Sweet Frog To Open Its Doors Tuesday Afternoon

West Hartford residents will have another place to seek sweet tooth satisfaction when Sweet Frog opens its doors Tuesday afternoon on South Main St.

It's been more than a year since the last frozen treat was served at 13 South Main St. On Oct. 5, 2011, Friendly's closed its doors. And except for a brief stint as the Be Brite Diner for the filming of the indie film "Pawn," the storefront has remained vacant.

Sweet Frog will open on Tuesday from 5 to 11 p.m. for "Friends & Family Night," offering all 20 flavors of frozen yogurt at half price. They will open for a full day (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.) beginning on Wednesday.

Scott Campbell, who owns the the West Hartford franchise location along with his wife Amy and Dan and Wendy Siracusa, said the soft opening will extend for a few weeks with special deals, including a chance to win a year's worth of frozen yogurt.

Sweet Frog's store is self-described in a news release as "a self-serve frozen yogurt concern that reminds you of a quaint, high-end coffee shop infused with bright colors of green, pink and blue."

The business has its roots in Virginia, and although the parent company was founded on the principles of Christianity (it's no secret that the "frog" in "Sweet Frog" stands for "Fully Rely on God") the local owners plan to translate that into a focus on giving back to the community. The product is also Kosher, said General Manager Chris Corso.

West Hartford's Sweet Frog has 10 yogurt machines, and will offer a total of 20 different flavors and as many as 50 different toppings ranging from "fresh fruit to fruity pebbles." Because it's all self-serve, customers can create their own personally-concocted mix of yogurts and toppings.

The Campbells opened the first area Sweet Frog in Glastonbury last May. "We quickly realized that we needed to start setting up in the towns where people travel from to reach us in Glastonbury," they said, and chose West Hartford as the next destination. There are plans to open a third area location in the Buckland Hills area of Manchester/South Windsor later this year.

Even though it's the middle of winter, the opening of Sweet Frog coincides with the beginning of exams for local high school students who may be in need of a study break reward.

And, Sweet Frog even has a fireplace!

For more information about the company, visit their website or the West Hartford store's Facebook page.