Menchie's Attracts Sweet Tooths of All Ages
Take frozen yogurt, add lots of toppings and you get Highland Park's newest hangout.
If you walk into Highland Park's new frozen yogurt place more than once a day, you're bound to see a different crowd of people each time.
After reading Ed Brill's column on Menchie's, the city's newest sweet spot, I decided I needed to check the place out myself. In addition to getting samples of Chocolate Banana frozen yogurt, I got the rundown on when you'll see who at Highland Park's newest hangout, according to Menchie's employee and Highland Park resident Christina Gilbert.
"In the afternoons you get the moms coming in with their girlfriends," Gilbert said. "Anywhere between 2:30 p.m. until four you get bumrushed by the younger kids."
The place fills up, Gilbert explained, and the neatly organized toppings take a beating.
"There are so many of them!" Gilbert said. "That's when it gets trashed in here."
After 5 p.m., people stop by on their way home from work. Families show up after dinner, and then after 9 p.m. it's just adults.
That's when things get really messy.
"The little kids after school are bad," Gilbert said, "But the adults that come at night are terrible! There's frozen yogurt everywhere, toppings everywhere."
Corrie Pollak, a Highland Park mother, was in Menchie's with her two three-year-olds when I stopped in on Monday. It was not their first time there.
"We've been coming multiple times a week since it opened," Pollak said. "Both my kids love it."
At this point, repeat customers are no surprise to owner Kim Hardy. Though she was nervous opening a frozen yogurt store in the middle of winter, she's been pleased with the response.
"People seem to like to hang out here," she said. "We've been busy."
Winter hours at Menchie's are noon till 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.
Check out photos above, then click here to read Ed Brill's column on Menchie's.
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Anonymous
7:09 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
so sad that these families are pumping their young kids with chemicals for an afternoon snack. What happened to fruits and vegetables? Maybe some almonds and cheese? Celery stick?
Mosaic53
4:02 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Is that all you have to say about a small business that invested thousands of dollars to open in HP? Thats a pretty bold assertion regarding their use of "chemicals". Did you ask to see their ingredient labels to substantiate your position? Should Sunset Foods stop selling any foods with additives? It's your choice what you choose to feed your family but please don't be the Food Police for the rest of us.
Anonymous
6:40 am on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
It is a free country and THANK GOD we can decide what to eat or what not to eat. It is of MY opinion that kids served ice cream for afternoon snack ISN'T ideal. JUST MY OPINION. I did ask to see the ingredient labels to substantiate my position. And if you do the same you will see the long list of chemicals added to this "treat." I am sorry but I am not that impressed with yet another small business serving dessert in downtown HP. We lost a book store and gained 4 dessert stores in the last couple of years. WHOO HOOO.
Dan
8:02 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
Hey dork, it's a yogurt store not ice cream.