@TastiDLite Announces 1000th Follower Contest

Tasti has been all up on the Twittersphere for just over a year now--it's clearly a huge priority (rightly so) for the online team. They've been using the account to interact with customers, announce store openings, hold contests, post photos, ask questions, and more. The team has been running the account quite effectively.

For some reason, the follower count hasn't quite hit the growth I'd imagine they are hoping for. The rather personality-less Pinkberry account has almost four times the followers (in less time). It's especially perplexing given the fanatic relationship customers tend to have with the company. Presumably in an effort to bolster up the fanbase (=follower count), Tasti has announced a contest. There are currently 971 followers. The 1000th follower receives a personalized private party at the Columbus Circle flagship store for 20 friends with free Tasti, a "fail whale" cake, product samplings, and giveaways. Lovin' it!

The strategy is tricky--at what point will the follower count hit the tipping point in which a block of friends can band together FTW? We shall see. Nine new followers signed up in the past 24 hours. (Hopefully the contest is protecting against fake/spam accounts people might create in order to win the contest?)

In any case, we'll be...following...the contest. Tasti's social media strategy is pretty spot on.


(In related news, Tasti D-Lited heads back to New York in less than week! Tasti time!)

25 Things About Tasti

A few months late on the trend, the Tasti blog posted "25 Random Things About Tasti D-Lite" today. Many facts I didn't know--a lot of interesting stuff in there:

5. There have been at least 2 marriage proposals at Tasti D-Lite locations in the recent past that we know of. Pictures of one Tasti D-Lite wedding can be found on our Facebook Fan Page.
11. The most popular Tasti D-Lite flavor is the collective variations of Peanut Butter. The second most popular flavor is Cake Batter.
18. The most popular topping is Rainbow Sprinkles.
19. There are currently 193 Tasti D-Lite related pictures on Flickr.
23. Tasti D-Lite franchise opportunities are now available in 48 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and in select markets worldwide.

The Tasti team gave us a shout out in item number 8! Thanks, guys!

First Impressions of New Store Design

So my Peanut Butter Cup reunion with Tasti D-Lite didn't turn out to be the best, but more exciting than the treat was seeing what the new updated stores look like!





I have to say I was pretty impressed. The location (UES) was pretty much a hole in the wall, but they made it look good. Even next to "Hot 'n Crusty," the store seemed classy, modern, and fun. The new logo looks great, as does the new menu board. All sorts of food items are promoted now--the smoothies, sundaes, and shakes. I'm looking forward to trying them all this summer. I didn't snag a picture of it, but there was an LCD screen in the store, too, displaying hip local information.

In any case, I've got to say I'm pretty impressed with the results. Tasti's rebranding was accomplished quite masterfully, despite the closure of a substantial percentage of its stores in the process. Woot.

Peanut Butter Cup

So we were finally back in the city this weekend and got our Tasti fix! It's been quite a number of months since we were last in Tasti range after the New Haven store closed. It was the first time we got to see a rebranded store and we'll post about that later.

Unfortunately, we weren't blown away our first flavor in months. We had very high expectations for Peanut Butter Cup--it's our favorite candy. Unfortunately, the taste just didn't translate into frozen form. The mixture was oddly...bitter. It left a bad aftertaste, as well. It goes to show that sometimes the best tastes in food form aren't necessarily the best Tasti flavors. Alas.

NASTI (1 of 4 stars)

90 calories/serving