News: Shakeaway Milkshake Bar Coming to the U.S.

UK milkshake bar concept ShakeAway plans to make landfall here in the US with its first locations to open late this year and early 2014 in California, Georgia, and New York.

 The idea is you can build-your-own milkshakes, frozen yogurt shakes, and smoothies choosing from a selection of over 180 ingredients.

The concept is a fairly interesting one although not one that hasn't been explored in the US; followers of entertainment news may have heard of Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood, which is probably best known for inviting celebrities to come up with their own shakes. Of course, Millions of Milkshakes only has two locations: one in the US and the other in Dubai.

The options at ShakeAway are fairly expansive with both decadent and healthier choices. Notable are the option to make a "Hot Shake," where they heat up your shake until it's hot, and the soy-based vegan shake options. Beyond that, there's fruit, nuts, cereals, candy, chocolate, and the like to mix-in.

An example of a limited-time shake offered for Halloween is the "Naughty Natasha" (the shakes have a tendency to be named after the person who came up with it), which blends ice cream with butterscotch and apple and tops it with toffee popcorn.

It'll be interesting to see how the chain pans out (and if several copycats will quickly pop up). Build-your-own frozen yogurt and now, build-your-own shaved flavored milk ice has been pretty popular here in Southern California.