Sweet Frog to Open Eagle Village Location

By ALISON THOET

Sweet Frog frozen yogurt will be opening a new franchise in Eagle Village this March, according to the University of Mary Washington Foundation.

Regarding the company’s decision to open a new location at Eagle Landing, Raven Williams, senior sales and development manager for Sweet Frog, said, “At Sweet Frog, we want to be more than just a dessert place; we want to be a part of the community and we were impressed with the community feel of Eagle Village.”

Sweet Frog will replace the former site of Glass America and have a direct view from U.S. Route 1, according to a UMW press release.

This will be the second Sweet Frog location in the Fredericksburg area.

However, Sweet Frog will not be the only frozen yogurt establishment in the area, or even the only one in Eagle Village.

Since 2010, the UMW community has been a customer of Salad Creations, a salad restaurant that is tied to Red Mango, another frozen yogurt corporation.

Red Mango has been in business for over five years, according to Kari Covington, marketing coordinator for Salad Creations in Eagle Village and the Stafford Marketplace off of U.S. Route 610.

According to Sameh Shalaby, general manager for Salad Creations, the self-serve station at Red Mango inside Salad Creations generates around $30,000 in revenue each year.

Covington believes that though Sweet Frog has more choices and toppings for their customers, Red Mango tied, with Salad Creations, offers a healthier choice and a cycling of flavors for their customers.

“Rather than just offering a healthy alternative for dessert, we offer a healthy meal as well as dessert, offering an overall healthy experience,” said Covington.

Aubrey Kennedy, freshman and English major, believes the competition between Sweet Frog and Red Mango will give her more options in the future.

“I think Red Mango is more convenient for when I eat at Salad Creations but that Sweet Frog will have more choices overall,” said Kennedy.

According to Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation, “The frozen-yogurt industry has exploded in the past few years with Sweet Frog, in particular, opening over 50 locations in just the past two years.”

Though both Sweet Frog and Red Mango offer frozen yogurt at the same price of 39 cents per ounce, the two corporations are in competition nationwide.

Red Mango was named first in Smoothie and Frozen Yogurt Chain in Zagat’s 2011 Fast Food Survey, according to the Red Mango website. It also won first place for Top Healthy Options within the Quick Refreshments Chains for Zagat.

Sweet Frog owns over 100 stores in 15 states, according to a UMW press release. Red Mango has over 150 locations nationwide, including both self-service and full serve stores.