The Battle of the Self-Service, Weight-based Frozen Yogurt
In the fight for supremacy in the 100% self-service, weight-based Frozen Yogurt category in the Metro, who do you think will win — the newcomer Filipino-owned Yogurt Nation in Bonifacio Global City, American chain Tutti Frutti, which is established inside the malls, or Canadian-based Qoola with its first branch in Greenbelt?
We compared the yogurt flavor, topping options, cost, ambiance and location to determine the winner in this battle.
1. Taste and Flavors of Yogurt
Yogurt Nation recently opened in Bonifacio Global City near the corner of 31st and 2nd — just around the corner from Alexandre and 2 blocks away from Burgos Circle. When we visited their store, they had 7 basic flavors: Original, Cranberry, Melon, Strawberry, Mango, Melon and Ube. The yogurt there is smooth and creamy but still able to retain the tartness. It is best to twist the flavors together in a swirl. It’s a good thing they positioned the flavors in such a way that they complement each other (ex. Strawberry+Mango and Melon+Ube).
Tutti Frutti is a US-based specialty frozen yogurt café chain with as many as 50+ unique flavors (both creamy and tart). During our visit to the original Megamall branch, there were 8 available flavors: Original, Cookies N Cream, Blueberry, Strawberry Banana, Coffee, Taro, Death by Chocolate, and Green Apple. The Original Tart and Taro are the bestsellers and the ones that we like. However, the creamy flavors tasted like cheap swirl ice cream and were not as smooth as we expected them to be.
Qoola is a Canadian-based Frozen Yogurt chain, which “takes pride in their fresh frozen yogurt with natural ingredients and probiotic cultures”. Part of their claim is that their yogurt is fat-free, gluten-free and certified kosher. We like the balance of smooth creaminess and tanginess of Qoola. During our visit, they had Original, Green Tea, Wild Berry and White Chocolate Macadamia. (The flavors change occasionally.) We love the healthy taste of Green Tea. We also like the coffee-ish White Chocolate Macadamia, which takes like a frappuccino in frozen yogurt form. As a side note, we found out it’s not a good idea to twist the flavors in a swirl.
ROUND 1 Winner: Qoola’s Overall Taste and Flavors
Despite the variety of flavors at Tutti Frutti, the taste of the yogurt there is a bit commercial and not something you will crave. Yogurt Nation has a balanced taste, but the flavors are more basic (using fruits). We like Qoola’s overall creamy-tangy taste and, best of all, it has varied flavors that would keep you coming back for more.
2. Variety of Toppings
YOGURT NATION TOPPINGS
Yogurt Nation’s topping options are very limited and they don’t have fresh fruits as toppings — mostly canned. In any case, in a per-oz pricing scheme, the toppings should be limited to fit your budget.
Btw, you have the option to Razzle Dazzle the toppings with the yogurt for an additional P12.
TUTTI FRUTTI TOPPINGS
Tutti Frutti has a lot of toppings, including fresh and canned fruits and different flavor coatings. Kids would love the cookies, chocolates, and gummy bears. 🙂
QOOLA TOPPINGS
Qoola’s toppings are quite extensive with an emphasis on fresh fruits and toppings for the kids, like gummy bears, graham, cookies, multi-colored sprinkles and smarties.
ROUND 2 Winner: Qoola’s Toppings
Qoola’s variety of toppings are targetted towards the health-conscious and kiddie market. We like that all of the basic toppings that you can think of are available in Qoola. It would be nice, though, if they could offer toppings like mochi. 🙂
3. Yogurt Cost per Oz.
Yogurt Nation costs P23/oz and comes in 2 sizes — small (4oz++) and big (7 oz++).
Tutti Frutti costs P20/oz and comes in 3 sizes — small, medium and big.
Qoola actually made it very hard to compare prices because they offer it at P75 per 100g.
So let’s convert it with the conversion rate of 1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams
– 100g would be 3.52739621oz
– P21.26 for 1oz
Round 3 Winner: Tutti Frutti has the Best Value!
Tutti Frutti provides the best value, but Qoola’s pricing is not far away. Yogurt Nation is the most expensive.
4. Overall Ambiance
YOGURT NATION AMBIANCE
Yogurt Nation’s ambiance is more loungy and lifestyle cafe-ish, catering to the office crowd.
TUTTI FRUTTI AMBIANCE
Tutti Frutti’s ambiance is more fruity and commercialized, much like fast food cafes.
QOOLA AMBIANCE
Qoola is more stylish, young and fresh-looking. I like the way the Greenbelt gardens add a refreshing view to the second floor area.
Round 4 Winner: Qoola’s ambiance
Qoola’s ambiance reminded me of Pinkberry. It’s the sort of place where you want to hang out, especially since there is FREE WIFI. 🙂 It’s not that child-friendly though because of the stairs (where it could get dangerous for the kids to go up and down).
5. Store Location
YOGURT NATION
Yogurt Nation
1D and 2D The Sapphire Residences
Ground Floor, 31st St. corner 2nd Ave., Crescent Park West,
Bonifacio Global City
Parking is a bit of a problem since you need to look for the nearest parking area and just walk.
Tuna Mushroom Melt (P188 +5%sc).
One advantage of Yogurt Nation is that it is part of a three-level restaurant complex, with Yogurt Nation on the ground floor, the cafe on the second floor, and The Lounge on the third floor. The cafe serves comfort food and merienda fare — good but not something to rave about.
Cafe Menu: Appetizing Bites, Warm Sandwiches | Entrees, Pasta, and Drinks
TUTTI FRUTTI
Tutti Frutti, on the other hand, is conveniently located in a variety of malls (with the pioneering branch in SM Megamall). It tries to imitate the “Pinkberry” style of color schemes and setup, but the manner of execution seems more similar to a fast food chain.
Tutti Frutti Yogurt Cafe
Company Overview: Over 130 stores worldwide and growing!
Philippine Store Locations:
4th level, the Atrium of SM Megamall
Telephone: +632 633-3642
3rd Level, Glorietta 4, Makati
Telephone: +632 864-0986
Ground level, SM San Lazaro, Manila
Opening June 2010: Lower Ground Floor, SM City Manila
Opening July 2010: Centris Walk, Eton Centris, Quezon City
Store Hours: 10AM to 10PM
For email inquiries: tfyogurtphil@yahoo.com
Website: www.tfyogurt.com
QOOLA
Qoola’s first branch is strategically located in a stylish mall like Greenbelt. Boni High Street and Boracay’s D’Mall are the kind of places they should expand to.
QOOLA yogurt + fruit
Greenbelt 2 (across Cyma),
Ayala Center, Makati City
Official Qoola Website
ROUND 5 Winner: Yogurt Nation’s Location
I like Yogurt Nation’s location where they are situated outside the mall. The availability of comfort/merienda food on the second floor is a plus — but what usually happens is we eat yogurt first before going to the second floor. 😀
And the Winner for me…
OVERALL WINNER: QOOLA yogurt + fruit
We love the overall look of Qoola since it’s as stylish as Pinkberry. We love the creamy and healthy taste of their fro-yo, and they offer FREE taste proactively. Also, they have FREE WI-FI! Second place would be Yogurt Nation. 🙂
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P.S. I’m still waiting for Pinkberry to open in Manila. It’s the ultimate yogurt experience for me. 🙂 Haaay, kailan nga kaya?
there is frutti froyo now along Katipunan which caters to the schools in the area 🙂 their green tea is dee-lish and the toppings are many 🙂 check it out 🙂 it’s at the Petron station beside La Vista 🙂
very nice comprehensive post 🙂 i felt as if i was reading a formal marketing paper. i’ve always passed by qoola but never gave it a second glance. now i’m inspired to try it out, and the free wi-fi is a big plus factor for me too!
i agree with Ginger. check Frutti Froyo. Its the cheapest so far only 18 /oz. I love the strawberry flavoured yoghurt there! Oh and thanks for the round up! I love Qoola too bec of the WIFI and ambiance but last time I went there we have to wait because of the poor consistency of the yogurt. Something went wrong with the dispenser. Medyo tunaw but worth the wait naman. Havent tried the other two though.
🙂
I like Frutti Froyo’s chocolate flavored yogurt. they a new branch in tomas morato (Near imperial suites). And i heard they are opening stores in Trinoma and another one in Alabang soon.
Sige, I'm curious about Frutti Froyo… I'll check it out!
Live an Awesome Life,
Anton Diaz
Founder, http://www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Call or Text Me: +63917 5683-627 (LOVE-OAP)
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Latest Blog Post on Our Awesome Planet: Yogurt Nation vs. Tutti Frutti vs. Qoola
Yeah I think I read that also. Anyway I’ve only visited the branch in Petron Treat’s Katipunan. You might want to check my (not so in-depth) review on it. 🙂
http://ph.openrice.com/manila/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=15052
Thanks for sharing the link Kary 🙂
The only one I frequent is the Yogurt Froz store here in Tomas Morato.
It’s easy to stop and just get one on your way…… and they have fruits and numerous toppings too
Of the 3, I only tried Tutti Fruiti. Totally agree with you, it’s not creamy and taste more like cheap swirl ice cream than yoguart
wow i actually thought Tutti Fruiti had Local Roots, well because of its overall Quality.. we didnt enjoy the Frozen Yogurt.. plus… well actually we didnt like everything..
Good thing Qoola’s in Greenbelt! must try it soon! 😀 pretty accessible since Ayala is on the way when going to work..
Frutti Froyo.. cool.. will check it out 😀 tnx for sharing!
ps. the link is not working 🙁
I totally agree. I think for self-service yogurt, it’s definitely Qoola and for ‘traditional’ serving of yogurt, it’s Golden Spoon and Cold Spoon. 🙂 I really hope Cold Spoon opens a branch here in Manila. 🙂
Hi! Just wanted to share…Qoola actually has mochi toppings 🙂 I love Red Mango’s yogurt more, but I’d go for Qoola when it comes to the yogurt flavors. Too bad they don’t offer them all at the same time, though.
sorry for being anal, but why do they quote their prices in ounces when we use the metric system here in the philippines? even a filipino owned product using oz? hmmm
I like Yogurt Nation among the rest. I like the creamy texture of the yogurt and Ube flavor is really to die for! I also like the fact that it closes at 3am. It’s cool for a late night hang outs and dessert night. You can go up to other floors for food(2nd floor) and cocktail drinks (3rd floor). I like the White Salpicao Pasta and they also have this cocktail all you can for 300 bucks! Very unusual for a froyo right?
Qoola! YUM! The Best!
Super like your blog Sir Anton! Keep posting!
Qoola’s the best I’ve tasted so far. Frutti Froyo, I’ve tasted it once. It’s good but their toppings don’t taste as good as that of Qoola’s.
there’s also another weight-based yogurt at Manila Ocean Park, My yogurt 🙂 also P20 per oz and has about 10 flavors 🙂
for me, the self-service and weight based concept is actually deceiving to consumers. i bought yogurt in tutti frutti glorietta when it was newly opened. got so excited since i had to swirl it myself so i ended up putting a lot in my cup. i was surprised it cost me almost P400…and yeah, i wasn’t so happy with the taste. i still like white hat and red mango.
thanks for this information. I just tried tasting tutti frutti (using original flavor) in glorietta and it tasted like regular ice cream or sundae to me. So i tried another frozen yougart in SM and the taste is still the same. I guess, the one that sells in rustans, makati is the best. I’m trying to associate the taste of the frozen yougart with the regular yougart (i.e. nestle fruit selection yougart) being sold in the supermarket.
Yes, the weight-based pricing is a bit deceiving and I'm sure they earn more
Only Yogurt Nation has all in one concept in a very delicious and good located yogurt store.
Located in the booming town of the Fort, what else can i say! 🙂 you can also eat and drink the 2nd and 3rd floor respectively. Also try their “Flaming Slushy” Yogurt infused with alcohol, blended like a frozen margarita. Where else can you find that?
I should try that flaming thing next time. We usually hang out in Yogurt nation at night 🙂
flavorwise, red mango still reigns as the best yogurt.
green tea yogurt + mochi + almonds
I didn’t enjoy Tutti Frutti. Kakabayad ko palang sa cashier tapos pagkita ko, tunaw na! Tsk.
Finally got to try Yogurt Nation the other night after sweating it out at the gym. My companions and I found it quite expensive – and these are people who don’t mind spending for good eats. You’re right, Anton – the weight-based pricing IS a bit deceiving. The Ube fro-yo is quite good though. Major bummer is the absence of fresh fruit toppings. One girl said that nothing beats Red Mango in her book.
Red Mango still the best for me as well… i didn’t like Yogurt nation since its too creamy for me..more like a regular ice cream.
I just recently tried OOLA. The taste was super, even better than my initial favorite, Lulubel located in Rockwell. Just be careful on how much you put since you might be surprised at how much your yogurt costs (damn every topping looks tasty!!!)
I’d have to agree that quoola’s white chocolate macadamia rocks. It’s my favorite. I personally hate Tutti Frutti, especially their chocolate flavor, it tasted like twin popsies. I’m not saying that twin popsies taste bad, it’s just that, it’s not what I usually look for in my chocolate froyos. 🙂
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt reminds me of popsicles, especially the death by chocolate variand. I was expecting a full yogurt-y taste, but I was dissappointed..
I tried Tutti Frutti, White Hat and California Berry. So far, White Hat is the best among the three..
I need to try the others.. 🙂
qoola has mochi na : )
My friend & I really enjoyed Tutti Fruitti cos we get to make our own yoghurt & toppings. I guess it’s about the freedom of doing it however you like it. 🙂 You might want to try Gurtz of Pancake House. It’s really good too. My fave yoghurt places are Red Mango & Pancake House’s Gurtz. I like it even without toppings. 😉
It been a while since I the last time I viist your site, I’m really looking for a blog about FroYo since there are lots of them now out in the market. I haven’t tried the 3 here and after reading your blog hmmmm maybe it’s time for me to visit Qoola :). My personal favorite though is White hat. Already tried Red Mango, California berry and Yogurbud (that I wouldn’t dare to try again hahaha)…
YOGORINO, an Italian based international chain of yoghurt stores in Robinson’s Cybergate in Cebu has every reason to claim “the best tasting yoghurt in the world”. It is becoming one of the “must haves” while in Cebu because they they don’t have a branch outside Cebu. Yoghurt, Toppings, Sauces, even the cute yoghurt cups, spoons and napkins are all imported from Italy. At 99 pesos with two toppings it is also the most reasonably priced.
Out of the 3, I’ve only tried Qoola and I can say it is definitely a winner for me as well[comparing it to Red Mango, since I’ve only tried those 2]. 🙂
Is it at the Petron station near Ateneo?