TCBY facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Chain restaurant/Franchise |
| Founded | 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Number of locations
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>470 |
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Area served
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Key people
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Dustin Lyman CEO |
| Products | Frozen yogurt / Ice cream |
| Parent | Mrs. Fields (2000–present) |
TCBY (which stands for The Country's Best Yogurt) is a popular American chain of frozen yogurt stores. It's known for being one of the biggest sellers of soft-serve frozen yogurt in the U.S.
Contents
The Story of TCBY
The very first TCBY store was opened in 1981 by Frank D. Hickingbotham. It was located in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Just one year later, TCBY started letting other people open their own stores. This is called franchising. By 1984, there were already over 100 TCBY stores!
Before 1984, the company was called "This Can't Be Yogurt." But another company had a similar name, "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" Because of this, TCBY had to change its name. They decided to use their initials to create "The Country's Best Yogurt."
In 1995, TCBY started working with other big fast-food chains. These included Taco Bell, McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King.
TCBY's main office moved into the tallest building in Arkansas in 1991. This building was renamed The TCBY Tower. In 2000, TCBY moved out of the building.
In early 2000, a company called Mrs. Fields bought TCBY. The two companies then became Mrs. Fields Famous Brands. In 2012, their main offices moved to Broomfield, Colorado.
In 2001, there were 1,777 TCBY locations across the United States. By 2011, after some stores closed, there were 405 locations.
What TCBY Offers
TCBY offers many different flavors of frozen yogurt. They usually serve both hard-scooped and soft-serve yogurt. Newer stores often only have soft-serve options.
These new stores let customers serve themselves. You can choose your own yogurt flavors and add toppings like fruit or candy. You then pay based on how much your yogurt weighs.
Popular soft-serve flavors include Golden Vanilla, Chocolate, and White Chocolate Mousse. They also have special flavors that change often. TCBY also sells drinks like yogurt smoothies called Berriyo and Frappe Chillers.
In 2010, TCBY tested new breakfast and lunch items. These included bowls, parfaits, and smoothies made from regular, non-frozen yogurt. These were called Yovana-Simply Yogurt.
New Yogurt Types
In May 2011, TCBY launched something new called Super Fro-Yo. This was a special version of their yogurt with more good nutrients. They also made sure the fat content was very low, so it could be called "low fat."
On January 10, 2012, TCBY was the first frozen yogurt chain to offer Greek frozen yogurt.
Special Days
Every year, TCBY gives mothers a free frozen yogurt on Mother's Day. They also give fathers a free frozen yogurt on Father's Day.
Win Your Own Store!
In October 2009, TCBY started a contest called "This Could Be Yours: The Great TCBY Store Giveaway." The prize was your very own TCBY store!
To enter, people had to make a video (no longer than two minutes). In the video, they had to explain why they should win. They also had to say why their town was a great place for a TCBY store.
The videos were judged on how creative, original, and business-smart they were. The winners were Jared and Sarah Greer from Fayetteville, Arkansas. They opened their new TCBY store in April 2011 in Rogers, Arkansas. Their store used TCBY's new self-serve style.
See also
- List of frozen yogurt companies
- List of frozen dessert brands
