Family Day at Menchie’s

Menchie’s has been open in Kingston for a month now and we are off to a great start! This Saturday, the 26th is our family day event which will include face painting, baloons, free frozen yogurt for children under 12 and of course pictures with Menchie! Also, we are excited that two Kingston radio stations will also be broadcasting live from the event.

You may have already seen Menchie gallivanting around outside our store, he is definitely a hit with Kingstonians. If you haven’t seen him yet this is your chance! It is also a great opportunity for the kids to get a picture that they can take home with them. Our local classic rock radio station FM 96 and greatest hits radio station CKWS FM 104.3 will be broadcasting live from Menchie’s patio, so be sure to listen in if you can’t make it.

Throughout the month that we have been open we have changed flavours many times, but one of the few flavours that we have kept since our opening day is red velvet cake, it is without a doubt a favourite among Kingstonians. Red velvet cake is a popular delicacy across North America. The red colouring comes from the cocoa powder’s reaction to acidic ingredients such as buttermilk. When chefs began to notice the red colour they emphasized it by adding red food colouring or beet juice. Red velvet cake is also nicknamed “devil’s food cake” because of the rich flavour and sometimes bright red colouring. Through the years red velvet cake has become more well known, instead of just cake it is made into cupcakes, ice cream and of course froyo.

Week One

Menchie’s has been open for a week now and we are extremely happy to finally see all of you amazing Kingstonians! The store has been very busy since last Saturday, keeping all of our employees on their toes. Many customers have come into the store and are completely amazed by all of our flavours and rows of toppings. Our employees have been giving out smilage cards like crazy, and now almost every keychain that has passed through the doors of Menchie’s has one attached to it.

 

It seems like it’s going to be a great summer for Menchie’s, our patio is open and we have a garage style door ready to open when the weather gets hot. For students who go to Queen’s, St. Lawrence or RMC we hope you are sticking around for the summer and if not, we’ll see you in September.

So far the most popular flavour is cake batter, which some people have been calling “birthday cake flavour”. Another favourite flavour is red velvet cake. Our most popular toppings are jumbo sour keys and gummi worms. Our popping bobas have also been the object of many customer’s fascination. They are little round balls of fruit juice that pop in your mouth. They come in different flavours such as strawberry, lychee and mango. They have only been on the market for about a year, which is why most people have never seen or heard of them before. If you have had bubble tea you’ve probably also had tapioca bobas, which are very similar except for the flavour. Popping bobas do look very odd if you don’t know what they are, but they are a must try!

Other than the popping bobas, you may have been wondering what the name Menchie’s means. “Menchie” means “a well mannered or good man”, however the founders of Menchie’s originally thought the word meant “a blessing”. The name was kept despite its actual meaning and Menchie’s frozen yogurt shops can now be found all over Canada and the US, proving the name to be a good choice after all.

If you haven’t been to Menchie’s yet, stop by! We will be happy to see you. If you have a camera send us pictures of your frozen yogurt on Facebook or Twitter, we love seeing your mixes! Our flavours rotate every week , our toppings are always changing and always delicious!

Check out These Mixins!

Menchie’s Kingston has been open for a couple of days and already the pictures are flowing in! From mango sorbet to peanut butter, from strawberries to Oreo crumbs, the combinations are endless! Here are a few pictures to get your mouth watering!!

Keep your eyes peeled, we’ll be posting more great Menchie’s Kingston mixes soon!! 

 

KSSC

Opening day is here and we are extremely excited to meet all the Kingstonians who have been talking to us on Twitter and Facebook! During the time that Menchie’s was under construction we also had the pleasure of meeting some other local businesses, one of which we would like to highlight.

Kingston Sport and Social Club (better known as KSSC) is a club for adults who just want to play sports and have fun, they call it recess for adults. The KSSC is open for anyone to join regardless of how good you are at sports, although they do have a few competitive teams for those who are ambitious. The main goal is to just allow people to have fun while being active, it’s a great way to meet new people and to get yourself into a healthy lifestyle.

To expand on the “Social” side, KSSC had partnerships with many of the restaurants downtown so members can meet up for free food and chat. They have a strong connection with the community and often donate to local charities. They also have a community forum, which I liked. It allows members to post if they are looking for a carpool to the game, or looking for more members on their team. There is even a lost and found. Members can also post pictures of their teams at the many events put on by KSSC.

These events look like a lot of fun, especially the Princess Street Promenade Dodgeball Tournament.  This is when KSSC blocks off a portion of Princess Street to play dodgeball in! If you’re not into dodgeball or team sports, KSSC offers other options such as classes. These classes include Zumba and Kayaking, both are held in the summer months.  If you are interesting in participating in any of the summer sports that KSSC offers register now! The deadline and May 1^st and with the warm weather here soon you’ll want every excuse to be outdoors. Zumba classes are held in the park and beach volleyball is played on quality outdoor beach courts. Some of the new outdoor sports offered are turf soccer and ultimate frisbee!

Another great feature is the KSSC wrap up party, which is held at the end of every year. Winning leagues are awarded with trophies, T Shirts and other prizes given out by sponsors. If you are looking for more fun in your life KSSC is perfect. It’s a great way to stay healthy by being active and meet new people at the same time. 

A Menchie’s is Worth a Thousand Pictures

With our opening day upon us, it’s practically impossible to sit still. Looking back, it’s an amazing feeling to see how far we’ve come. Check out some of these great moments that have been captured along the way…

There you have it! What a journey we’ve made and can’t wait to see where the future lies! 

For the Love of Pinterest

“I have a Pinterest addiction and I really think everyone should check it out. There is a little bit of something for everyone. Personally my favourite thing to do is search for recipes. I have found a countless number of amazing recipes on Pinterest. Every time I have friends over or I have to take a dish to a family meal I call upon my “pinned” recipe category. Pinterest makes it super easy to keep track of everything I find that I might want to try some day; which helps keep my “favourites” tab from becoming a giant mess. I can spend hours staring at pictures of stunning home furnishings and creative paint ideas for my future “dream home” and sharing pictures of DIY wedding ideas with my sister. These are just a few of the reasons why I love Pinterest.” –Tara Bertschi

Pinterest is a website that has grown enormously in popularity in the past few months. It allows its members to share pictures by pinning them onto virtual boards. Users can share crafts, recipes and many many other ideas. If you see a recipe or craft you want to make in the future, it’s simple to pin it to your board and come back to it later. It’s a great way to spread your creativity and get inspiration if you’re lacking, it really is quite addicting.

Companies have started to use Pinterest to promote their products but since it is so new, it is hard to say whether or not it will work. So far it seems to be doing well. Companies are simply posting pictures of their products along with a logo, these pictures aren’t considered advertisements as they are there for people’s enjoyment. Once we open we’ll be posting lots of colourful pictures of frozen yogurt!

Pinterest users can browse around looking at the endless amount of pictures; the great thing is that for people who love making things, most pictures of crafts and recipes come with a link to a how-to website. Some of the ideas you can find are so genius yet so simple. A good one I found was how to use nail polish to paint the top half of your house keys, it’s a great way to colour code and it’s easy.

The Menchie’s team has been busy having fun with our Pinterest account. We are finding other people’s pictures of Kingston and re pinning them onto our “Kingston Love” board. We’ve also been uploading pictures of our store as it nears completion, as well as re pinning everything Menchie’s related.

If you don’t already have a Pinterest account, I recommend getting one and seeing what all the fuss is about!

Patio Season

As soon as you step downtown you feel the excitement for patio season! Kingston is trading its winter skating rink in market square for sunny patios all over town. Unfortunately the warm summer weather isn’t quite upon us yet, there is still a chill to the air. But a few restaurants and pubs in the downtown core are braving the cold and opening their patios despite.

Patio season is by far the best time to be in Kingston. You can relax and enjoy your meals with a nice view of the lake and the windmills on Wolfe Island, which is also a great place to enjoy the patios. Just a short trip on the Ferry and you’ll be on Wolfe Island where there are a few restaurants right one the edge of the lake. Enjoying lunch on Wolfe Island also gives you a fantastic view of Kingston from across the water.

If you can’t make it to Wolfe Island, a great place to enjoy the waterfront is Confederation park. The park is always lively in the summer and often has live local music. Every year Kingstonians come to Confederation park to enjoy the view and eat ice cream (in this case frozen yogurt!) by the fountain.

Kingston is a great city for music lovers, especially in the summer. During the winter usually a few bands play the pubs but in the summer the music is everywhere. Buskers will play up and down Princess Street, and not just guitar players! If you were in Kingston last summer, you may have spotted the woman who plays violin with a cat on her lap.

To show Kingston’s love of music the town decided to name a street “Tragically Hip Way”. The band originated in Kingston and often comes home for concerts, as do the Arrogant Worms. Although they are not quite as well known, the Arrogant Worms have written a few songs about Kingston, such as “The Wolfe Island Ferry”. You can find most of their music on Youtube.

Once the weather starts to warm up again you’ll start to hear the sounds of music downtown, and the smell of delicious food being served on the patios, until then Kingstonians will have to put up with the chilliness, but it will be worth it!

Although we don’t have an exact opening date yet, it looks like Menchie’s will be able to open just in time for the warm weather.

The Health Benefits

Frozen yogurt is low in fat and is a delicious alternative to ice cream. Yogurt contains vitamins (A and D) and minerals that contribute to your body’s overall health. Canada’s food guide also recommends 1 to 3 daily servings of dairy.

While researching I was surprised to learn that yogurt (including frozen yogurt!) is good for the heart and can actually help to keep your cholesterol levels normal.  This leads to the prevention of high blood pressure and heart disease.

In case you’re lactose intolerant, Menchie’s offers a wide variety of dairy free flavours.

The info above is a fantastic reason to treat yourself to some Menchie’s frozen yogurt! For more info on the health benefits of frozen yogurt, read this article; http://www.livestrong.com/article/288571-the-health-benefits-of-frozen-yogurt/

Spring is in the Air (Hopefully to Stay!)

Now that the weather is warmer and spring is in the air, everyone is getting excited for our store to open! People can walk by and see the workers inside of the soon to be Menchie’s getting everything up to code.

Everyone is hoping that this unseasonably warm weather stays since we’ve all brought out our spring jackets and shoes. Soon Princess Street will be full of people, patios and talk of our delicious frozen yogurt.