 Love's Yogurt
It's taken me about a decade to accept Love's Yogurt as a viable dining option, which is somewhat typical, as I generally don't enjoy anything trendy until it's way past its prime. Back in the day, when Love's and TCBY were just taking root, I scoffed at their health-minded pretentions and guilt-by-association with yuppie types and other self-proclaimed "masters of the universe." Yes, I am aware that my built-in cynicism machine often creates social paranoia that does not exist in reality, so I won't bother apologizing for linking yogurt stores with "yuppies."
Part of my confusion was the fact that Love's specialized in frozen yogurt, but also offered baked potatoes and salads. This made no sense to me; it seemed to me like opening up a toy store that also sold luggage. But time and nutrition have caught up with me, and now I understand the appeal of a fast-food place with dependably healthy food options. So, just as I read Playgirl for the articles, I now eat at Love's Yogurt for the meals. They've got a surprisingly good menu, veg. and Vegan friendly (though you have to be a bit selective). Most of their more tempting items are slathered in cheese (baked potatoes especially), but it's also one of the few restaurants where substitutions are totally no big deal. For my review visit, I had a veggie burger (on wheat bread, with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and sprouts), which came with celery and carrot sticks and chips (which I chose over pretzels … no point in being a frickin' monk), and a jumbo Sprite to drink. The burger is microwaved – the microwave being, as far as I can tell, Love's only mode of cooking – but was quite good. I must say, it's very pleasant having tasty, healthy fast-food options … and in a mall food court, no less.
The service is erratic – sometimes friendly, sometimes laced with suppressed hostility (I'm SORRY I wanted mustard, okay!), the prices are high (about $7 for this lunch), but it's still a fair shake overall. The also have tons of salads, sandwiches, and frozen yogurt available (white pistachio is my endorsement, if you go for that sort of thing). And while nowadays you may well be snickered at for saying you ate at Love's Yogurt, I suppose to me that's actually a selling point. Now excuse me while I go watch "Boy Meets World."
Review by Linda Long, July 1998 |