Student opinion may soon bring LoYo even closer to home.
Local Yogurt, North Carolina’s popular frozen yogurt shop, is currently in the process to join the Merchants on Points program. The shop was recently approved at Duke as a mobile food truck and may become a MOP vendor beginning Fall 2012, pending student support.
“It is up to [Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee] to survey students and find out if [Local Yogurt is] popular enough to be recommended to be an MOP vendor,” Rick Johnson, assistant vice president for housing and dining, wrote in an email Monday.
Local Yogurt’s popularity among students caught the attention of campus administrators and DUSDAC members.
“Interest in LoYo is extremely high, especially on Central and East Campus,” said DUSDAC co-Chair Jane Moore, a senior. “If LoYo is approved for [MOP], it will have a niche of its own as a dessert option for students since it will not directly compete with stores such as Alpine Bagels or Alpine Atrium.”
Local Yogurt, which now operates a food truck with on-campus stops in addition to its permanent shops, may need to adjust its business strategy for MOP.
“I think it will be interesting to see if LoYo will deliver a $4 cup of yogurt or have a minimum order amount, which may mean that several students may have to order together to make a minimum,” Johnson said. “It would seem that the [Local Yogurt food] truck serving yogurt to order with no minimum and no tip expectation may be the better way to go.”
Since college students do not usually carry cash with them, adding the Local Yogurt truck to the DukeCard payment system is a top priority, said Kiya Ward, director of Local Yogurt’s marketing department.
Ward added that Local Yogurt’s Erwin Road location created a petition to allow students to use DukeCards to purchase frozen yogurt. The petition has accumulated more than 1,000 signatures, and Local Yogurt aims to reach 2,000 signatures.
Some Duke students said they were happy with the idea of having easier access to frozen yogurt.
“I’m really excited at the prospect of LoYo’s integration into Duke’s MOP,” freshman Job Ma said. “After all, frozen yogurt is such a healthy and delicious treat.”
In addition to its two locations in Durham and food truck, Local Yogurt already has a presence on campus.
The eatery offers catering for student groups and gives donations to organizations—such as the equestrian team and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, Ward said.
“Becoming a vendor of [MOP] will allow us to give more options for Duke students,” Ward said. “The goal is to give our consumers as many venues as possible to enjoy our yogurt.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.