This just in: Yogulatte serves up frozen yogurt, coffee

Bill Pritt in his newest enterprise, Yogulatte, on Mass Ave.

Bill Pritt had some ideas about what type of business he wanted to lease space in the street-level commercial space next to his Mass Ave enterprise, 45 Degrees. But he didn’t feel comfortable with any of the potential tenants, so he started thinking about filling some of that space himself.

“I took a vacation, which gave me time to think,” the Cottage Home resident said. What he thought is that he loves ice cream, and that maybe he should parlay that love into another business. His thoughts went from ice cream to something considerably healthier – frozen yogurt.

And so Yogulatte was born, opening its doors softly on June 11 in the 757 Mass Ave building. The bill of fare includes self-serve frozen yogurt, as well as a wide variety of toppings, also self-serve. The treats are priced by weight.

But Pritt understands that frozen yogurt is somewhat a seasonal business, so he has designed Yogulatte to double as a coffeehouse. Using the locally produced Hubbard and Cravens coffee, baristas can provide customers with a wide variety of coffee drinks, as well as loose-leaf teas and chai. Bottled juices are also available.

“I wanted to make this a place where everybody can come,” said Pritt, who believes the Avenue has room for another coffeehouse. “This corner has a proven history,” he said, thinking back to the days when the Abbey Coffeehouse occupied the previous building at that site.

Yogulatte is managed by Joel Cosler, who has worked for Pritt for four years at another of his enterprises, Blu Martini. Cosler himself has a barista background. The 900-square-foot space features seating for 24, although opening week lacked some cushy chairs Pritt had ordered, as well as some wall hangings.

Hours themselves are coffeehouse-like in nature – 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Another coffeehouse touch: free wi-fi.

Pritt, who bought the entire street-level space of the 757 Mass Ave building late last year, said there’s still about 4,000 square feet of available space remaining, with frontage on both Mass and College avenues. Some of that space, he said, could go to a Yogulatte expansion if the concept proves successful. He thinks it will, since there aren’t many options for frozen yogurt, not only Downtown but city-wide.

Pritt emphasized that he focused on quality – he’s an ice cream aficionado, remember – when he sought out frozen yogurt for his store. Regular flavors bear names such as vanilla bean, choc-o-late, p-nut butta and raspberry. The other two machines will feature rotating flavors, such as orange cream and strawberry. Coming soon is a flavor Pritt describes as tart, matching the taste of real plain yogurt.

“It’s all low-fat or non-fat, and low calorie,” he said. There is no such claim for the toppings.

He hopes customers love it as much as he does. “I like to say that there are five steps to get yogurt – but 12 steps to get off,” Pritt said with a smile.