Dallas frozen yogurt meltdown: Gooey’s Treats at Preston-Forest in Dallas

Old-school frozen-yogurt place tries to get in on the new wave.

Editor's note: Latest chapter in our series on frozen yogurt covers Gooey's Treats in Dallas.

Gooey's Treats

Opened: 2005

Profile: Frozen-yogurt place at Preston and Forest is old-school, a link back to the frozen yogurt wave of the '80s. In fact, this site says that Gooey's took over locations that were once I Can't Believe It's Yogurt stores. Its target is diabetics, people watching their carbs, and the lactose-intolerant, to whom they also sell cakes, cookies, and smoothies.

Ambiance: There's a few concessions to the new wave of chic frozen-yogurt places such as the flower-petal hanging lights. But Gooey's dowdy atmosphere and garish signage makes it feel dated and worn. Staff was efficient and willing to offer free samples.

Gooey's Treats

Utensils: Styrofoam cups, boo, and plastic spoons. However, they have one thing that many fro-yo places do not: cones, the most environmentally friendly vessel of all.

Price: $2.80 for a small, which looked to be about 5 ounces, making it over 50 cents per ounce.

Yogurt: Five machines, two flavors per machine, with their big shtick being that they'll swirl two adjacent flavors together for a third combo flavor, like chocolate + coffee = mocha.

Gooey's Treats machines

More recently, smelling change in the air, they added a "tart" flavor to compete with the new guard. Unfortunately, their tart was no comparison. Aside from the odd chemical fakeness of their product line overall, the tart had a weird pine-citrus undertone, as if they'd taken regular frozen yogurt and added lemon extract.

Given their whole lactose- and sugar-free focus, it feels perhaps unfair to judge them on the same level as the superior new fro-yo places. But then again, by adding a tart, they're sortof trying to compete. And their one saving grace -- that they had small "plain" cones, sometimes referred to as "cake" cones -- was besmirched by the fact that said cone was stale.

Verdict: Not recommended for new fro-yo fans, but if you have diabetes, maybe this is your place.

Gooey's Treats frozen yogurt

Fezziwig, anonymous:

There are two kinds of diabetes, type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2. All people with type 1 take synthetic human insulin and can manage their blood sugars well without any dietary restrictions. Many type2's also take medication allowing them this kind of freedom without sacrificing their health. Some type 2's are "diet controlled" and should avoid some foods, but really, the idea that all people with diabetes shouldn't eat sweets is dated itself.

Thanks for the review. I love this series.

2 years, 5 months ago
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Teresa Gubbins, staff:

thanks fezzi for the insight on diabetes!

2 years, 5 months ago
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twinwillow, anonymous:

Geez, what the hell ever happened to good old American ice cream? is Baskin-Robbins our only choice? Where does one go for just an old fashioned vanilla ice cream sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a maraschino cherry (with stem) on top.

2 years, 4 months ago
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Collin Gouldin, verified:

To be fair, Ice-cream isn't really American. And there are plenty of places to get it. Cold stone, marble slab, braums, baskin robbins, and plenty of others. (also of note, premium ice creams are usually custards.)

2 years, 4 months ago
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