I hate to leave a one-star review on any business, especially one I've frequented for quite awhile. My past reviews show that I am more of a praiser than a complainer, as I typically just don't return when I'm unsatisfied with a place. That being said, I have been sitting on my hands waiting to write this review until i could decide exactly what I have to say about this little shop.
Lickity gets my one star after the change of ownership that took place a little over a month ago. Immediately after the switch, there were some major bumps in the road - Missing the majority of their toppings was bad enough, but one night there was only one flavor of yogurt in stock(Green Apple Somethingorother, of all things), and another the credit card system was unusable(I got the impression it wasn't the first time, either). I am completely sympathetic to the fact that there are bound to be snags when a business changes hands, but this was some craziness! Other reviewers have also mentioned the discontinued punch cards, which seems pretty ridiculous. If you can't afford to give away a free yogurt when someone has spent money on ten, you probably want to consider the viability of your business.
The nearly complete overhaul of the staff is another thing worth mentioning, as other reviewers have pointed out. First morale was lowered beyond repair, and then almost all of them were gone. Just like that. I'm not sure what went down (though if other reviewers are right, I imagine it was a mixture of firing and quitting), but I am certainly sad to see almost all of them disappear. They were a fun, friendly bunch - And a huge part of what kept me coming here in the first place.
I cannot pretend that the decor was ever worth getting excited over, but the stylistic changes that have been happening are downright painful. Literally, the first time I walked into the place after the new paint job my eyes felt like they were being assaulted. Bright pink and yellow walls! I wish I could say it got better after some adjustment, but that just wasn't the case. Suddenly there is an abundance of these tacky fake flowers and plants everywhere(plus one lonely living plant). The hot pink dry erase boards above the yogurt machines are unclear and I would imagine difficult for some people to read, since the owner seems to think that writing vertically is a cute way to label things. The largest and easiest label to read is the one written for the swirl, which seems entirely unnecessary. Don't we all have a general idea of how these froyo machines work at this point? The middle lever swirls. I don't need a label for that as much as I do for the actual flavors. Ultimately I can see what the new management is trying to accomplish with this overhaul, but it's just not working. The only true improvement I've noticed is the arrangement of the wall of toppings, which seems to be much better organized than it once was. One small victory among the chaos!
At the end of the day, as far as the actual product is concerned, it's froyo. I can get froyo pretty much anywhere at this point. Lickity primarily had my vote because of the staff I came to enjoy and a very relaxed, albeit not exceptionally interesting atmosphere. These days if I go in I just feel like I'm walking in someones pink and yellow sugar coated nightmare, and that just doesn't interest me at all. At this point, I think it's time to call it quits on Lickity and check out the place that opened up a while back around the corner from where I live. Too bad, Lickity, we had a good run! read more