Former social worker brings smiles with yogurt

Matt Bower
Posted 10/14/14

Following 20 years as a social worker at Rhode Island Hospital, and another two years to get her business off the ground and running, Jean Brown, with the help of her husband Paul, has finally made …

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Former social worker brings smiles with yogurt

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Following 20 years as a social worker at Rhode Island Hospital, and another two years to get her business off the ground and running, Jean Brown, with the help of her husband Paul, has finally made her dream come true.

On June 19 Jean introduced Rhode Islanders to Menchie’s, the world’s largest frozen yogurt chain, by opening the state’s first franchise in the Cowesett Corners Plaza at 300 Quaker Lane in Warwick. While she didn’t disclose how much it cost to purchase the franchise, Jean said she has the rights to open two more stores in the next four years.

“I’m super excited to be here and bring this to the community,” Jean said with a big smile. “Everything became electronic [at the hospital] and it took me off the floors. I wanted to do something with people.”

Jean said Menchie’s was the right fit for her because the chain puts community before commerce, highlighting family, health, education, community, and leadership as important components for success.

Jean said she had always wanted to do something independent but “never took the dive to do it.”

“I became disillusioned with being in a cubicle all day,” she said. “I wanted to be in a place where you couldn’t help but smile when you came to work. I wanted to do something that was fun and allowed me to give back to the community.”

After discovering Menchie’s while searching for something that appealed to her, Jean and Paul flew to California for a Discovery Day to learn more about the company.

“We met people from all over the world,” Jean said, adding that she liked their family-oriented philosophy and that their product was for everyone.

After she decided Menchie’s was the right place to be, the work began. Jean said she and Paul took over a vacant unit in the plaza on Quaker Lane and completely demolished the interior.

“Construction was the largest obstacle,” Paul said. “We did a huge renovation with the store. We had new electrical and plumbing, and put in a glycol system on the roof for the cooling machines.”

Jean said it took two years to open the store, but it’s “a beautiful final result.”

Jean said she’s proud to offer Menchie’s frozen yogurt as a healthy alternative to other frozen desserts.

“They have the best-in-class product,” she said.

Jean said she could only keep the product at the store for two weeks because no preservatives are added once it’s defrosted. She said Menchie’s frozen yogurt contains live and active cultures, probiotics, and lactobacillus bulgaricus, which can help to fight off harmful bacteria in your digestive system. It also features gluten-free, low carb, nonfat and lowfat, and no sugar added items. Jean added that the fruit for toppings is cut fresh daily.

Jean said the store always has 14 flavors available every day, three of which are staples and one that is the flavor of the month, and the rest are rotated from among 100 Menchie’s flavors. Some of the recent additions include Apple of My Pie, Cinnayumm Bun, and Iced Coffee. October’s flavor of the month is Harvest Pumpkin. And with more than 40 toppings, “there’s something here for everyone.”

Jean said the store offers free samples and encourages guests to try as many different flavors as they would like before creating their very own “cup of yumm.”

Each flavor is not only clearly identified, but also shows all related health information, such as gluten-free, nonfat, low carb, amount of calories, etc., so guests know exactly what they’re getting.

It’s evident that cultivating a family atmosphere is a top priority for Jean and Paul, whose personal touch shines through the minute you walk in, as you are greeted with a smile and guided to the frozen yogurt stations.

“People that come here aren’t customers, they’re guests. People that work here aren’t employees, they’re team members. And we’re not bosses; we’re leaders,” Jean said. “We want to make the Menchie’s experience available to guests all over the world – it’s the same experience all over.”

Jean said she’s blessed to work with “an exemplary, fantastic team of 11,” which mostly consists of high school and college students.

“We’re getting new guests every day. People love the product and they love the store,” she said, adding that one child even wanted to sleep at the store.

Paul said that’s a credit to his wife.

“Jean knows how to take care of people and people love her,” he said.

Jean said she enjoys interacting with families and meeting new guests.

“The look on their face when they create their cup of yumm … people get very excited,” she said.

One of the unique things about the local Menchie’s franchise is that the store is dog friendly. Jean said while it’s against regulations to allow animals in the store, dogs are welcome on the patio outside in front of the store, where a container of dog treats and a water dish is located.

“There’s one guest who comes [often] with his dog. He sets the dog on one of the chairs outside and it watches him through the window when he comes in to get some frozen yogurt for himself and the dog, and then the two of them sit outside and eat together,” Jean said.

And if the frozen yogurt wasn’t enough, Menchie’s has a number of additional items to keep kids entertained, including a community chalkboard to draw on, stickers and tattoos to collect, and the company mascot, Menchie, who is not only available for birthday parties, photo requests, and dances with the kids, but also makes appearances at Menchie’s fundraisers. There is also a Menchie’s Corner Community Board to display notices, letters and drawings.

Jean said there’s a new promotion each month. For October, the store is featuring color-changing cups with Halloween designs as well as spooky trivia, which can be found on the tables. When frozen yogurt is added to the cup, the temperature change causes the Halloween designs to appear. The store is also offering 10 percent off for children that come in costume on Halloween night.

Giving back to the community is very important to Jean and Paul, and Menchie’s allows them an opportunity to do just that. So far, they have worked with the Rhode Island Shriners, local schools, and made donations to the Thundermist Health Center, as well as provided a raffle basket for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Jean also opened up the store to West Warwick High School students following their Homecoming Dance last month and will be participating in an upcoming Strides for Breast Cancer Walk fundraiser.

“We enjoy partnering with organizations in the community,” Jean said, adding the store has also hosted a field trip for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Rhode Island, in which members got to tour the back of the store and learn how the frozen yogurt is made as well as got to meet Menchie.

Jean said the store is available to host birthday parties as well as caters to businesses for luncheons or morning meetings.

In addition to supporting local organizations by participating in fundraisers, Menchie’s has a program to assist organizations with promoting those events.

“Any community organization that wants help with fundraising, if you provide us with your logo and organization name, we’ll insert it into a flyer for you that you can send out to promote the event,” Jean said. “Then 15 percent of sales from the event go directly back to your organization.”

To get started, visit menchies.com/fundraising to fill out a form and let the store know your fundraising objectives. Menchie’s will take it from there and provide you with the tools you need to promote the event.

“We’re not asking for donations, but rather to have people join us for the fundraiser and have a good time,” Jean said.

In addition to the work with local organizations, Jean said Menchie’s selects a national organization to support each year as well, the most recent of which is Make A Wish.

“We raised over $1,500 in one month for Make A Wish. We were second [of Menchie’s franchises] in the country,” Jean said. “At Menchie’s, it’s not just about yogurt; it’s about giving back to the community.”

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