"Observations of a FroYo Enthusiast."

A phenomenon that has come upon the 'burbs of middle class America is Fro-Yo, also known as frozen yogurt. It has captivated the taste buds of the neighborhoods where little exists to be excited about. In Buffalo Grove, the opening of 'Yogurt-Land' has proven to be the new epicenter of community assembly. It must be said that the Yogurt-Land that is the center of this piece is located in Wheeling, but on the very edge and services more in Buffalo Grove.

In Robert D. Putnam's “Bowling Alone,” he describes how Americans are losing stock in “social capital.” In that, according to his website: “Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and our democratic structures– and how we may reconnect. Putnam warns that our stock of social capital– the very fabric of our connections with each other, has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities.” It is true, there are indeed fewer bowling leagues, and fewer places where my personal community of Buffalo Grove is incredibly fractured socially. There is no sense of Buffalo Grove pride, no sense of “Buffalo Groveness.”

I believe there has been a breakthrough in the increasing descent of that sense of community here, it lies with fro-yo, and the masses that enjoy it's magical powers.

'Yogurt-Land' is a franchise founded in Fullerton, California. They've got an assortment of flavors and toppings but we'll address this later. It's opening wasn't necessarily a big thing, like a Sonic or Hardee's in some rural town in Arkansas. It is the new iteration of Dairy Queen. The soft serve giant of Dairy Queen was coincidently founded in the 1940's in Joliet, Illinois. After years in existence it has diversified their menu and sells hot dogs and burgers now. In the 1950's and 1960's it was a really trendy place to hang out. In 2012 no one hangs out at the Dairy Queen.

When one approaches Yogurt-land in Buffalo Grove it becomes very apparent that there is no adequate seating for the amount of customers. This is a testament to the popularity of the place. The line on occasion stretches out the door yet people succumb to the rules of patience to get a taste of the of the stuff. Upon entry into the line some consistent behaviors can be noticed. In occupying a place in line, some customers are on their phones desperately trying to alter the perception of time to make it go faster. Other customers, particularly there with a companion of multiple people engage in conversation which forfeits its right to privacy because of the cozy nature of the store. Often times you'll hear fro-yo veterans suggesting flavors. There are 16 flavors to choose from, but arguably 15 aren't so good.

Diverse Line Wating

In my humble opinion “plain tart,” is by far the best flavor. No other flavor is in the same position. Philosophically speaking, all of the flavors are indeed made from a base of plain tart, so everything has an additive of some kind, be it “salted pecan caramel,” or “smores.” There is a large aptitude for failure here among all the flavors except plain tart. It has no additives in the sense that it's flavor isn't tweaked unnaturally. As a base it is sour plus a kick and tastes exactly like kefir. Any other flavor one chooses is a perversion of the best flavor because all the flavors include plain, right? Furthermore customers have a choice to add toppings, from fruit, to crushed butterfingers to fruity pebbles. There is a larger variety of toppings than flavors, which would be overkill on any other flavor except for the plain tart. Getting marshmallows and chocolate on the “smore,” flavor would be overkill.

The fascinating thing about the wait is that everyone waits in line, walking past every self serve fro-yo dispenser. Line cutters are frowned upon, it makes for a poor experience on both ends. Waiting in line conjures up a hunger and excitement that is quenched upon purchase. That wait has naturally been established in the line and is subconsciously crucial to the experience. If one cuts he or she then waits less and this quench does not satisfy to it's full potential, and the person behind said cutter has to wait longer which infringes on his or her window of quenchable opportunity. It is basically incredibly distasteful for obvious reasons to cut in line.

Also sampling needs to be prompt and appropriate, There is no need for 16 samples (especially since plain is by far the best). It holds up the line and exposes ones selfishness and indecision publicly to a severe social detriment. Two samples is appropriate.

Topping selection is also something of a process. It needs to be quick, because it can hold up the line, and due to the no cutting principle it has no remedy to people who take their time. I would not prescribe a limit on selection, rather I'd suggest being able to pick those toppings as fast as possible.

The one thing to avoid is being in line behind small children. This can be a nightmare that has the very real capacity to delay fro-yo dispensing because children have an excuse to try every flavor and every topping: they're kids yo. If at any point one realizes that they may have to wait behind children it may be advisable to go outside and wait for them to finish. It is incurable obstacle to the fro-yo experience that is better dealt with by excusing oneself for ten minutes.

After purchase patrons generally like to eat outside, which has forced the fro-yo enthusiasts to invade the parking lot and surrounding sidewalks. People sitting on curbs, spooning fro-yo and socializing has brought back sentiments of that Dairy Queen hangout of yore. The demographics are not something one can categorize. Tall people, short people, skinny people, fat people, brown, yellow and purple people and some Jews all go to this place. Buffalo Grove in its entirety has been frequenting this place which shows the unique nature of it: Yogurt-Land by and large promotes real diversity in the community.

Yogurt-Land is the poppin' place these days. It's not a trendy thing either, it is really how good the fro-yo actually is. One would be fallacious to say that something better exists. The cultures and probiotics are not the only healthy thing going on with this place. It's the identifiable social capital of Buffalo Grove that's rising in stock. I'd invest and argue you should too.