New FroYo Shop Opens Near Wiregrass

By Ashley Reams

Since December, Ray Perez has gotten engaged, bought a house in Meadow Pointe with his fiancée, and opened his own business, Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt.

“It’s been an exciting couple months,” said the 2006 Wharton High School grad who’s celebrating his 25th birthday this month.

And he’s hoping Happy Cow keeps the momentum going.

The store, which had its grand opening May 10, is similar in concept to other self-serve yogurt shops popping up in the area: You start with a bowl, choose your flavor, add your toppings, weigh your creation and pay by the ounce.

Watch Perez create his favorite frozen treat here.

But Perez said he and his business partners, aunt and uncle Connie and Bill Rogers of Wesley Chapel, wanted Happy Cow to stand out.

“We knew that we didn’t want to be a mom and pop frozen yogurt, so we wanted to create a brand,” he said.

His aunt found an image of a cow holding an ice cream cone online. They bought the rights to the image and hired a designer to change the ice cream cone to a cup of pink frozen yogurt.

That image became the theme of the store. The walls are painted in pinks and blues, and they’re accented by brown counters with white tops. The smell of fresh waffle bowls wafts through the shop, and the overhead speakers play upbeat songs old and new from artists like Taylor Swift and Jim Croce. The large flat screen TV near the entrance is tuned to the Disney Channel, and there’s free WiFi.

The idea is to appeal to everyone: families, college students, young couples and older adults.

“We’re creating an atmosphere,” Perez said. “We don’t want to neglect any demographic.”

Perez, 24, acknowledged that he’s a young business owner.

“It’s a little weird, but it’s exciting,” he said. “I take what I’ve learned at other restaurants.”

He’s been in the restaurant industry since he was 16, working at a cinebistro, assistant managing at Moe’s, and general managing at Burger Monger. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2010 after studying marketing and economics.

“I just applied my previous experience and adapted it to the frozen yogurt industry,” he said.

And he’s using his youth to his advantage.

“Being young, I’m in touch with what young people like,” he said, adding that he knows how to use social media to promote his business.

Perez helped a customer who recently visited the shop try several samples.

“I like the décor,” she told Perez when she stepped up to the cash register to pay for her treat.

“We spent a lot of time on the design, so I appreciate your feedback,” Perez replied.

It’s an example of the customer service the store provides and the interest in customer reaction that Perez said helps set Happy Cow apart from other yogurt shops.

Employees are expected to help customers get yogurt samples, keep tables clean, make sure customers have plenty of napkins and that they enjoy their experience at Happy Cow.

Something else that sets the shop apart, Perez said, are the products themselves. Happy Cow has eight machines and 16 rotating flavors of frozen yogurt, sorbet and soft serve gelato, which range from caramel sea salt and cappuccino to mixed berry and white chocolate truffle. There are also 60 different toppings, including marshmallow cream sauce.

“Everyone goes crazy for that,” Perez said.

Employees also bake cookies and brownies daily and encourage customers to use them as their first layer in the bowl below the frozen yogurt.

Perez said he hopes that all of these attributes—the brand, the atmosphere, the customer service and the products themselves—will keep customers coming back and allow Happy Cow to open additional locations.

“We want to expand,” Perez said. “After we’ve seen what we do here, we’re looking at Zephyrhills.”