Tasti-D-Lite Inc.
Tasti D-Lite Faces More Non-Competition
L.A.-based frozen yogurt purveyor Pinkberry continues its low-calorie invasion of Tasti D-Lite country.
The allegedly habit-forming icy-treat chain, AKA "crackberry," has signed a lease for a new 600-square-foot shop on Broadway near Columbia University, according to Tuesday's announcement from brokerage Robert K. Futterman & Associates.
The new Morningside Heights digs will be the fifth New York City location for the West Coast dessert dealer, which has embarked on an aggressive East Coast expansion plan.
Not that Tasti D-Lite is shivering.
As a spokesperson for "NEW YORK'S #1 FROZEN DESSERT" told The Observer back in November (and recently reiterated for the Sun): "We don't consider it any competition at all... It's frozen yogurt, and our product is a unique frozen dessert which contains no yogurt at all."
Full release after the jump. read more »
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The Icy Green-Tea Taste of Competition
Modestly expansionist
Health-conscious L.A.-based frozen-yogurt purveyor Pinkberry is plotting a massive low-calorie invasion of New York.
But can a trendy Southern California upstart truly compete in a cooler Northeastern climate long dominated by the Tasti D-Lite juggernaut?
With one Manhattan location already open (7 East 32nd Street) and another three sites now under construction, Pinkberry's local leasing reps, Robert K. Futterman & Associates, announced plans Monday to establish 15 additional so-called "GUILT FREE" venues by 2007, "in Manhattan, the Outer Boroughs, Westchester County, Long Island, Rockland County and throughout New York State," according to a press release.
An aggressive expansion to be sure but still a far cry from the 30 sites presently under Tasti D-Lite control in Manhattan alone.
A spokesperson for "NEW YORK'S #1 FROZEN DESSERT" downplayed the potential Pinkberry threat.
"We don't consider it any competition at all," says Tasti D-Lite's Gertrude E. Bakel, who likened the frosty faceoff to an "apples and oranges" comparison.
"It's a very different product," she says of Pinkberry. "It's frozen yogurt, and our product is a unique frozen dessert which contains no yogurt at all." read more »
Among the lactose intolerant, at least, Tasti's top-dog status remains safe.
- Chris Shott
