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August 07. 2012 11:27PM
TCBY yogurt chain coming to Bedford next spring
BEDFORD — The Country's Best Yogurt, the national frozen-yogurt chain known by its acronym TCBY, will be coming to Bedford next spring.
According to the proprietors, whose plan was approved Monday night by the Bedford Planning Board, the shop will open in March at a currently vacant retail space on South River Road.
“We're really excited to be bringing TCBY to Bedford,” said Ann Lagasse, who's opening the store with her husband, Mark Lagasse. “It's just a great product. It's low fat, it's healthy and it's such a tasty product to have as a treat.”
Lagasse said while walking the streets of Philadelphia, she happened upon a frozen-yogurt shop — something she's never been able to forget.
Lagasse's husband is retired from the financial industry, and she is a former accountant. The business is their first, and she said with their children grown up, it is the perfect fit.
They plan to offer 18 flavors, all self-serve, as well as “a variety of toppings ranging from fresh fruit to flax seeds to Snickers bars.”
Rick Sawyer, Bedford's planning director, said a dentist from an abutting property appeared at the planning board meeting to petition the board to reject the waiver to allow a fast-food business into the designated retail space.
Dr. Gary Lindner “had a lot of concern that people going to the yogurt shop would park in his lot and walk over, and he didn't want to be supplementing the plaza's parking as a result of granting this waiver,” Sawyer said.
“If Dr. Lindner didn't have those concerns, I think the board would have dealt with it very quickly,” Sawyer said, “and ultimately they didn't see any concerns with the application.”
The parking lot, which is shared by Supercuts, Home Goods and Stop & Shop, requires 438 parking spaces with the addition of TCBY, Sawyer said. But the board waived the additional 22 spaces the new business would require, keeping the number of spaces at 416.
Sawyer said because the businesses draw different customers at different times, the board didn't find an issue with the addition of a small fast-food shop.
To appease Dr. Lindner, Lagasse agreed to work with the business in placing signage in the next-door parking lot to indicate that TCBY customers are not allowed to park there.
Frozen yogurt has seen a boom in recent months. With the national chain Tutti Frutti at the malls in Manchester and Nashua, and TCBYs in Nashua and Newington, the Bedford location will continue that trend.
Sawyer said other than the Inside Scoop ice cream shop on Route 101, there are no other frozen-dessert shops in town. Recently two other parties have contacted the planning department with regards to opening frozen-yogurt shops, though neither has followed up.
Lagasse said the business will create between eight and 10 jobs. Hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Simon Rios may be reached at srios@newstote.com.
According to the proprietors, whose plan was approved Monday night by the Bedford Planning Board, the shop will open in March at a currently vacant retail space on South River Road.
“We're really excited to be bringing TCBY to Bedford,” said Ann Lagasse, who's opening the store with her husband, Mark Lagasse. “It's just a great product. It's low fat, it's healthy and it's such a tasty product to have as a treat.”
Lagasse said while walking the streets of Philadelphia, she happened upon a frozen-yogurt shop — something she's never been able to forget.
Lagasse's husband is retired from the financial industry, and she is a former accountant. The business is their first, and she said with their children grown up, it is the perfect fit.
They plan to offer 18 flavors, all self-serve, as well as “a variety of toppings ranging from fresh fruit to flax seeds to Snickers bars.”
Rick Sawyer, Bedford's planning director, said a dentist from an abutting property appeared at the planning board meeting to petition the board to reject the waiver to allow a fast-food business into the designated retail space.
Dr. Gary Lindner “had a lot of concern that people going to the yogurt shop would park in his lot and walk over, and he didn't want to be supplementing the plaza's parking as a result of granting this waiver,” Sawyer said.
“If Dr. Lindner didn't have those concerns, I think the board would have dealt with it very quickly,” Sawyer said, “and ultimately they didn't see any concerns with the application.”
The parking lot, which is shared by Supercuts, Home Goods and Stop & Shop, requires 438 parking spaces with the addition of TCBY, Sawyer said. But the board waived the additional 22 spaces the new business would require, keeping the number of spaces at 416.
Sawyer said because the businesses draw different customers at different times, the board didn't find an issue with the addition of a small fast-food shop.
To appease Dr. Lindner, Lagasse agreed to work with the business in placing signage in the next-door parking lot to indicate that TCBY customers are not allowed to park there.
Frozen yogurt has seen a boom in recent months. With the national chain Tutti Frutti at the malls in Manchester and Nashua, and TCBYs in Nashua and Newington, the Bedford location will continue that trend.
Sawyer said other than the Inside Scoop ice cream shop on Route 101, there are no other frozen-dessert shops in town. Recently two other parties have contacted the planning department with regards to opening frozen-yogurt shops, though neither has followed up.
Lagasse said the business will create between eight and 10 jobs. Hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Simon Rios may be reached at srios@newstote.com.
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