Mindful Design Consulting Newsletter (March 2012) Yogurt Shop Success Story

Shelly Hwang was working on her Tea Room idea when she hired her future partner Young Lee to be a designer. When the Tea Room concept failed, for multiple reasons, the two decided to try a completely different and new concept – Healthy Yogurt Shop. The original Tea Room space was too small and the local Building Department did not allow any room for seating outside. A yogurt shop did not need that much seating or space.

Instead of trying to make their yogurt taste good by using more sugar or fat, the owners took a different approach looking at what is being done overseas. “I got the idea for this kind of yogurt when I visited Vienna in 1993 and first tasted a specific kind of soft serve gelato-like yogurt…” said Lee. Shelly, who is also a cook, refined the taste of the yogurt to perfection by experimenting.

The main idea is to concentrate on only a few flavors of yogurt instead of having a variety of different products. Simplicity is the real key here which allows more time for mastering your product’s uniqueness. Pinkberry has only 3 to 6 main flavors, depending on the season. They also provide fewer toppings, which are carefully selected to be fresh and healthy.

4. Quality of Design and Materials

The interior design is a great reflection of the essence of your business. For Pinkberry, trying to convince even the landlord was tough, but in the end the results were obvious. “I would tell them my design ideas, which included $600 tables, $350 chairs and a $1,200 bench. I wanted to use an expensive build-out that made everything reflective. They thought we were crazy to spend that kind of money when the average yogurt ticket was only $6,” said Lee, the architect of Pinkberry. You don’t want to look like an amateur to your clients when you are creating a new concept.

5. Have Fun With Design!

Pinkberry has a pebble floor which reminds us of a hot summer day at the beach when you can’t wait to get ice cream! Lee specified Philippe Starck’s Victoria Ghost chairs and a George Nelson-inspired bench. “Scandinavian designs give the place a retro-modern look with green circle dots to evoke Danish butter and dairy products.” Le Klint lamps look like yogurt swirls.

All the pictures were taken by Mindful Design at the local San Diego Pinkberry location. See more images HERE.

Are you thinking about making architectural changes in your business? Contact us HERE! Take a look at other yogurt shop designs including 2 yogurt shops designed by Mindful Design Consulting HERE.