Red Mango: Yul Kwon’s secret frozen yogurt addiction
October 10, 2008
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Don’t let Yul Kwon’s impeccable abs fool you. After winning Survivor: Cook Islands, Kwon often stuffed himself with bulk quantities of junk food from Costco. At one point, he had gained almost 40 pounds in one month.
Then a friend introduced him to Red Mango in Los Angeles, and his addiction began. As a frequent visitor, Kwon started losing weight and decided he wanted his own Red Mango franchise.
“It’s sort of embarrassing to admit, but I really just wanted to own a Red Mango store so that I could have a guaranteed pipeline of yogurt,” Kwon said.
Located on leafy University Avenue in Palo Alto, business is steady; during the day, office workers, local merchants and students make up the bulk of business. In the evening, the frozen yogurt destination—with its minimalist dove-white walls, wood floors and trendy music—has become an alternative for young people opting out of the typical bar scene.
Kwon credits the shop’s popularity to the yogurt, which promotes a healthy-eating lifestyle. Unlike other frozen-yogurt shops, Red Mango serves real authentic yogurt shipped from a local dairy farm and does not use powder. This ensures a high level of probiotics, which are good bacteria that promote digestive health.
Red Mango’s frozen yogurt is smooth with no frozen ice pellets found at sub-par operations. The full-bodied yogurt also contains a perfect amount of tartness. Toppings amplify the flavor further: Dark chocolate adds a decadent crunch, while mochi contributes to a playful chewy texture.
A first-time restaurant operator along with partners Richard Choo and Mark Young, Kwon describes his experience as training in boot camp. After graduating from Stanford and receiving a J.D. from Yale Law School, Kwon worked in corporate America, including Google. But he said he would not trade running a small business for any office job: Although the retail business involves a huge amount of stress and work, he sees that job security even in a Fortune 500 company may not be firm. And with Red Mango, he finds it satisfying to create something tangible as well as have control over his own destiny.
But Kwon still has to answer to his harshest critics—his parents.
“I’ve more or less turned out to be a categorical disappointment to them,” he said.
His father could not comprehend his throwing away his career to embarrass himself and family on reality television, and he has given up asking when his son will receive a Ph.D. Still, Kwon thinks that his father considers anything is more respectable than running around half-naked on a reality show.
Since the frozen-yogurt trend originated with Red Mango in South Korea, Kwon said there has been a greater awareness among Asian Americans. He believes that many Asian Americans appear to be lactose intolerant but can still eat frozen yogurt.
Kwon’s innovative marketing strategy is centered around viral marketing to generate buzz and brand. This includes building profiles and connecting with potential customers using Internet platforms such as Facebook and Myspace. Moreover, Kwon has been active in supporting charitable events, notably running a bone-marrow drive at the store with the Asian American Donor Program.
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RED MANGO
429 University Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 324-1811
redmangousa.com
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Hours:
Monday – Thurday
11:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Friday – Saturday
11:00 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Sunday
11:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
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Located on leafy University Avenue in Palo Alto, business is steady; during the day, office workers, local merchants and students make up the bulk of business. In the evening, the frozen yogurt destination—with its minimalist dove-white walls, wood floors and trendy music—has become an alternative for young people opting out of the typical bar scene. Kwon credits the shop’s popularity to the yogurt, which promotes a healthy-eating lifestyle. Unlike other frozen-yogurt shops, Red Mango serves real authentic yogurt shipped from a local dairy farm and does not use powder. This ensures a high level of probiotics, which are good bacteria that promote digestive health.
To Yul and my brother Mark — way to go, I am so proud of you. Keep it up! We are all pulling for you.