The price we pay for a frozen yogurt experience

Instead of throwing you into the world of fro-yo with no background information, I thought it would be an easier transition if you have what I believe is helpful knowledge. 
This is the last installment of your introduction. 
Fro-yo prices fluctuate depending on various factors such as location or demand. In South Florida, I've found that prices range from about .45 cents per ounce to .65 cents per ounce, and the cheaper places tend to provide a better experience. 
The most affordable location that I've visited is 16 handles at .49 cents per ounce. I manage to fill my cup with yogurt and toppings for under $4, which would be a problem at other shops. 
For instance, Orange Leaf, a fro-yo shop located at Mizner Park in Boca Raton requires a $4 minimum per customer. It may not seem like a big deal but I don't find it fair that my creative freedom is cramped if I choose not to overload my cup. 
The price restraints can be seen at other shops as well such as Eco Yogurt, which can be found scattered across South Florida. 

        A simple cup of fro-yo like the one above (Vanilla yogurt with kiwi and strawberries) will run you about $3.00 at places like 16 Handles, and $4.50 at more expensive locations. 

Fro-yo Fact: Although a minimum price factor can keep some people away from shops that have that policy, it doesn't seem like much of an issue. From what I've found, the shops that require a minimum are also the most expensive. 

Healthy-ish

It's easy to get carried away when given an empty cup and access to all of the flavors and toppings available at your favorite fro-yo shop but don't fret. 
There's a way to avoid going overboard. My favorite location, 16 handles (located in Boca Raton), made their shop Web-friendly by detailing the nutritional facts of their flavors. 

             Scanning over the different options allows you to check out the nutritional facts of your favorite flavors. 


The average calorie count in 3 ounces of vanilla flavored frozen yogurt is 80 calories with about 110 calories in 3 ounces of vanilla flavored ice cream. So, there's not a huge difference but for some reason, I always feel better after choosing fro-yo over ice cream. 

Fro-yo Fact: The calorie count may not seem much different than ice cream but you can see a difference in saturated fats more than anything. Frozen yogurt, because it's made with yogurt instead of cream (hence the name), has no saturated fats. The same cannot be said about ice cream. 

Fro Whoa

It might have been the midsummer heat getting the best of me but the creative freedom given to me by the the specialty shops opening up all over South Florida led me right to my first addiction — frozen yogurt.
It's been a quick rise with more than 22,000 shops sprouting up in the U.S since 2005, most of which only really took off after in the last two years, according to this Google trends chart.
To be honest, the numbers don't matter much to me. I'm all about the fro-yo itself. The flavor/topping combination along with different techniques that I've picked up since my obsession make for what I believe is an interesting conversation.
That will come later.
For now, I'll leave you with this: 

FroYoLove: San Diego, CA

Fro-yo Fact: The creative freedom I mentioned before is related directly to the fact that these shops make you do it yourself. The money you pay is based on how much your fro-yo cup weighs. Assuming that you don't go overboard, you won't be judged negatively on the contents of your cup.