Froyoz in Bearden EarthFare Center is a Top Knoxville Yogurt Spot

Froyoz is a new Knoxville-based frozen yogurt shop in the Bearden EarthFare Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The Twitter buzz first brought the restaurant to my attention. I always have to give local businesses a whirl and made plans to visit Froyoz with my daughter. Now, we're hooked.

Because it's in the Bearden EarthFare Center, there is no shortage of parking. The brightly colored sign is easily spotted the moment you pull onto the lot. It's impossible to miss.

Froyoz is a modern spin on the ice cream shops of the past. Wall colors remind me of the flavors of mango, boysenberry, kiwi and vanilla. The bright decor and tempting flavors make visiting Froyoz a treat for both the eyes and palate.

When you walk in, you are greeted with by a friendly clerk and a long row of 12 frozen yogurt dispensers along one wall. Neither my daughter or I had been to Froyoz before, so their team member had to explain the process to us.

The large bowls are in the wall dispensers and are at the head of the row of machines. Waffle bowls are on the counter next to the cashier. At the Froyoz in Bearden, the bowl size makes is easy to misjudge the amount you are getting. The size does seem to help keep the toppings contained in the bowl instead of spilling. Supervised kids may make less mess.

At the Froyoz in Bearden, you choose the flavors you want and are in control of the portion size (and the end price). Everything you get is $.49 per ounce.

There are no hidden charges for waffles or extra toppings. When you finish creating your treat, the cashier puts your bowl on a scale where it's priced by weight. The weight of the paper bowl itself is deducted from the total. You pay only for the dessert itself.

It's a pretty simple system that seems to work. My daughter and I visited the Foyoz in Bearden right after lunch during the week. Customers didn't seem to be in short supply. Business seemed to be pretty steady. A few people were ahead of us and others came in later.

Part of the draw is the serve-yourself method. I like being able to choose without having to ask someone standing behind the counter for every little thing. Another draw is that the 64 different flavors change daily. With so many choices, it might be impossible to become bored.

I tried a small sample each of the cookies and cream, chocolate, blackberry and no sugar added fat free vanilla. On this day, the Froyoz in Bearden had toppings at the bar that included chopped nuts, sprinkles, granola, pieces of pound cake and fruit. There are about 50 toppings available in all.

My entire Froyoz dessert weighed just a little over 7 ounces. I used the basic paper cup. Waffle cones are available and included in the $.49 per ounce price.

Froyoz in the Bearden EarthFare Center has my business! The location is convenient to my many trips to Knoxville and the entire bill for myself and my daughter was about $8. That's not bad for a cool treat on a warm summer day.

Froyoz - Bearden EarthFare Center
124 North Forest Park Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 602-7711
www.froyozusa.com