Greetings, fellow fro-yo lovers! I know it’s been a while since I shared an adventure with you, and my apologies for the lengthy hiatus. Today’s adventure is quite newsworthy, so I didn’t want anyone to miss out. Today Zelda found herself dealing with yet another beloved shop’s closure…..Yogurtland in Kent. The decision was made only last week, and my friend who manages the store gave me the sad news as soon as she found out. Naturally I was quite disappointed to learn that my time there was limited because I’ve had so many wonderful adventures there. I’ve been going since they opened in January 2012, but I knew they had been struggling the past few years. It seemed that a closure was inevitable, but I was hoping they could somehow survive. Unfortunately there were no fro-yo miracles in the cards, so I prepared myself for the final adventure in Kent.
The store was empty when I arrived, so that added to my somber mood. It did give me a chance to take pictures and to reflect, so that was nice. Out of 12 flavors typically offered, they had 11 available today. They’ve had issues with many of their machines and they actually went the entire summer with only 10 flavors; on a few occasions there were only nine which is a mere 75% of their rotation. Thankfully they had almost a full offering today, and I was able to find a few enticing ones. I sampled the three delectables that I was eyeing, and then it was time to make the final creation.
Today’s farewell fro-yo was a trio of Butterfinger frozen custard, Caramel Almond Bar, and Apple Strudel with Caramel. For complements I chose dark chocolate bits for Butterfinger, crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter cups were scattered over Caramel Almond Bar, and Apple Strudel with Caramel was adorned with a dusting of graham cracker crumbs. As always, the entire cup saw a nice helping of cookie dough bites; however, there was no whipped cream today which is a staple for me. It wasn’t a big surprise since it was the shop’s final day, but it was still a disappointment. I paid for my treat and was presented a blue flip-flops spoon which was left over from a previous promotion, and then I made my way to my favorite table for the last time.
The cup was creamy and dreamy as I had hoped, and I ate it extra slow just to savor the moment as much as possible. I couldn’t help but wish I had some whipped cream to top it off, but the flavors were so scrumptious and Butterfinger in particular elevated the yum factor with it’s indulgent thickness. This flavor is Yogurtland’s first frozen custard offering, and it’s sinfully decadent; especially when dark chocolate bits are added. Apple Strudel with Caramel was a special treat today; I rarely get it, but the sample really struck my taste buds. Caramel Almond Bar was smooth and flavorful, and the crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were a nice addition. It was the perfect end to nearly seven years of delicious treats here!
As I scraped the last few bites, a few other customers walked in for a Sunday afternoon treat and they seemed unaware that the store was closing tonight. It hasn’t been advertised anywhere, and I noticed that the employee working today made no mention of it as she rang up the transactions. I imagine a few people will be quite disappointed when they show up tomorrow or later in the week to find this local dessert shop is no more.
As I looked around for the final time, I couldn’t help but notice an empty napkin dispenser and an empty display case which once housed divider cookies and cones for customers to enjoy. The divider cookies slowly faded out a couple of years ago and then the store started offering cones, but not today. Another sad observation was the bulletin board which featured pictures of regular guests enjoying their visit; the pictures had been removed and all that remained was an empty board. At one time yours truly even had a picture on the board after creating a massive Unlimited Cup, and it was smack dab in the middle of the board! I have it on good authority that my friend saved all the pictures to remind her of special guests throughout the years. She’s been managing the store since it opened, so she’s essentially losing a big part of her life. She also manages Bellevue which will be the only Yogurtland in Washington after today, so at least I will still be able to visit her and enjoy my favorite snack.
They say all good things must come to an end, but we never like to see it happen. At least I have nearly seven years of happy memories, and for now I still have one Yogurtland location to frequent. How long it remains open is yet to be seen, so I will have to make the most of it!
Until we eat again….
Z-
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