TCBY

TCBY, like Menchies, is a self-​serve frozen yogurt place. You pay per-​ounce, they have rotating flavors throughout the months, and a bar with toppings to add once you’re done, including all kinds of fruit and candy. For a desert place, it’s definitely worth checking out!

So when TCBY first hit the scene, in the 80s — and no, they did not, as they claim, invent frozen yogurt — the joke I remember was everybody tasted it and said «THAT can’t be YOGURT!» because it tasted like soft serv ice cream and cardboard. And frankly while I think they’ve improved their formula, it still tastes nothing like yogurt, and it doesn’t taste like «real» frozen yogurt.
But, if you think of this instead as a soft-​serv ice cream place, then you’re considerably better off. Ignore any concept you’re eating something at all healthful and you will eat better knowing this counts against your «treats» budget. The modern TCBY, yes, has fruit to throw on top, but they also have gummy worms and marshmallow sauce, in which the only natural ingredients come from horse hooves. Just you try finding a calorie chart and an ingredients list. Ahem.
Modern TCBYs have self-​serve for the soft-​serv «yogurt» and that cool fixins bar to add your own and then pay by weight, which is pretty cool. And now they have décor which is sort of a cross between those bad HGTV decorator shows that feature «color» and «modern style», and, oh, I don’t know, the vision they had in the 1980s for what the 2000s were going to look like. It’s funky, right down to the yogurt proof vinyl round seats and 1960s retro-​style potato-​chip plastic chairs. The kids love dancing to the kid pop soundtrack («TCBY Radio!») and watching the LED lights flash.
This franchise is new, has outdoor seating, has reasonably clueful staff, so it’s a good one of those things.
So again — lose the pretense you’re eating yogurt, admit you’re having soft-​serv ice cream, and embrace the madness. My kids prefer this to Bumpy’s, which in the strange-​but-​true department, actually charges more for their own pile of artificial frozen pseudo-​food, although I myself would probably kill for that cherry dip made of plastic and resin.
Disclaimer: I never order or eat anything when we come here.

When ShopRite opened, I was already a big 16 Handles fan. I thought it’d be a great idea to open one in that plaza so I wouldn’t have to go to Clifton Park to get my froyo on. I wished on falling stars, eyelashes, etc., and wouldn’t you know? TCBY is not 16 Handles, but I’ll take it! You’re welcome, by the way.
It’s the same concept: do-​it-​yourself froyo and toppings, pay by weight. The staff is super friendly, and let you try samples of any flavor if you’re not sure what to get. They also have a rewards card, so make sure to get in on that.