California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings in 2018

Fro-yo girl here. There are plenty of frozen yogurt shops but there are also many non-traditional places to get frozen yogurt, including restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, cafeterias, hospitals, etc. The shops that I track are ones that primarily serve frozen yogurt. This would include frozen yogurt trucks and vending machines, but exclude restaurants that have one frozen yogurt machine and convenience stores.

As always, it's much easier to track openings since shops usually have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement. Fortunately, Yelpers are pretty good about reporting closings.

Here’s my attempt to track froyo shop openings and closings in California this year.

Froyo Shop Openings:

1. Besties Cool Treats, San Diego 
2. Blitzer’s, Menifee 
3. Bongo Froyo, Mammoth Lakes 
4. Cocomo Froyo, Smorgasburg, Los Angeles 
5. Cool Creations, Northridge (formerly Cups) 
6. Corner Yogurt, Half Moon Bay 
7. Cup O’Tea, Menlo Park 
8. Crazy For Yogurt, Gold River 
9. Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt West Portal, San Francisco 
10. Exquisito, Anaheim 
11. Floatisimo, La Jolla
12. Forever Yogurt/Bee & Tea, San Jose 
13. Froyo Café, Tujunga 
14. Golden Spoon, Glendora, November 
15. Golden Spoon Café, Mission Viejo 
16. Go Greek Yogurt, Glendale Galleria, Glendale 
17. Go Greek Yogurt, Thousand Oaks 
18. Jolynn Yogurt, Hemet 
19. Kiwiblast, Bakersfield 
20. Loving Cup NoPa, Divisadero, San Francisco 
21. Menchie’s, Bakersfield 
22. Menchie’s, El Centro 
23. Menchie’s Mission Hills, Los Angeles 
24. Menchie’s Sacramento, Delta Shores 
25. Menchie’s, Mission Viejo 
26. Menchie’s Port Hueneme 
27. Menchie’s, Van Nuys 
28. Peachwave, Calabasas 
29. Snowy Frozen Yogurt & Snow Ice, Petaluma 
30. Sweet Joy Desserts, Santa Ana
31. UC Yogurt, San Diego 
32. Yes Yogurt, Morgan Hill 
33. Yog-art, Grantville, San Diego 
34. Yogurt N’ Things, Valencia 
35. Yogurtland, Bakersfield 
36. Yogurtland, Belmont Shore, Long Beach 
37. Yogurtland Century City, Los Angeles (remodeled) 
38. Yogurtland, Hanford
39. Yogurtland, Irvine (Barranca) 
40. Yogurtland, 7th St. Long Beach 
41. Yogurtland, Rancho Mission Viejo 
42. Yogurtland, Rialto 
43. Yummy Spoon, Chula Vista 

Froyo Shop Closings:

1. Bella Frozen Yogurt, Los Angeles 
2. Berrysweet, Buena Park 
3. Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt, Reedley 
4. Big Spoon, Folsom 
5. Bougie's Frozen Yogurt, Perris 
6. Cherries N Berries, Paramount
7. Cherry on Top, Upland 
8. Chillbox, Sacramento 
9. Cindy's Frozen Yogurt, Fresno 
10. Cool Creations, Northridge (formerly Cups) 
11. Cuppa, San Francisco
12. Cups Frozen Yogurt, Irvine 
13. Cups Frozen Yogurt, Northridge (name changed to Cool Creations) 
14. Dolce Frozen Yogurt, Cambria
15. Easy Breezy, Castro, San Francisco  
16. Eddie’s Frozen Yogurt, Palm Springs
17. Fiji Yogurt Linda Vista, San Diego
18. Fiji Yogurt Friars Rd, San Diego 
19. Fit Fro, Yorba Linda
20. Fro Yo Delite, Hollister 
21. Froyo Cafe, Tujunga
22. Frozen D'lite, Corona 
23. Fruity Tart Natural Frozen Yogurt, Moreno Valley
24. Frugo's, Beaumont 
25. Golden Spoon, Irvine 
26. Golden Spoon, Lakewood 
27. Honey Treat Yogurt, Roseville
28. Jolynn Yogurt, Hemet
29. Menchie’s, Culver City 
30. Menchie's, Rancho Santa Margarita
31. Milk Plus Sugar, Santa Ana
32. Mrs. Fields/TCBY, Rancho Cucamonga 
33. N Gelato, Azusa 
34. Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt, La Canada Flintridge
35. Pinkberry, Azusa 
36. Pinkberry Original Farmers Market, Los Angeles 
37. Pinkberry, Playa Vista 
38. Pinkberry, Santa Barbara
39. Pinkberry, Santana Row, San Jose
40. Pinkberry, The Americana at Brand, Glendale 
41. Planet Yogurt, Daly City 
42. Rave Organics, Newbury Park
43. Red Mango, Livermore 
44. Sweettooth Yogurt & Boba, Whittier
45. Star Frozen Yogurt, Covina
46. TCBY, Exeter 
47. Teaberry Frozen Yogurt Café, San Luis Obispo 
48. The Pink Mango, Tujunga 
49. The Yogurt Shop, Loomis 
50. Things-N-Yogurt, Valencia 
51. Tutti Frutti, Menlo Park 
52. Tutti Frutti, Walnut Creek 
53. Tutti Frutti, Newark
54. Tutti Frutti, La Crescenta
55. Uptown Frozen Yogurt, Whittier
56. Yogurt & Love, Los Gatos 
57. Yogurt & Yummies, Escondido
58. Yogurt At Its Best, Palm Springs
59. Yogurt Monkey, Gold River 
60. Yogurt Shop, Danville
61. Yogurt Stop, Menlo Park
62. Yogurt Zone, Woodland Hills
63. Yogurtland, Long Beach Belmont Shore 
64. Yogurtland, Palo Alto 
65. Yogurtland, Woodland Hills
66. Yogurtland, Northridge
67. Yogurtland, Santa Cruz
68. Yogurtown, Pinole
69. Yoppi Yogurt, California St., San Francisco
70. Yum Yum Yogurt, Clovis 
71. Yummy Yogurt, Rolling Hills Estates 

It's been pretty typical to find about equal numbers of froyo shop openings and closings, with the exception of last year when there were many more closings than openings. The number of openings and closings are down this year. The majority of openings occurred in Southern California. The closures were more evenly distributed throughout the state. Since closures tend not to be publicized, I'm sure that I'm missing some closures. 

Interestingly, seven Menchie's locations and seven Yogurtland locations opened this year in California. Peachwave opened its first location in California. CUPS no longer has any locations in California and Pinkberry continued to close locations, with five closures. I was surprised that five Yogurtland locations closed. Chillbox, the chain from Greece, no longer has any locations in California.

Another factor in the closings is the age of the shop. As shops turn 10, many are losing their lease. This was the reason cited for several closures, including Yogurtland Palo Alto and Pinkberry Santana Row. Pinkberry at the Americana turned 10 this year. 

When existing frozen yogurt stores change ownership but not names, I don’t consider this to be an opening or a closing. It's too hard to track ownership changes, since they often are not announced, but if I hear of an ownership change, I do make a note of it.

Froyo Shops Under New Ownership:

• Golden Spoon, Carlsbad 
• Golden Spoon, La Costa 
• Hoppy’s Froyo, Fortuna 
• Menchie’s South Pasadena (same owner as Menchie’s Glendale) 
• Menchie’s Winepress (Fresno, CA) 
• Something Sweet Frozen Yogurt, Lake Isabella 
• Yogurt 101, Solana Beach 
• Yogurtland, 19755 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights 

Then there's Fruity Tart Froyo in Moreno Valley, which is now called Sweet Beast Dessert Cafe. It's unclear whether ownership has changed.

I've also tried to track new businesses that aren't primarily frozen yogurt shops, but serve frozen yogurt.

Not a Froyo Shop but Has Opened and Serves Froyo:

• Freshii, Los Angeles
• Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt, Laguna Niguel
• Loop Neighborhood, Mountain View
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Norco
• Loop Neighborhod Market, Silver Creek/San Jose
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Union City
• Nick the Greek, Stevens Creek, San Jose
• Pita Barn Express, Victorville
• Pita GR, Downey
• Popbar, Riverside
• Rave Organics Café
• The Argentum Project, San Francisco

Not New, Not a Froyo Shop But Started Serving Froyo

• Nick the Greek, Almaden, San Jose
• Nick the Greek, Downtown, San Jose
• Nick the Greek, Sunnyvale
• Nick the Greek, Willow Glen, San Jose
• Nick the Greek, Santa Teresa, San Jose
• Nick the Greek, King Rd, San Jose
• Nick the Greek, Redwood City

Another hard to track category is the future froyo shops. Menchie's makes it easy because they list future shops on their website, but otherwise, I have to look for mentions on social media. Next year, there should be a lot of Reis & Irvy robot froyo installations. 

Future Places That Will Serve Froyo:

• Menchie’s, Arleta
• Menchie’s, Hanford
• Menchie’s, Pinole
• Menchie’s Upland
• Menchie’s Citrus Heights
• Nick the Greek, Morgan Hill
• Peachwave, Los Angeles (downtown)
• Souvla, Chestnut St., Marina, San Francisco 
• Yagoot, Hollywood
• Yoga-urt, Echo Park, Los Angeles (Spring 2019)
• YogoFarm, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, La Habra

I noticed a few places were listed as closed for remodeling.

Closed for Remodeling (or Temporarily Closed):

• 21 Choices, Claremont (Foothill)
• Boxcar Eats, Sacramento
• Tutti Frutti, La Crescenta

The 21 Choices has been closed for remodeling for a long time. Will it ever reopen? 21 Choices in Pasadena will be moving to a new location in Old Town, close to the current one, in 2019.

Since I always wind up finding out about new openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings? Let me know.

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.