countries for centuries. While its true beginnings are muddied, one of the initial booms for frozen yogurt was in America in the 1970’s. During this iteration of fro-yo, the self–serve model began to form, and slowly, the appeal of customising your own cup of fro-yo spread internationally.
In Sydney, this rise didn’t occur until the early 2010’s. During this period of time, it seemed as though a new fro-yo store was opening every week; after school, after work, on the weekends, getting fro-yo became part of our routines. But as suddenly as it all began, it all seemed to come to a halt. These bright white stores were shutting down, being replaced by other new trends. Instead of fro-yo, it was doughnuts with crazy toppings, milkshakes with syringes, burgers bigger than your head. It had seemed that the journey of fro-yo was coming to an end, but in actuality, it had just taken a backseat.
What’s Changed?
Photo courtesy of @iloveyochi and @letsfreo via Instagram
The current iteration follows a similar model as its predecessor, with self-serve machines and an array of toppings to choose from. A key difference lies in its offerings; a greater variety of flavours and increased options for those with dietary restrictions aided in its comeback.
Perhaps the biggest change is within the physical space of the store. As the quality of the flavours and toppings increase, as has the design of the stores. With food experiences getting bigger and better over time, our expectations as consumers have grown, where shops are expected to provide an experience along with their food. The early fro-yo stores defaulted to eerie white and stark interiors, carbon copies of each other with little difference between their offerings, but today, things are a little different.
Photos courtesy of @minusseven_aus via Instagram
One of the newest arrivals to the fro-yo scene, Minus Seven, uses stainless steel and cool-toned lighting, but in a modern way. In tandem with the gaming-inspired branding system, stepping into the interior is reminiscent of entering a new universe. The blue LED lights and playful illustrations adorn the walls, with a cheeky mascot at the centre of it all. Particularly with the rise in social media usage, having moments within a store that can be captured and shared is crucial; now, the importance of having great interior design is on the same level as the quality and presentation of the food.
Want to dive further into this world? Check out our case study on Minus Seven
So, What’s Next?
Photos courtesy of LeTAO via Concrete Playground and Towodeqsign via Interior Zine
While flavour offerings have gotten significantly more creative, this is only the beginning. The introduction of higher end dessert shops have led to hyper-minimal designs, with LeTAO being a very successful example of embracing subtlety to showcase a hero product. However, the everchanging palette of Sydney and constant development in technology will allow for more surreal and experimental designs to flourish. 3D elements to mimic food or ingredients and unfold a new level of storytelling are sure to continue, with The Dessert Kitchen incorporating a whimsical and playful cheese counter within their store.
The expansion of ideas on both ends of the spectrum is far from over, and as long as dessert shops continue pushing the boundaries, the possibilities of interior design will also remain endless.
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