Review – Red Mango, Gainesville
May 14, 2010 8 Comments
There is a clear division starting to arise, and the battlefield lines seem to be drawn right on top of Gainesville: homegrown vs. corporate. Or, really, Mochi vs. everyone else. (I didn’t even know that Lollicup was actually a franchise/chain until just recently). Frozen Yogurt is the BIG thing in this town, and it’s reflected by the fact that you could ask any college student and they could probably tell you all the yogurt hot spots.
Even in overall name recognition, yogurt places are quickly taking over. It used to be, even as close as my freshman year (2008 – 2009) that the hot places were just restaurants, places like Satchel’s, Leonardo’s, or Bento. But in 2009 that all changed when Mochi came along and plopped itself right next to Bento Red on Archer…and that changed the game..
Sure there were frozen yogurt places like TCBY, and there were your normal ice cream places. But Mochi was different…it was a completely different concept in so many ways. Design, pricing, etc. were all completely subverted…you paid by the ounce instead of by cup size, the toppings and flavors were (mostly) health-conscious, and the atmosphere was unique.
Yogaberry then made its inroots in both Oaks Mall and at the Target Copy plaza on University where they were met with fanfare that turned lukewarm very fast. The customer stream is, at best, mediocre, and name recognition didn’t even have a chance to take off.
Now there’s a new guy in town, Red Mango. Just how does it stack up to the current king of frozen yogurt, Mochi? Read on to find out.
Red Mango takes a different spin on design; when you enter Mochi you admittedly feel like you’re entering an open but still cramped space. When you go into Red Mango you notice that there’s no real Asian feel, it’s just a contemporary design with maybe some hint of Asian, but it’s subtle at best. There’s no real draw of “cuteness”…it could almost be likened to the design of Mochi Downtown, which has done away with most of the design cues of Mochi Archer and kept things more simplistic.
There are couches and such mixed with tables, which makes it seem more comfortable than Mochi. And you never feel like you’re at a loss of seats (again, unlike at Mochi). But I say “seem more comfortable” with caution, because you really wonder in the end if it even matters. And for most people, it probably won’t.
I felt deceived though…one of the big things was that there would be a study room available, and a place for like local bands to perform and such. If the room that my friends and myself were in was that room…well, I hate to say it, but that’s pathetic.
The nice thing though about Red Mango is that sample cups are immediately available; I have to admit, I always feel guilty about asking the employees at Mochi for sample cups, and you’re always feeling like you’re limited to that one sample cup.
There are about 12 flavors at Red Mango available, I can’t remember the exact # but I do remember there being more than Mochi. I’m not entirely sure how often they change the flavors, but we can assume that they change them as frequently as Mochi would. The flavor variety is about the same, mostly fruit-based with one or two “sweet tooth” flavors…the one I was particularly akin to was the Key Lime Pie because it tasted pretty much like the damn thing.
However, the rest of the yogurts? They were a little disappointing to be honest. I tried the Strawberry yogurt and you could tell that there was more of a creamy feel to the yogurt…almost like a solidified form of strawberry milk I might say (even though I’ve never tried strawberry milk before). Even if Red Mango Yogurt can be likened to more typical yogurt, I think Mochi puts a better spin on it. Mochi’s yogurt just seems lighter and almost like more of what a friend of mine put as “ice-crystallized yogurt”.
They do have a wide variety of toppings as well, and they one-up Mochi by offering smoothies and parfaits, which puts a nice touch to things.
But can Red Mango survive in this now-hostile environment? Or can all of these yogurt places coexist somewhat peacefully? It’s really hard to tell right now, and admittedly Red Mango is doing a soft opening until midway through June when they will do a grand opening (::cough:: probably big deals galore ::cough::). So if you do go and find that there’s a lack of people there, it’s probably because most people don’t know it’s open.
However, with Mochi set to open its University Ave. location very soon, Red Mango will need to establish its name quickly if it even wants to compete here in Gainesville. Either that, or we’re going to be seeing some UK-politics-like control around here…
Overall: B-
Pros: Nice design (minus the study room), wider selection of flavors and products
Cons: The “study room” ain’t one at all, yogurt tasted more like frozen flavored cream…that was barely flavored, not really competitive pricing (on par with Mochi)
Red Mango is located in the Hooters Plaza near the corner of 34th and Archer; you can find it right next to Plato’s Closet. Hours are M-R 10A – midnight, F-Sa 10A – 1AM.
I love all of these people saying Red Mango isn’t icy yogurt like the competition. People the reason is that Red Mango is real yogurt delivered from a dairy, the competition is powder mixed with milk and then froze. If you like yogurt that isn’t natural and missing all the health benefits of “real yogurt” then go to the other knock offs. If you like real authentic yogurt with “proven” health benefits and great taste go to Red Mango. Simple as that
I thought about adding that Red Mango tasted more like a Yoplait of sorts (definitely not texture-wise), which has its pros and cons as well…but thought that might be a little too negative.
But to say that Mochi/Yogaberry/whatever is a knock-off? A knock-off means that the company is trying to pose a product as if it were like the real thing. Mochi yogurt might not be the real definition of yogurt, I’m not going to attest to that. However, Mochi has never actually claimed that they have probiotics and what not; they just claim that, in terms of nutritional facts, it’s “lean” and “healthy”.
As I mentioned in the review, the Strawberry yogurt at RM, for instance, felt more like it was strawberry milk that was frozen that actual strawberries, something that Mochi does somewhat well. Not the best, not like actual strawberries, but close. Another example was that citrus flavored yogurt that started with “Tang”…it felt like drinking orange juice mixed with milk, and the blend of citrus was not all that appealing unfortunately. I’m not going to deny that the creamy-ness made it more interesting, but each flavor felt like it had more cream than actual flavor and therefore made it seem like each flavor was more or less the same.
Regardless, I respect your criticism…but would wish you actually used a real name and e-mail address. But such is life.
RED MANGO FOR LYFE.
Hi spark,
Thanks for the interesting blog you wrote. I want to start off by correcting that Lollicup is NOT a franchise. We are a trademark business model. We are essentially a mom and pop store each independently owned with a collective agreement to use a certain brand of boba tea drinks to offer quality product and services. We do not pay royalties and do not get support like a franchise would. We are allowed to carry any additional items beyond boba tea drinks such as food, tea, yogurt, etc. to help produce revenue for our store.
Not to defend Red Mango, but their yogurt is the real deal. And so is Lollicup here in Gainesville. I can’t speak for other Lollicup becuase what they carry beyond boba tea drinks is their own recipe. The Gainesville Lollicup has been open since 2006 and we have been serving frozen yogurt since. Our yogurt is certified and even slightly healthier than Red Mango depending on flavors.
Mochi, however does false advertise. They use to tell their customers that their cups and spoons are biodegradable when only their spoons are. NOT the cups! Mochi does advertise that their yogurt contains probiotics but they simply mix in refrigerated Dannon yogurt. Thats NOT how you make yogurt. Mochi claims that their yogurt is made with water. Since when is yogurt made with water? Yogurt is fermented culture milk. Ask any mochi employee how they make their yogurt and they can’t even tell you. Only the managers make the yogurt privately in the backroom. California FDA states that yogurt must be made offsite at a licensed dairy plant. Mochi couldn’t open in California where frozen yogurt competition is the hottest. Mochi takes a premade yogurt product or base, that isn’t certified to be yogurt and mix it with Lollicup’s boba tea product or other generic product. They skip the fermentation process with the probiotic cultures. Mochi claims to be the first self serve, but there were other stores before them in Florida. Mochi also misrepresent the NYA seal on their website but if you read the disclaimer, they say they are not responsible for the external content of their site. This is misleading to consumers! Mochi will not tell you what the nutritional facts for their other flavors because they are extremely high in calories and sugar! While Lollicup and Red Mango proudly displays their nutritional facts for their products. If you compare the nutritional facts for Lollicup, Red Mango, and Mochi, Mochi contains the highest amount of sugar and calories per serving!
As far as taste is concern. Mochi’s yogurt melts extremely fast becuase its made with WATER! Its icy and powdery. its not that you’re paying 45 cent an ounce for quality product like Red Mango, but you’re paying way to much for a inferior product. What i’m saying is you’re being overcharge since day one. In California, the average yogurt price is 30 cent. THINK ABOUT THIS? People though they were getting a great deal when really, they are getting ripped off on an inferior cheap product because they don’t know better. Ask anyone visiting from California and they will tell you Mochi’s yogurt is the worst. I’ve tasted Mochi’s strawberry yogurt. Straight up Powder! But i also think Red Mango’s strawberry was pretty lame tasting too. I was also dissappointed with Tangomodium too and I believe that Red Mango has change the taste of their yogurt becuase the one i tasted in California four years ago is different from the one I tasted in Florida today.
Dear Nam,
.
Thanks for the wonderful reply; I don’t know if you remember but I actually talked to you some months ago for a fundraiser that my friend and I were spearheading, but I am very glad that you took the time to write such a thoughtful response
The thing about learning something new every day really comes to mind when reading your response…and I’m glad that someone is in agreement with some of the flavors served at Red Mango. I’m also (cautiously) enlightened about the state of affairs at Red Mango, especially because you are the second person to bring up the whole “water” affair at Mochi, although hearing it the first time around wasn’t as enlightening because I was hearing it from a supposed fanboy rather than a more respectable person in the community like yourself. I’m curious as to how you know this detailed information, but a good businessman never reveals his secrets haha (I would kind of know, my parents used to own a Baskin-Robbins back in Orlando a long time ago).
With regards to Lollicup, I must say that I love your italian-ice like drinks; I get Green Apple every time I go and I am satisfied. I’m not a fan of boba in general, so it’d be a mistake of me to even think about trying it, let alone “reviewing” it. Also, in regards to ownership status I completely apologize for the misinformation; I just did a little Google search for lollicup and assumed that it was a franchise of some sorts…when I saw that I was quite frankly surprised because I seriously thought it was too good to be a franchise-like store. Also, I should come in and try the frozen yogurt sometime, seeing how as I have not done so before (and if I claim I did, I apologize).
Regardless, I thank you for your thoughtful response, and I’ll be posting it as a blog post of it’s own fairly soon. Not that a lot of people in town read this blog anyway
Sincerely,
Sey Hee Park
Sey,
Thank you for your business. And I do apologize because I can’t remember the fundraiser you are talking about, but I’m sure I am willing to help with certain organizations.
As far as knowing what my competitors do, lets just say, I keep my friends close, and my enemies closer! haha. I research and talk to as many people in the industry as I can, including ex-Mochi employees. I talk to many suppliers and they tell me who their clients are. Remember, I’ve been doing this since 2006. Mochi only open last year. Their suppliers even call me to let me know what and how much they are getting. I even know how Red Mango makes their products. Funny thing is, The owner of Red Mango was coming into my store getting our yogurt for about a month. He didn’t recognize me, but I sure recognize him becuase I know all my regular customers. We got into a conversation one time and I ask him what he was doing in Gainesville, and he couldn’t give me a straight answer. haha. But he is really a nice guy and I do like him. He was just doing what any owner would do, check out the competition. I wish him luck and am glad he open one in Gainesville. Comepetition is healthy and I’m a firm believer in that.
As far as Mochi goes, the positive thing I like to say is, they hired the right designer and builders. The store design and decor is probably the best I’ve ever seen in all the yogurt stores I’ve visit. Albert Wang is the designer. He is professor of Archicture at UF. He does not get enough credit for what he did for Mochi. I truly believe if Mochi doesn’t look the way they do, they would not be as competitive. He should have been compensated alot more than what he was paid. Magnum Wood did a excellent job doing the fabrication of the store. Top notch work and craftsmanship.
I learn alot from Mochi, Red Mango, and other yogurt stores that I have study. They have taught me what consumers really want and trust me, its not about the yogurt.
This is the facebook message that Mochi posted on their page after our conversation here on the SAME DAY. I GUESS THEY ARE WORRIED THAT THEIR SECRET IS COMING OUT.
“Mochi Frozen Yogurt: Hey Mochi Fans!! Don’t listen to the “other guys”, our frozen yogurt is made from 100% all natural, nonfat plain Dannon yogurt and bottled Spring water. If you have any questions, we’d love to answer them for you. So come in, try our premium frozen yogurt for yourself this Sunday for our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY at any Gai…nesville location and get HALF OFF your yogurt =)”
So let me get this straight? You’re selling 45 cent an ounce to people by simply WATERING down a Dannon Yogurt product with spring water? Not filtered water, but spring water? The difference in these two water is mineral content where the latter contains minerals. You can’t have these mineral present in a yogurt product becuase it creates inpurity and what are you doing adding water in the first place? WOW. Like I said, Yogurt isn’t made with water? Its cultered milk or fermented milk. LOOK IT UP. NOT WATER!! And you can’t just mix in Dannon Yogurt becuase the proportion of yogurt and yogurt culture to the mix will be diluted. You need to start with the right amount of milk in proportion to the amount of probiotics cultures. And what about pasteurization? After you mix the yogurt with water and other ingredients, how do you plan to keep it clean? You’re talking about bacterias here that will still go bad under the wrong temperature or conditions for them to grow or spoil. No wonder they can afford to sell it at half off, I would too if i was selling water down Dannon Yogurt. In my 4 years of doing business, we have never sold yogurt at half off becuase production of quality yogurt is EXPENSIVE!!
Wow, this has been THE most insightful commentary on froyo in Gainesville. +1 for Lollicup and Red Mango! I personally love Red Mangos froyo and go to Lolli for the drinks ;]