Pinkberry Greek Yogurt National Launch

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry is transforming itself from a frozen yogurt chain to a handcrafted yogurt bar chain with the impending nationwide April launch of Pinkberrygreek, a non-frozen Greek yogurt offering along with new toppings. Pinkberrygreek is already available in some locations. It was launched in the Bay Area around March 11. It’s a major addition to their menu, so I had many questions.

• What’s new on the menu? First the entire menu has been updated into four groupings: frozen, parfait, blends (smoothies and shakes) and greek. The greek yogurt comes in five suggested pairings. The same plain, no sugar added Greek yogurt is the base of all the creations. The suggested creations are: Strawberry mango, Chocolate berry, Kiwi strawberry, Tomato basil, and Sunflower cucumber. I think Greek parfaits, Greek smoothie, frozen shakes (strawberry pomegranate and chocolate banana) are also new.
• Are there new toppings for pinkberrygreek? Yes. I spotted grape tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, sunflower seed bites, dark chocolate granola, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon honey, organic vanilla agave nectar, strawberry puree, organic chili powder, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
• Can I create my own pinkberrygreek creation? Yes you can. They recommend choosing three fruits, 1 crunchy topping and 1 sauce. You can select any topping they have, not just the new ones that came out with pinkberrygreek.
• How much is pinkberrygreek? Does it come in different sizes? It comes in one size that’s $4.95. You get 5 ounces of Greek yogurt with toppings.
• What does pinkberrygreek taste like plain? Like sour, plain, thick, creamy yogurt. It’s very thick.
• Is pinkberrygreek non-fat? Yes it is.
• Have the store hours changed? No, at least not at the location that I visited. I like having yogurt parfaits in the morning so I thought the hours might have changed. They’re positioning pinkberrygreek as more of an afternoon snack though.
• Will I get a stamp on my Pinkcard for buying pinkberrygreek? Yes

The pinkberrygreek flavor was fine but didn’t stand out compared to other Greek yogurt that I’ve had. It’s a nice, filling snack but I wish I had more toppings and less yogurt. With frozen yogurt, one doesn’t need sauce or even toppings to make it taste better. With Greek yogurt, the toppings and the amount of them are more important. The ratios were off for me. I would have preferred to add my own toppings and sauces (yes, in this case I would prefer self-serve). I also like having layers of crunch vs. just having all the crunchy toppings on top. I don’t need an expert swirler to make it look nice. I like a lot more crunch with my yogurt.  

I forgot to ask how pinkberrygreek parfaits differ from pinkberrygreek creations.

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.