I stumbled upon Sweet Frog while out to lunch with a friend. The pink and green “Now Open” sign and the cartoon frogs instantly drew me in. That, and a craving for frozen yogurt.
“It’s a great area,” said the manager, Ahmad C, when asked why he opened Sweet Frog in Tysons Corner. “It’s a business district and a lot of people come out at lunch.”
He also noted the lack of competition. Sweet Frog, started in 2009 by entrepreneur Derek Cha, has expanded to over 260 stores in 23 states and in the U.K and the Dominican Republic.
I had a tough time deciding which flavor I wanted for my first visit (and I still do every time I go back).
“We have over a dozen flavors,” Ahmad said. “And a large topping selection, over sixty.”
There is a table with a variety of brightly colored cups, and the yogurt is self-served, so customers can have as little or as much as they want. You can even mix different flavors together. While cake batter, chocolate, and cookies and cream are the biggest sellers, Ahmad goes for watermelon.
I decided to mix cookies and cream with dulce de leche. I may have had difficulty picking a flavor, but the amount of toppings floored me. There were rows upon rows of fruit, candy, cookies, nuts, chocolates, and sauces. They had the staples like strawberries and chocolate chips. But, they also had ones I didn’t even know existed, like smores bark and cinnamon sauce. “Fruits are a big seller,” Ahmad said.
Peanut butter candies and Nutella were also popular, but Ahmad’s favorite is the walnuts.
After I covered my yogurt with a generous amount of chocolate chips and smores bark, I paid and dug in. It was a perfect sweet and creamy treat on such a hot day.
“Our yogurt is creamier than other places,” Ahmad said.
After that first bite, I knew I would be coming back again. During my next visit, I grabbed one of Sweet Frog’s Frequent Frogger cards. After buying ten cups of yogurt, you get a small cup for free. Even the small cups are enough to soothe your sweet tooth. Gift cards are also available. You can also download Sweet Frog’s mobile app to get coupons, like 25% off your purchase.
I’ve been to Sweet Frog several times now and have slowly accumulated more punches on my Frequent Frogger card. I can’t help it. Since that first spoonful, my sweet tooth has been bugging me more than ever.
Along with being a local business owner, Ahmad plans to do charity work around the area, particularly with the Vienna youth community and Jill’s House, which aids children with intellectual disabilities.
