Friday, July 31, 2009

Nubi San Leandro Grand Opening Coverage




Fro-yo girl here. I made it to the ribbon cutting ceremony today (7/31) at Nubi San Leandro’s grand opening event. It felt like half of San Leandro was present. The DJ kept the crowd entertained with tunes. Kids received blue and orange balloons (Nubi’s signature colors). We lined up for a visit to the yogurt station (12 flavors: 5 tart, 7 sweet). The fro-yo was 50% off today (and will be 50% off all weekend, no coupon necessary, at the San Leandro location) of the regular price of 38cents an ounce.


Around 4:30 PM they brought the balloons tied to a ribbon garland outside. Someone had an enormous pair of scissors for the ribbon cutting. The mayor of San Leandro welcomed Nubi and presented Nubi with a certificate commemorating the occasion. They cut the balloon garland, releasing the balloons into the sky. The balloon artist presented the mayor with a balloon hat.

Then the lineup for the free t-shirts began and that was super slow. The shirts weren’t sorted by size and they also made everyone sign a waiver and videotaped them talking about Nubi. What a terrible idea (it took FOREVER).


The VIPs (members of the San Leandro chamber of commerce) received signature Nubi insulated totes for their fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Nubi San Leandro Grand Opening Details

Fro-yo girl here. Welcome Nubi San Leandro as it opens its doors tomorrow at 11 AM.


The ribbon cutting ceremony is at 4:30 PM tomorrow (Friday, 7/31). After the ribbon is cut, they'll hand out free t-shirts till they run out. The mayor of San Leandro, DJ Joe Manifesto, a breakdancing crew, balloon entertainment and more will be there at the ceremony.

During opening weekend, fro-yo will be 50% off for all Nubi San Leandro customers, no coupon necessary.

I just might be there.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NUBI SAN LEANDRO: Bayfair Center Mall, 15555 E. 14th St., Suite 199, San Leandro, CA

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Yogurt Parfaits at Fro-yo Places


Fro-yo girl here. While you can get yogurt parfaits just about everywhere (e.g., Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, McDonald’s), the best place to get them is at a good fro-yo shop where the fruit is fresh and the parfaits are made to order. These are my top picks for yogurt parfaits in the Bay Area:

* Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt: It’s no secret that I love Culture for the quality of their fro-yo and their incomparably delicious toppings. Their parfaits are made with organic Straus yogurt (yum). They have organic (yes organic) fruit that I don’t see at other fro-yo shops, including plums, pluots, peaches, Valencia oranges and blood oranges. And their crunchy, super fresh, house granola, made on the premises, is fantastic. My favorite is the gingersnap granola. Fruit and granola offerings change often.

* Fraiche Yogurt: I haven’t tried their non-frozen yogurt but they do make their own with Clover Organic Milk and it’s probably decent. I haven’t had their granola either because their homemade mochi is the best. Other options include steel cut oatmeal and Blue Bottle coffee.

* So Frais Frozen Yogurt Cafe: This new, upscale self-serve fro-yo shop also offers build your own yogurt parfaits at 42 cents an ounce. Their fresh fruit looked particularly fresh.

* Jubili Frozen Yogurt: I had a fro-yo parfait here but they also offer yogurt parfaits made with lowfat vanilla yogurt, your choice of two fresh fruit toppings, and your choice of granola. The crushed Nature Valley granola bars are really good!

Fraiche (7 AM on weekdays) and Jubili (8 AM on weekdays) are the only fro-yo shops that open early enough to have a yogurt parfait for breakfast. At Jubili you can get the fro-yo parfait at 8 AM if you’re so inclined (i.e., you’re like me). Yes, that is a picture of a fro-yo parfait. When I have a choice between a fro-yo parfait and a yogurt parfait, I choose the fro-yo parfait every time.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA
* FRAICHE YOGURT: 644 Emerson, Palo Alto, CA
* SO FRAIS FROZEN YOGURT CAFÉ: 5363 Mowry, Fremont, CA
* JUBILI FROZEN YOGURT: 1515 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Fro-yo Road Trip: Santa Cruz


Fro-yo girl here. My friend wanted to go to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to ride the Giant Dipper. Of course I had to check out every fro-yo shop in the area. I didn’t try all of them but some of them have other locations that I’ve been to, so I think I have a good feel for the Santa Cruz fro-yo scene. And my favorite is…Yogizmo.

* Yogizmo, 1717 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA: They have sweet and tart fro-yo as well as mix-in style fro-yo (called Infuzions). I liked how they had some organic toppings and free honey. The plain tart was tangy, milky, smooth, firm, creamy, and dense texture. They claim that their fro-yo is all natural and that it’s the only fully cultured fro-yo in the area. They might not have mochi (their Scotts Valley location didn’t have any).

* Froyo?, 1010 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: I’ve been to their Cupertino location and think it’s okay. The concept is strange because it’s only partially self-serve. You tell them the fro-yo flavor and size that you want, they put it in a cup and then you add your own toppings (39 cents an ounce).

* Yogurt Delite, 1306 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA: It looks like an old school, sweet fro-yo place. It’s cash only, like most old school fro-yo shops. I think it’s part of a chain since I’ve seen other locations with the same logo in Oakland and San Jose.


* Swirl, 1315 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: Definitely the cutest fro-yo shop in town with 6 self-serve flavors a day (39 cents an ounce). The machines let you swirl two flavors together. However, the fro-yo texture is too fluffy and airy.

* Marini’s Downtown, 1308 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: It looks like a candy store first, then an ice cream shop, but now they also have tart fro-yo. The pictures of the fro-yo didn’t look appealing.


* Marini’s Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: You can find soft serve ice cream all over the Boardwalk but I only spotted one place that has fro-yo, the Marini’s near the arcade. They still make candy there, including the classic boardwalk candy, salt water taffy. To find the fro-yo, go inside the arcade passed the Marini’s express window (towards the old time photographs area). It’s next to a shooting gallery.

* Top A Lot, 738 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA: Another self-serve fro-yo shop, also 39 cents an ounce. I didn’t check it out.

* The Sweet Spot, 827 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA: I didn’t see this place but it sounds like an ice cream shop that also sells fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Yogurtland San Ramon Grand Opening Celebration



Fro-yo girl here. While Yogurtland San Ramon opened a few weeks ago, the grand opening event took place today (and continues tomorrow, July 25 – free Yogurtland t-shirts for the first 250 people). We stood in line with mainly teenagers and pre-teens (this was at 11 AM). The white t-shirts have a swirly design. Kids received balloons in Yogurtland’s signature colors (green and pink).



I noticed a large delivery of Yogurtland fro-yo at 9:30 AM today, so they had plenty on hand for the large fro-yo hungry crowd. They ran out of t-shirts around 11:30 AM.

Tip: If you want to get a t-shirt, do show up before 11 AM (the time they open). Kid’s sizes are available.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURTLAND: 152 Sunset Dr., San Ramon, CA

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Red Mango Develops the First Probiotic Iced Tea


Fro-yo girl here. Red Mango Facebook fans had the opportunity to guess the new, healthy, non fro-yo product this week. The first 10 people who correctly guessed the product won $10 gift cards. I guessed popsicles but really prayed it would be Korean tacos (not that I thought tacos were practical for them).

The mystery product is described below in the official press release. Mysteaque sounds perfect for me.

I wonder why their Green Tea fro-yo won’t have GanedenBC30?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

From Red Mango: DALLAS (July 22, 2009) – Red Mango, the fastest-growing retailer of authentic nonfat frozen yogurt, today announced it will become the first retailer to offer made-to-order iced teas fortified with probiotics. Three proprietary flavors, all incorporating GanedenBC30®, a patented strain of probiotic shown to help support the immune system and regulate the digestive system, are available in participating Red Mango stores beginning July 27. Additionally, Red Mango’s Original, Pomegranate by POM Wonderful® and Tangomonium™ authentic frozen yogurt sold throughout New York will now include GanedenBC30 through an exclusive agreement. By September, all other Red Mango stores will have frozen yogurt with GanedenBC30.

Lemonocity™ (Lemonade Green Tea), Mysteaque™ (Vanilla Black Tea) and Fanteasia™ (Wildberry Hibiscus Tea) iced teas are each uniquely delicious, low-calorie, sweetened with natural cane sugar and contain a significant amount of probiotics, or good bacteria.

Since its inception, Red Mango has focused on educating its customers about the advantages of authentic frozen yogurt and the probiotics Red Mango contains.
“Red Mango provides easy and delicious ways to be healthy,” said Dan Kim, Red Mango’s founder, president and chief executive officer. “Our new iced teas have both the benefits of antioxidants and probiotics, and our frozen yogurt became even healthier with the addition of GanedenBC30.”

GanedenBC30 provides additional health benefits because of its excellent stability, which helps it survive better through the digestive system. Scientists now recognize that 70 percent of our immune system is actually living in the digestive tract, which emphasizes the importance of digestive health.

About Red Mango:
Founded in 2002 in South Korea, Red Mango opened its first U.S. store in July 2007 in Los Angeles and has since celebrated more than 50 store openings across California, New York, Washington, Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey, Nevada, Utah, Indiana, Arizona and Texas. Red Mango received Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2009 “Hot Concepts!” award and has been named the best frozen yogurt in Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Utah and New York by independent publications. Headquartered in Dallas, Red Mango serves uniquely delicious frozen yogurt that is all-natural, nonfat, gluten-free and packed with beneficial live and active probiotic cultures. Red Mango’s frozen yogurt has been certified by the National Yogurt Association’s Live and Active Culture Seal for meeting the required criteria for healthy frozen yogurt. Red Mango is a portfolio company of CIC Partners, also headquartered in Dallas, one of the premier mid-market private equity firms in the nation. For more information about Red Mango, please visit www.redmangousa.com. For franchising information, please visit www.redmangofranchising.com or call 214-871-6865.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Yogen Früz Offers A Healthy New Way to Enjoy Custom Blended Frozen Yogurt


From Yogen Früz: Good news! Just in time for the end of summer, Yogen Früz (www.yogenfruz.com) – an all natural frozen yogurt that can be found in 20 countries with over 1,100 stores- has opened their first location in San Jose. The store is located at Westfield Oakridge Mall (925 Blossom Hill Road, Ste 1379, San Jose).

Yogen Früz is a healthy alternative to the summer treats and is uber healthy frozen yogurt with probiotics and 0% fat. Yogen Früz leaves the fun to the customer who can custom blend their yogurt with their favorite fruit, then pile on the toppings!
Yogen Früz, a healthy custom blended frozen yogurt, has become one of the world’s most popular frozen yogurts. Available in low-fat vanilla, low-fat chocolate, non-fat vanilla and non-fat no sugar added vanilla, Yogen Früz’s healthy frozen yogurt contains probiotic cultures and 0% fat, which can be blended with a large selection of fresh fruits to satisfy any palate. With a splash of berry, burst of melon and the new Matcha Green Tea + lychee flavor, Yogen Früz can be custom blended into a cup and topped with fruit and sweet crunchy treats or blended into a nutritious fat-free, ice-free dairy or non-dairy smoothie.

Whether someone wants to change their lifestyle and become a healthier individual or just enjoy a tasty frozen dessert or smoothie, Yogen Früz’s active ingredient, probiotic cultures, are an excellent source of protein and calcium thought to boost immune function, help manage lactose intolerance and maintain a healthy digestive system. With added probiotics and several choices of fresh fruit toppings and blends, Yogen Früz offers more than just a delicious treat; each bite provides the body with essential vitamins to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. With its assortment of probiotic frozen yogurt and dairy and non-dairy custom blended smoothies, Yogen Früz provides consumers with not only great tasting flavors but healthy alternatives to other frozen yogurt chains.

Founded in 1986 by brothers Aaron and Michael Serruya in Toronto, Canada, Yogen Früz has become the world’s leading frozen yogurt conglomerate with over 1,100 locations operating in 20 countries around the globe. The dynamic duo decided that Yogen Früz was more than just a frozen yogurt. It was all about the ü - a lifestyle that focuses on being healthy, loving yourself and enjoying life. The concept was to create a great tasting, yet healthy experience for consumers and provide an easier way for people to lead healthy and active lifestyles. Today, Yogen Früz has become a leader in the industry and is one of the fastest growing frozen yogurt companies in the world with 400 new store commitments in the last year alone and eight consecutive years of same store sales increases.

In United States, Yogen Früz can be found in Southern California, Miami, Virginia, San Francisco, Chicago and upstate New York.

For more information please visit: www.yogenfruz.com

Fro-yo girl’s comment: Well, the matcha green tea + lychee flavor does sound intriguing. I’m still amazed by how many locations they have. Yay for Canada.

Flavored Mochi Appears at Tuttimelon


Fro-yo girl here. Thanks to Fro-yo Gizmo Geek for the heads up on the new flavored mochi balls appearing in some (but not all) locations of Tuttimelon. I found the strawberry mochi at Tuttimelon Chestnut. The strawberry mochi is about the same size as their plain mochi balls but it’s softer and of course, pink. The strawberry flavor isn’t that strong but it’s nice. The mochi is chewy, sweet, and soft like it should be. They’re not using Wang brand strawberry mochi balls. Those aren’t soft enough.

* Tuttimelon Irving: Apple mochi
* Tuttimelon Cupertino: No flavored mochi spotted
* Tuttimelon Chestnut: Strawberry mochi

Mochi ball status at other Tuttimelon locations: unknown. Any information on mochi ball status would be appreciated.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* TUTTIMELON CHESTNUT: 2240 Chestnut St. San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2150 Irving St San Francisco, CA

Monday, July 20, 2009

Harmony Frozen Yogurt Announces Changes to Increase Value


Fro-yo girl here. Harmony sent out an e-mail today, announcing new programs to increase the value they provide to customers.

* Child’s size yogurt is now 33% larger
* Small size yogurt is now 20% larger
* Cost of a single topping reduced by 33%
* No sales tax charged

I don’t think the changes affect my usual (the Deal) but it’s nice to be able to dine in and not pay sales tax.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT SAN CARLOS: 1226 Arroyo Avenue, San Carlos, CA 94070
* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT SAN MATEO: 1051 Park Place, San Mateo, CA 94403
* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT BURLINGAME: 1243 Howard Avenue, Burlingame, CA 94010

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sugar Butter Flour Introduces Fro-yo Treats


Fro-yo girl here. South Bay bakery, Sugar Butter Flour, has just added fro-yo! And they’ve combined fro-yo with some of their baked goods to create fro-yo treats. I’d like to try the frupcake (cupcake + fro-yo). That's fro-yo, not frosting in the picture.

Enjoy Frogurt in the following forms:
* Fro-yo a cup with fresh fruit, coconut, housemade granola, cookies and nuts
* Frupcake: SBF’s red velvet cupcake topped with fro-yo and your choice of 1 topping
* Fro-yo profiterole: a cream puff filled with fro-yo, fresh fruit and raspberry sauce
* Chill-out tart: fro-yo on a buttery tart with two toppings and raspberry sauce

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* Sugar Butter Flour: 1875 S Bascom Ave, Campbell, CA

Friday, July 17, 2009

Neighborhoods in San Francisco that Need Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. I recently had some not very good fro-yo in the Fisherman’s Wharf area (SF Yogurt) and it surprises me that a fro-yo shop opened up in the touristy Fisherman’s Wharf before opening in the following fro-yo less and fro-yo ready areas of SF:

* Outer Richmond: With all the Koreans and boba shops in this area, why is there no fro-yo shop? I just don’t understand it. I’ve had the urge for fro-yo several times in this area without being desperate enough to go to Quickly for fro-yo. Okay, so Quickly does offer fro-yo but I don’t think that really counts. Clement or Geary St. (near New May Wah) needs a proper fro-yo shop.
* Laurel Village: Frequented by families and professionals, the shopping center here would be perfect for fro-yo (or even ice cream). I can usually find parking here too, so I’m a frequent visitor. It’s also close enough to the lovely shops on Sacramento St.
* Hayes Valley: One of my favorite shopping areas, Hayes Valley is frequented by people who appreciate quality and sweet treats (e.g., Miette and Paulette Macarons). You can get cupcakes, macarons and candies here, so fro-yo should also be an option.
* Castro: My gay friend thinks fro-yo would be a huge hit. Maybe so. The foot traffic is impressive and many health conscious people visit (think of all the gyms in the area – fro-yo makes the perfect post workout treat).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tartini Now 30 Cents an Ounce


Fro-yo girl here. This morning I saw Tartini’s shocking announcement; they lowered their price from 38 cents an ounce to 30 cents an ounce. Go there. Their tart flavors are more natural than most self-serve fro-yo shops. It’s my impression that they have higher quality fro-yo by self-serve standards. I haven’t tried their sweet flavors but the tart ones are definitely better than Yogurtland’s.

Thinking about the announcement also made me think about the trend towards self-serve fro-yo. I looked at my list of fro-yo shops that opened this year and new self-serve shops outnumber full-serve fro-yo shops. Some full-serve shops like Papamingo and Café Aroma (now Honeyberry) even changed formats, going from full-serve to self-serve. Even Tuttimelon has a self-serve store now.

Self-serve really appeals to a younger crowd that doesn’t seem to mind the germs. I guess it’s a good trend since it increases demand for fro-yo and appeals to a wider audience.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* TARTINI: 20488 Stevens Creek Blvd, Suite 2040, Cupertino, CA
* PAPAMINGO: 2510 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA (also 30 cents an ounce – they must have seen the crazy lines at Yogurtland)
* HONEYBERRY: 3488 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA
* TUTTIMELON UNION CITY: 32280 Dyer St., Union City, CA

Yoplait Whips Review


Fro-yo girl here. The Yoplait Whips commercial caught my eye because it recommends freezing Whips. I went to my local Safeway which only carries four flavors of Whips. I wanted to try Dulce De Leche but they didn’t carry it. The 4 oz. size makes it just right for a snack or light dessert. Low fat Whips contain live and active cultures, but also high fructose corn syrup.

I froze a container of Chocolate Mousse Whips. I’ve frozen other yogurt before and it usually becomes very hard and dense. Because Whips are fluffy, lighter, mousse style, they’re much softer when frozen. That’s nice because you don’t have to chip away at the frozen yogurt to eat it. Whips still turn icy though (as in grainy).

The flavor was strange. It didn’t taste like real chocolate but had an unpleasant, cheap, artificial taste. The sourness didn’t help either.

The frozen Raspberry Mousse Whips, made with raspberry puree, was much better. The raspberry flavor and sourness of the yogurt are more complementary than the chocolate and yogurt flavors. The creaminess and lightness of the frozen yogurt were quite pleasant.

3 stars (out of 5).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yoplait Whips commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEC_IkI8q7M

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Grand Opening Coverage of So Frais Frozen Yogurt Cafe


Fro-yo girl here. Congratulations to Amy and Ray on their elegant, stylish new frozen yogurt café, So Frais. So Frais offers much more than self-serve fro-yo. You can also enjoy delectable cupcakes, stuffed pretzels, decadent infused chocolates, Vietnamese coffee, gelato and macarons. If you’re feeling creative, you can add your own artwork to their wall.

Yes, you can help yourself to fro-yo (8 flavors a day, mostly tart) and add toppings (42 cents an ounce) but you can also make your own yogurt (non-frozen) parfait.



So Frais differentiates itself with its menu, build your own parfait and higher quality toppings (fruit purees, homemade plain mochi). They keep their fresh fruit over ice and their berries looked much better than the usual soggy, wilted berries I see. Fruit is cut into larger chunks. I think they're eco-friendly too - or at least they recycle.



The event started at 1 PM. Friends and family enjoyed free fro-yo while others received a buy one, get one free discount.

They have creamier fro-yo and icier fro-yo, to accommodate different preferences.

Flavors of the day:
* Vanilla
* Cookies n’ Cream
* Icicle Tart (sour, icier plain tart)
* So Frais Plain Tart (sweeter, creamier)
* Pomegranate tart
* Blueberry tart
* Taro tart
* Pineapple tart



Check out the pictures. Pretty, isn’t it?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* SO FRAIS FROZEN YOGURT CAFÉ: 5363 Mowry, Fremont, CA

Friday, July 10, 2009

Yoppi & So Frais Grand Opening Events on Saturday, July 11


Fro-yo girl here. Both So Frais and Yoppi Yogurt have already opened their doors but their grand opening events are this Saturday.

Yoppi Yogurt has taken over the old Julie Gelato’s space. They offer Italian gelato and 6 flavors of self-serve fro-yo a day (45 cents an ounce). Don’t miss the flavored mochi balls. I’m told that there will be free fro-yo from 2 – 4 PM on Saturday. I didn’t see any flyers, postcards or posters about the event at the shop and they were having problems with the point of sales system, so you may want to call before you head over there (925-279-2209).

So Frais is a new self-serve fro-yo shop in Fremont that also offers cupcakes. The celebration starts at 1 PM though the shop opens at 11 AM. Choose from 8 flavors of fro-yo. Buy one, get one free during the grand opening (1 PM – closing).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 1815G Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek, CA
* SO FRAIS FROZEN YOGURT CAFÉ: 5363 Mowry, Fremont, CA

Thursday, July 9, 2009

New Flavored Mochi at Kukje


Fro-yo girl here. While Kukje Market appears to be out of or no longer carry Dae Doo Food Co. mochi balls, they now have flavored mochi balls! They’re tiny and come on a Styrofoam tray with plastic wrapping. The “mochiquitas” flavors are melon, coconut and strawberry ($3.49 per package). I believe they are manufactured by Wang but it doesn’t say so on the packaging. Look for them in the refrigerated section near the produce department (where the tofu is).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* KUKJE: 2350 Junipero Serra, Daly City, CA

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Tuttimelon Cupertino Goes Tropical


Fro-yo girl here. Check out Tuttimelon’s tropical summer special! They’re celebrating their lineup of tropical fro-yo flavors: coconut, passionfruit, pineapple, lychee, and mango.

Starting July 16th, get a cup of small fro-yo for just 99 cents! This includes all flavors (e.g., original tart), so be sure to try them all. An offer like this is too good to last, so get there quickly and go often. Enjoy your dose of tuttiliciousness!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* TUTTIMELON CUPERTINO: 10919 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino, CA

Give Blood, Get Tuttimelon Fro-yo



Tuttimelon and the Red Cross have joined forces for a blood drive. Give blood and get a free medium fro-yo with three toppings. To take advantage of this generous fro-yo offer, sign up for a time slot.

7/28/09 @ CHESTNUT SF STORE
https://www.givelife.org/index.cfm?group=op&expand=620235&zc=94123

7/29/09 @ UNION CITY
https://www.givelife.org/index.cfm?group=op&expand=620302&zc=94587

Thanks, Tuttimelon!

* TUTTIMELON: 2240 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON: 32280 Dyer St, Union City, CA

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Closures and Unexpected Places for Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurt Bar, SF’s first tart fro-yo shop, closed its doors about a week ago. I don’t think anyone is surprised though they did step up their promotional efforts during their last few months (e.g., fro-yo happy hour, win a free month of toppings contest, blood drive, sign up for their e-newsletter to get a free fro-yo) and they switched to organic fro-yo.

Ryno’s in Berkeley appears closed but the phone still rings, so they could be remodeling. How is it that they don’t even have a website?

A fro-yo tipster tells me that Bette’s to Go is now swirling plain Straus organic fro-yo. Thanks, A.B.!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURT BAR UNION: 2760 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA
* RYNO’S: 2380 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA
* BETTE’S TO GO: 1807 4th Street, Berkeley, CA

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Golden Spoon Grand Opening Weekend Coverage



Fro-yo girl here. I stopped by Golden Spoon today for some free fro-yo (the promo continues tomorrow from 11 AM – 11 PM). They had 12 flavors to choose from (it’s not self-serve) and 2 of these were tart (mango, simply tart). They have 50 rotating flavors. For toppings, they had candy, cheesecake bites, mochi, granola, sprinkles, and syrups.

I met up with Robert M., their marketing guy, and chatted over a bowl of fro-yo. Robert’s favorite is old fashioned vanilla and he also recommends chocolate malt.

Golden Spoon started out 25 years ago in SoCal, so naturally this franchise specializes in sweet fro-yo. Almost all of the flavors are non-fat (peanut butter is one exception) and their fro-yo does contain live and active cultures. They've developed their own fro-yo recipes.

The San Jose shop is currently under construction and they plan to open on August 8th. That location is larger, so they’ll have space for two more fro-yo machines.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GOLDEN SPOON FROZEN YOGURT: 4065 E. Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley, CA

Friday, July 3, 2009

Picture from Opening Day at Golden Spoon Castro Valley


Fro-yo girl here. I've received a picture from this morning's Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt store opening in Castro Valley along with a report that the free fro-yo drew hundreds of fro-yo lovers. Check out the clock in the picture - you're seeing the first people served at Golden Spoon.

Remember that you can get your free regular sized fro-yo on July 3, 4 & 5th from 11 AM - 11 PM. No purchase or coupon necessary.

About Golden Spoon
"Golden Spoon was founded in southern California over 25 years ago and has now grown to over 100 stores in the western United States and Japan with many more coming soon. The Castro Valley store is the first location of 30 that will be owned and operated by Pacific Yogurt Partners LLC founded by former food industry executives born and raised in the Bay Area." More Golden Spoon locations are on the way! They're going to be in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. Hmm, so no store in San Francisco.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GOLDEN SPOON FROZEN YOGURT: 4065 E. Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA

Tartini 4th of July Promotions

Free fro-yo for Members of the Armed Forces! For civilians, 50% off fro-yo till 4 PM on July 4th, mention Twitter.

* TARTINI: 20488 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Tuttimelon to be Featured on KTVU on Sunday, July 5!


Fro-yo girl here. Tutti fans! Don’t miss the chance to see Tuttimelon featured on Channel 2 KTVU’s show, Malou Review, this Sunday (7/5) at 6 PM. I am going to eat Tuttimelon while watching the show with my Tuttimelon bear. Go Tuttimelon!!!

http://www.ktvu.com/maloureview/index.html

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Celebrate Independence Day with Fro-yo


Fro-yo girl here. I remember eating a bowl of strawberry fro-yo with almonds on July 4, 2008. How will you celebrate the 4th of July? Why not have a red, white and blue cup of fro-yo?

RED: Dried cherries, dried strawberries, strawberries, strawberry syrup, raspberries, raspberry puree, strawberry mochi, strawberry fro-yo, pomegranate fro-yo, watermelon, pomegranate syrup, pomegranate seeds (not in season right now)

WHITE: Plain/original tart fro-yo, vanilla fro-yo, lychee fro-yo, coconut fro-yo, marshmallow fro-yo, plain mochi, coconut mochi, yogurt chips, coconut, whipped cream, lychee, young coconut, marshmallow crème, marshmallows

BLUE: Blueberries, blueberry fro-yo, blueberry syrup, blackberries, blackberry fro-yo, taro fro-yo

July 4th Specials: Buy one, get one free from 10 AM – 2 PM at participating Yogen Fruz locations, free regular size fro-yo at Golden Spoon Castro Valley, 11 AM – 11 PM

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GOLDEN SPOON FROZEN YOGURT: 4065 E. Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley, CA

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Blush One Year Anniversary/ Customer Appreciation Day Coverage


Fro-yo girl here. For those of you who didn’t make it over to Blush today between 2 – 6 PM for Customer Appreciation Day and your free small cup of fro-yo with two toppings, you missed out…but you can still enjoy the taste of Blush. I stopped by twice today! Blush fans and Blush newbies lined up around the block for this special treat. Someone from Yogurtland even showed up to hand out Yogurtland coupons (how tacky).

Facebook fans selected two of the flavors of the day, strawberry kiwi and chocolate. Original and green tea tart were also offered. Through the operational prowess of owner Jonathan R. they were able to serve over 3000 cups of fro-yo in four hours. Wow. Original was the most popular choice.

While I did miss their Blush flavor (pomegranate-dragonfruit), I fell in love with their green tea tart. It’s perfect – a little tangy, really creamy, sweet aftertaste and the taste of real yogurt mixed with green tea. I heard that it might be offered for a few more days, so if you’re a green tea fro-yo fan, get over there quickly.

Thank you Jonathan R. for your unmatched generosity!

Check out the pics on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blush-Organic-Frozen-Yogurt/63944578125

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 4640-A Tassajara Road, Dublin, CA