Amidst the profusion of fast-food restaurants nestled on the corner of Val Vista and Queen Creek is a frozen yogurt joint that recently opened named Snowgurt. One is instantly drawn to the violet covered walls and seemingly friendly yeti mascot as well as the convenience of its location a hop and a skip away from school.

Since the dawn of  the froyo craze, I had made myself familiar with plenty of self-serve froyo chains. The majority are all the same- Swirl It, U Swirl, Orange Leaf, Froyona, Kokomo- all equipped with similar flavors, toppings, sizes, and service, so naturally I suspected the same from Snowgurt.

Although the establishment was clean and rather larger than other froyo shops, I was not impressed with the quality of the froyo. As I approached the yogurt stand, over-sized bowl in hand, I sought out my favorite flavor of all time: cake batter. I wandered along the row until I set my sights on the dispenser and pulled on the lever. *enter drumroll here* My yogurt dragged down into my bowl for what seemed like 10 minutes. Sigh.

By the time I made my way to the mix-in topping stand, my yogurt was already beginning to look like a mediocre milkshake. The topping stand was customary; I piled on strawberries, passion fruit boba, brownie bites, and coconut flakes. Mouthwatering, right? At $0.42 per ounce, I was expecting a little bit more.

While indulging on my creamy concoction, the dining area was vacant but accustomed with a couch, four tables, and a mini table with coloring books and crayons for the little ones. I scanned the shop and noticed a large whiteboard with the four major schools in the area (Perry, Campo Verde, Basha, Higley) and noted their sports games, dates and locations. Also, displayed on a tv in the corner of the shop was a slideshow of pictures of various customers smiling while enjoying their Snowgurt.

This was a nice touch to try and involve the community make the environment more inviting, but the effort was backfired by an unpleasant, silent ambiance throughout the store. Although there was a tv playing, the sound was too low and made for an awkward silence.

All in all, Snowgurt is attractive for its accessibility and community involvement, but for its froyo, not so much.