Austin FroYo Smackdown: The Yogurt Spot vs. Swirll

Besh, Sara and I have been going to The Yogurt Spot for many months and last month we tried the new Swirll.  Given our appreciation of all things forzen yogurt, although it’s technically not on the Best of Austin list I still thought it’d be worthwhile to record and share our thoughts.

In case you aren’t familiar with either of these locations they are part of the growing trend of serve your own frozen yogurt stores.  You pick up a cup, put in as much frozen yogurt and toppings as you want, then pay by the ounce.  Prices are typically in the 40-50 cent per ounce range.

So we present the first Austin FroYo Smackdown: The Yogurt Spot vs. Swirll.  Five categories, one winner, no brain freeze allowed.  Let’s get it on!

Location: Swirll

The new entrant comes out swinging by taking the location category.  Both are very close to campus, with Swirll on the main part of the Drag and TYS on Guad near 29th.  Mostly to bring in the student foot traffic.  Getting to either one from north or south Austin is probably a bit of a wash.  Since they’re so close to campus, parking is bad.  TYS has a few spots in the garage around the corner, but they’re difficult to use and usually full.  The few spots on the nearby road can be hard to find–best bet is a few spots next to the gas station.  Swirll has no parking itself, but the road behind the Drag has a lot of metered spots and the garage for the Coop bookstore is close.  So just on the slight increase in available parking, Swirll edges out TYS.

Yogurt: The Yogurt Spot

Sure, you can get to and park at Swirll a bit easier, but you came for the yogurt, right?  TYS takes this category, although this win is as narrow as its defeat in Location.  Both places have your typical chocolate and vanillas, but they also have more savory fare like cheesecake and plenty of sweet and tart fruit options.  Each machine has two independent flavors and a swirl option in the middle, so flavor placement is key.  Put two weird flavors next to each other and the swirl option is wasted.  I slightly preferred the flavors TYS offered but thought they way they organized the flavors made a lot more sense, so TYS takes this category.

Toppings: The Yogurt Spot

When it comes to toppings, the more you have the better.  The Yogurt Spot wins this hands down.  I didn’t do a raw count, but it wasn’t necessary.  TYS feels like it has twice as many options–perhaps due to the smaller toppings containers they use (which doesn’t matter since they’re always full) or the increased number of fruit and syrup toppings.  TYS also spends a bit more time selecting yogurt-appropriate toppings while Swirll may be showing some of its new-business roots by using mostly bulk-purchased foods from Costco like Vanilla Wafers or their bags of granola or full size M&Ms while TYS uses the more yogurt-appropriate mini M&Ms.

Decor/Ambience: The Yogurt Spot

Both locations try to be comfortable yet trendy, but The Yogut Spot strikes the right balance.  TYS has couches, tables, and a single high bar for staring out the window at all the people melting in the summer heat without enough sense to come in and get some delicious frozen yogurt.  They also have a large flat screen TV typically on USA  or TNT or whichever network is showing Law & Order or House or some cable movie.  Simple, yet comfortable.  Swirll, on the other hand, has the single most awkward stool and table combination I’ve ever sat in.  They’re incredibly high, incredibly awkward, and incredibly ugly.  And they have maybe 3 tables.  Their TVs were showing music videos while we were there–that may be something the college crowd likes (I didn’t know they made music videos anymore) but I shouldn’t feel like I’m not cool enough for frozen yogurt.

Besh Factor: The Yogurt Spot

Besh has been to both.  He has asked to go back to TYS, but never back to Swirll.  Three year olds are the epitome of honesty.  ’Nuff said.

Overall Winner: The Yogurt Spot 4-1

So congrats to The Yogurt Spot for easily winning this first smackdown 4-1!  See you soon.

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