Is Froyo Chain Llaollao's Replacement Yole Just As Good? We Try It And Tell You

Just when we were settling down with our cup of bubble tea after the Gong Cha-LiHo saga, another F&B drama is brewing between Spanish froyo chain Llaollao and new froyo brand Yole (say 'yo-lay').

In an abrupt announcement made last week, Llaollao Singapore announced that it was shuttering its 29 outlets here and converting them to Yole shops.

All was relatively calm. Then, the Llaollao empire strikes back!

In a Facebook post uploaded last night (Dec 12), the Spanish froyo chain shocked the Internet again by unexpectedly declaring that its sudden closure was a decision made by its franchisee here, and that they have “absolutely nothing to do with Yole Frozen Yogurt”.

It also not-so-subtly threw shade by highlighting that “Yole is a totally new brand in the frozen yogurt market that does not exist in Europe, even though it has been advertised as such”. Here's where it gets even more interesting: the brand signed off its announcement by saying: “We want to let you know that we are far from finished in Singapore,” adding that it will be "back with new stores soon, much sooner than you can expect, so stayed tuned to our social networks".

But in case you really need froyo (even if it’s not from Llaollao) to tide you over these uncertain times, we went to check out a Yole joint at Waterway Point in Punggol to check out what’s buzzing.

The Look

Despite it being a branding revamp of sorts, Yole’s decor resembles its predecessor: bright, cheerful lighting, stark white walls and ingredients neatly presented in containers.

The only difference is that everything is Yole blue now, whereas Llaollao was a neon green that you could spot from afar. The latter’s distinctive pointy green spoon is now a blue spoon that resembles a, erm, shoehorn.

The Queue

We spied a short queue at the Waterway Point outlet we visited, though we only had to wait for less than a couple of minutes.

A passer-by spotted the Yole cup in our hand and eagerly asked for directions to the shop. Whoa, the brand already has hardcore fans? "I have not tried it, but I was curious," the passer-by told us. Just like us.

www.facebook.com/yoleartisan.