I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!

I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! is an American frozen-yogurt retail chain founded in 1977 by Bill and Julie Brice in Dallas, Texas. Its stores served soft-serve frozen yogurt, positioning the product as an alternative to conventional ice cream and building a business around branded specialty-dessert locations. The chain used a combination of company-owned stores, franchises, and non-traditional partnerships in which its products or brand could be offered through other retail or commercial settings. The brand became involved in a naming dispute with the frozen-yogurt chain TCBY in 1984. TCBY had originally operated under the name “This Can't Be Yogurt!”, and I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! brought a lawsuit against it. The litigation resulted in TCBY changing its name to “The Country's Best Yogurt!”, making the case a notable example of trademark and competitive naming issues in the early American frozen-yogurt industry. The business was later operated under Brice Foods. In 1996, I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! was acquired by Yogen Früz, linking the chain to another established frozen-yogurt brand. The available reference material does not establish the brand's current ownership, store count, geographic footprint beyond the United States, or whether its retail operations remain active. It is therefore best characterized as a historically significant American frozen-yogurt chain with an uncertain present status.

I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! began in 1977 when Bill and Julie Brice founded the chain in Dallas, Texas. The business specialized in soft-serve frozen yogurt sold through branded stores. Its model included both company-operated and franchised locations, as well as non-traditional partnerships that allowed the products to be distributed or sold outside conventional standalone stores. The chain operated during the formative period of the American frozen-yogurt market, when frozen yogurt was increasingly presented as a distinct alternative to ice cream. The available historical account does not provide detailed information about the number of locations, specific store designs, product formulations, advertising campaigns, or regional expansion. It does, however, identify I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! as a store chain serving frozen yogurt in the United States. In 1984, the company pursued a naming lawsuit against rival TCBY. TCBY had initially used the phrase “This Can't Be Yogurt!” as its company name. Following the litigation, TCBY changed its name to “The Country's Best Yogurt!”. The episode illustrates the importance of highly similar slogan-like names in the competitive frozen-dessert sector and is one of the clearest documented corporate events in the brand's history. The chain later came under Brice Foods. In 1996, Yogen Früz acquired I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!, creating a corporate connection between two recognizable frozen-yogurt businesses. The supplied sources do not document the operational consequences of the acquisition, including whether stores were converted, retained, closed, or managed under a broader Yogen Früz strategy. The brand is also associated with a serious criminal case. In 1991, four young girls were raped and murdered at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! store in Austin, Texas. The murders remained unsolved for many years. According to the referenced account, Austin Police Department DNA collection and testing in 2025 linked biological evidence from one of the assaults to serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers. This event concerns a crime committed at a branded retail location rather than a documented corporate misconduct matter, but it remains a significant event associated with the brand's history. The available material does not confirm the current owner, current store network, present headquarters, financial performance, or whether the chain continues to operate. The brand's current status should therefore be treated as unknown rather than definitively active or defunct.

• 2025

  DNA identification reported in Austin case

  [1]I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org

  The referenced account states that DNA evidence collected by Austin Police Department connected one of the assaults to serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers.

• 1996

  Acquired by Yogen Früz

  [1]I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org

  Yogen Früz acquired I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! after the brand had operated under Brice Foods.

• 1991

  Austin store murders

  [1]I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org

  Four young girls were raped and murdered at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! store in Austin, Texas.

• 1984

  Naming lawsuit against TCBY

  [1]I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org

  The chain sued TCBY over its original name, “This Can't Be Yogurt!”. TCBY subsequently adopted “The Country's Best Yogurt!”.

• 1977

  Brand founded in Dallas

  [1]I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org

  Bill and Julie Brice founded I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! as a frozen-yogurt store chain in Dallas, Texas.

A branded specialty-dessert chain centered on soft-serve frozen yogurt.

• Frozen dessert · 1977

  Soft-serve frozen yogurt

  The chain's core offering was soft-serve frozen yogurt served through branded retail stores. The available source describes the product category but does not provide flavor lists, recipes, nutritional claims, serving formats, or other product-level specifications.

• 1991

  Austin store murders

  Four young girls were raped and murdered at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop in Austin, Texas. The case remained unsolved for decades; the referenced account reports that DNA testing in 2025 connected evidence from one assault to serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers. The available material does not allege corporate involvement or wrongdoing by the chain.

  Source

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• 1996

  Acquisition by Yogen FrüzM&A

  Background

  I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! had previously operated under Brice Foods.

  Action taken

  Yogen Früz acquired the frozen-yogurt chain.

  Aftermath

  The brand became part of the Yogen Früz group, although the supplied sources do not detail its subsequent operating structure.

  Source

• 1984

  Challenge to TCBY's original nameOther

  Background

  TCBY was originally called “This Can't Be Yogurt!”, a name similar in structure and wording to I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!.

  Action taken

  I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! sued TCBY over the naming issue.

  Aftermath

  TCBY changed its name to “The Country's Best Yogurt!”.

  • TCBY — TCBY changed its corporate name following the lawsuit.

  Source

1. 1I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!en.wikipedia.org