My Best Froyo Swirl of 2019

Fro-yo girl here. The year and decade are almost over. I might have another froyo or two but I doubt I’ll achieve a nicer looking swirl. Without further ado, my best froyo swirl of the year is a cup of peanut butter froyo with Nutter Butters and peanut butter chips, swirled on March 18 at Yogurtland Alhambra, CA. The froyo looks smooth and creamy and the full-looking swirl tapers and peaks upward slightly for a nice effect. I wish peanut butter froyo were available more often at Yogurtland. Those peanut butter chips were so good too.

This year, I consumed 160 cups of frozen yogurt (or froyo alternatives), compared to 155 cups in 2018. My first cup was from Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA. My first cup that I swirled myself was at Menchie’s Valley Village, CA (the best Menchie’s location).

I also like to look at flavors and toppings that I selected. I found the following:

• Self-swirled (64%) of cups vs not swirled by me (36%). This was exactly the same as last year. Interesting!
• Single flavor (91%) vs. more than one flavor (9%). I definitely like to enjoy one flavor per cup. If I do opt for more than one flavor, I like to have the swirls side by side vs. swirled together.
• Dairy (76%) vs. non-dairy (24%). I thought I had non-dairy more often but I still love dairy.

You can see every cup that I consumed on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/2019-froyo-consumed-by-me/

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.

New Froyo Spoons of 2019

Fro-yo girl here. Froyo spoon collectors, I’ve been tracking the collectible new froyo spoons that were released this year in the US and this is the list that I’ve come up with.

• Menchie’s: Holiday Kiwi/Mellow light blue snowman spoon
• Menchie’s: Halloween Menchie as a vampire dark blue spoo
• Menchie’s: Summer Chip as a surfer dark blue spoon
• sweetFrog: The Very Hungry Caterpillar green caterpillar spoons
• Yogurtland: Giant orange Yogurtland spoon (given out at the Santa Ana Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Chester Cheetah meet & greet)
• Yogurtland: Blue Everest and purple Yi Abominable spoons
• Yogurtland: Waffle cone light purple spoon, coinciding with the launch of their waffle cones

Menchie’s had THREE froyo spoon contests. Love that.

I noticed some new spoons outside the US. Moyo (Mexico and other countries in Latin America) had Abominable spoons and spoons for another cartoon that I didn’t recognize. Llaolao had a special white 10th anniversary spoon.

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.

Menchie’s New Spies in Disguise Collectible Cup

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s has a new limited edition cup design for the upcoming movie, Spies in Disguise. The animated spy movie from 20th Century Fox, starring Will Smith and Tom Holland, comes out on Christmas Day. The orange cup features the cartoon Will Smith and the pigeon he transforms into, I think. Cups are nice but definitely a lot less exciting than froyo spoons.

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.

Best New Froyo Flavors of 2019

True Tahini at Yoga-urt

Fro-yo girl here. I don’t think there will be any additional new froyo flavors this year, so it’s time for me to pick my favorite froyo flavors of 2019.

Best Tart: Blueberry Avalanche Tart froyo from Yogurtland

The top two tart flavors this year were Kiwi Strawberry from Pinkberry and Blueberry Avalanche from Yogurtland. Yogurtland’s flavor was tarter and had lots of blueberry flavor. It wasn’t the most creative flavor since Yogurtland already had a blueberry tart froyo, but they put more blueberries in Blueberry Avalanche. But then again, given the rarity of new tart froyo flavors, I’m happy that there were a few new tart flavors from which to choose.

Best Sweet: Golden Graham Cracker froyo from Menchie’s

Golden Graham Cracker was the Menchie’s feature flavor way back in January. I almost forgot about it but then I remembered thinking that starting the year off with such a great flavor was a good sign for the new year. I like being able to see bits of graham crackers in the froyo. The yogurt tasted like graham crackers without being cloyingly sweet. And graham crackers go with every froyo topping, I think.

Best Vegan: True Tahini from Yoga-urt

Yoga-urt continues to wow with the best vegan froyo flavors anywhere. What sets it apart? The freshness and quality of their product for starters. They make their own vegan base with housemade cashew and almond milk. Mr. Froyo was the one who suggested the flavor. He’s also sensitive to sugar, so he LOVES that Yoga-urt’s True Tahini is made with no added sugar. I like that it’s not as sweet as halva and it’s different and interesting. Sweetening yogurt with dates makes it very Middle Eastern.

For a list of the new froyo flavors introduced in 2019, see: https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/ifya/news/new-flavors-introduced-in-2019-flavor-trends/

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201 and 2211 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

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.

Painful Froyo Shop Closures of 2019

former Pinkberry La Canada location

Fro-yo girl here. Sadly, every year brings froyo shop closures in California. This was the case even in the heyday of froyo. Of the 48 froyo shops that closed in 2019, I visited 21 of them. These are the ones that I will miss the most:

• OMG! Dessert Lounge, Anaheim: This was an interesting funky independent shop in the gas station parking lot that had self-serve froyo, freakshakes, macarons, cheesecakes, smoothies, milkshakes, frappes, etc. The froyo was better than average. 
• Pinkberry: Every location that closes brings pain, since there are so few left. This year’s casualties include the Blossom Hill location in San Jose, Hillcrest in San Diego, La Canada Flintridge, Little Tokyo (downtown Los Angeles), Newport Beach, San Francisco, and Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica. San Francisco no longer has a Pinkberry, unless you count the one at the SFO Airport. Very sad! Outside of the airport, the remaining Bay Area locations are in Sunnyvale and Palo Alto. I used to visit the La Canada and Little Tokyo locations. The La Canada location, which is now a ramen shop called Kotsu, had machine issues for a long time. Little Tokyo, which is now a Somi Somi (soft serve taiyaki chain) was better. Now there’s no Pinkberry in downtown LA. 
• Yogurt Haven was Eagle Rock’s (a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles) first froyo shop. The space is still available. It opened in 2010. The froyo was decent but it did excel at building a sense of community with its open mic nights, live music, and other local events.
• Yogurtland Westwood Village, Los Angeles: This was the last self-serve froyo shop in Westwood Village, across from UCLA. Another froyo shop called Frozen Land took over the space but it’s not self-serve.
• Yumi Yogurt Redwood City: I wrote about this closure early. The Redwood City location was Yumi Yogurt’s very first. It closed after 35 years of serving froyo. The lease was up and the owner couldn’t afford to renovate the old building in order to stay at that location. The building will be torn down and replaced with boring office buildings.

Farewell, old friends. You are missed.

I was tempted to add Fraiche Yogurt in Palo Alto to this list (the shop closed on December 10), but I noticed years ago that the quality had declined. I first noticed this about two or three years ago, right around the time the ownership changed. Friends noticed it too. It's a shame...they had the best housemade mochi. It sounds like their SFO Airport location has also gone downhill. Fraiche Palo Alto was Steve Jobs' favorite froyo shop. 

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.

California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings of 2019

Fro-yo girl here. As 2019 comes to an end, it’s time to look at the froyo shop openings and closings of 2019 in California. I believe that California continues to have the most froyo shops. While the focus of this post is on froyo shops, i.e., shops that primarily serve frozen yogurt, I also tried to track froyo not served in froyo shops but served from a soft serve machine, including restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, cafeterias, hospitals, frozen yogurt trucks and trailers.

It's always much easier to track openings since most frozen yogurt have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement. Fortunately, helpful Yelpers are good about reporting closings.

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

Froyo Shop Openings (in alphabetical order): 

1. 21 Choices Pasadena (moved)
2. Blitzer’s Yogurt, Murrieta (replaced FroYoLand)
3. Cups and Cones, Pittsburg
4. Dolci Mango, Poway
5. Everest Yogurt, Sacramento
6. Fog City Yogurt, Pacifica
7. FROLO Frozen Yogurt, Manteca (moved)
8. Froyo Freeze, Harbor City
9. Frozen Land, Westwood, Los Angeles (replaced Yogurtland)
10. Jon & Bon's Yogurt Shoppe, Rocklin
11. Live Culture Café, Encinitas
12. Mangos Frozen Yogurt, Downey (replaced Wild Berry)
13. Menchie’s, Chula Vista
14. Menchie’s, Citrus Heights
15. Menchie’s, Pinole 
16. Menchie’s, Upland
17. Menchie’s Victory Plaza, Whittier (replaced Frugo’s)
18. Original Yogurt Shack, Carlsbad
19. Peachwave, Seal Beach
20. Swrlies, Los Angeles (pop-up)
21. Tiki Tiki Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream, El Monte (replaced Green Apple Frozen Yogurt)
22. Tutti Frutti, Montrose (moved)
23. Yoga-urt, Echo Park, Los Angeles
24. Yogi Berry, Fresno (replaced Mickey’s Yogurt West)
25. Yogurt Factory, Temecula (2nd location)
26. Yogurt Time, Santa Rosa
27. Yogurt Now, El Sobrante
28. Yogurtland, Anaheim (Katella)
29. Yogurtland, La Habra
30. YOLO, San Anselmo

There were 30 openings this year, compared to 43 in 2018 and 64 in 2017. I've been to 8 of them so far. The number new openings has been on the decline since peaking in 2016. Five new Menchie's locations opened compared to two for Yogurtland. Several shops moved or replaced other froyo shops.

Froyo Shop Closures (in alphabetical order):

1. Berries, Rancho Cucamonga
2. Berrystar, Palmdale
3. Big Spoon, Sacramento
4. Big Spoon, Fair Oaks
5. Boardwalk Yogurt, Venice
6. Bougie’s Frozen Yogurt, Perris
7. Bravo! Frozen Yogurt, Salinas
8. California Yogurt, Yuba City
9. Cherry On Top, Pasadena
10. Cherry On Top, Garden Grove
11. Chillz Frozen Yogurt, Riverside 
12. Chillz Frozen Yogurt, Grand Terrace
13. Cones, Pittsburg (merged, now part of Nick’s Sandwiches, still offers froyo)
14. Corner Yogurt, Half Moon Bay
15. Crazy For Yogurt, Rancho Cordova
16. Exquisito, Anaheim
17. Fraiche, Palo Alto
18. Friza Frozen Yogurt, Torrance
19. FROLO Frozen Yogurt, Manteca (moved)
20. Froyo Delite, Hollister
21. FroYoLand, Murrieta (now Blitzer’s!)
22. Frugos, Whittier (taken over by Menchie’s)
23. Fusion Mix, Fremont
24. Go Bananaz, Tustin
25. Go Greek, Thousand Oaks
26. Go Greek, Glendale
27. Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Calabasas
28. Golden Spoon, La Costa, Carlsbad
29. Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Santa Margarita
30. Golden Spoon, Temecula (Ynez)
31. Golden Spoon, Temecula (Temecula Pkwy)
32. Golden Spoon, Wildomar
33. Great American Yogurt, Huntington Beach
34. Live Culture Cafe, Encinitas
35. Loving Cup, Hayes Valley, San Francisco
36. Major Brain Freeze, Loma Linda
37. Menchie’s Carmenita Rd., Whittier
38. Menchie’s, Compton
39. Menchie’s, Dublin
40. Mickey’s Yogurt West, Fresno
41. Miyo Yogurt, Los Altos
42. Moonlight Yogurt, Encinitas 
43. OMG! Dessert Lounge, Anaheim
44. Peachwave, Calabasas
45. Pinkberry Blossom Hill, San Jose
46. Pinkberry Hillcrest, San Diego
47. Pinkberry, La Canada Flintridge 
48. Pinkberry Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
49. Pinkberry, Newport Beach  
50. Pinkberry, San Francisco
51. Pinkberry, Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
52. San Clemente Yogurt, San Clemente
53. Sweet Swirl, Claremont
54. sweetFrog, Camarillo
55. SweetXO, Agoura Hills
56. Swirls, Encinitas
57. Tutti Frutti, La Crescenta (moved to Montrose)
58. Tutti Frutti, Huntington Park
59. Tutti Frutti, National City
60. Tutti Frutti, University Park, Los Angeles
61. Twins Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Cucamonga
62. U Yogurt, Ventura
63. Wild Berry, Downey
64. Xtreme Frozen Yogurt, Carlsbad
65. Yo Place, Long Beach
66. Yogurt De Lite, Fremont
67. Yogurt Delight, Dublin
68. Yogurt Haven, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
69. Yogurt Shack, Carlsbad
70. Yogurt Time, La Palma
71. Yogurt Zone, Vacaville
72. Yogurtland, Old Town Pasadena
73. Yogurtland, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
74. Yogurtland, Poway
75. Yogurtland, Westwood, Los Angeles
76. Yogurtland, Colima & Fullerton, Rowland Heights
77. Yogurtland, Beverly Connection, Los Angeles
78. Yogurtlicious, Corona
79. Yumi Yogurt, Redwood City 

There were 79 froyo shop closures in 2019, compared to 68 in 2018 and 99 in 2017. There were more closures than openings, as in 2017 and 2018. Another batch of Pinkberry shops closed, seven in total. Three Menchie's locations closed and six Yogurtland locations. Some old school shops closed that seemed like they'd be around forever, including Yogurt De Lite in Fremont, Great American Yogurt in Huntington Beach, and Yumi Yogurt in Redwood City.

New Places Serving Froyo But Not a Froyo Shop: 

• Al’s Deli, San Francisco
• Apizza, San Francisco (Loving Cup)
• Coit Tower Café, San Francisco
• Eatery, Encino Freshii, Oakland
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Temecula
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Meridian, San Jose
• Souvla Marina, San Francisco
• N2 Lab, Monrovia, January 2019
• Nick the Greek, Morgan Hill
• Nick the Greek, San Carlos
• Nick the Greek, Santa Clara
• Nick the Greek, Santa Cruz
• Nick’s Sandwiches, Pittsburg (merged with Cones)
• Quarters Kitchen, Yorba Linda

Froyo is on the menu at the restaurants and convenience stores. Nick the Greek is a fast casual Greek chain that's currently in growth mode in the Bay Area. Loop Neighborhood Market continues to offer self-serve froyo.

Froyo Shop, Temporarily Closed:

• Golden Spoon, Long Beach

Golden Spoon Long Beach is expected to reopen in December. 21 Choices was closed in Claremont for months but it did reopen after remodeling.

Reopened in Same Spot After Remodeling:

• 21 Choices, Claremont

Not New, Not a Froyo Shop, Started Offering Froyo:

• Happy Days Café, Sherman Oaks

Had Froyo but No Longer Offers:

• Yalla Mediterranean locations (7)
• Walnut Creek, Burbank, Fremont, Seal Beach, Culver City, Dublin, Pleasant Hill

Closed, Not a Froyo Shop But Offered Froyo:

• Exquisito, Anaheim
• Mission Oaks Cafe, Camarillo
• Poki Yo, Yorba Linda
• Tea-nilicious, Hawaiian Gardens

New Management not a Froyo Shop:

• Health Habits, Valley Springs

New Ownership, Froyo Shop:

• Razzle Dazzle, Upland 
• Yogurt Creations, Arroyo Grande
• Yogurt Creations, Atascadero
• Yogurt Creations, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
• Yogurt Creations, Lompoc
• Yogurt Creations, Paso Robles
• Yogurt Creations, Santa Maria

Coming Soon:

• Apizza Belmont 
• Dolci Mango, Poway 
• Easy Breezy, Corte Madera 
• Fraiche, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto
• Jon & Bon’s Yogurt Shoppe, Rocklin 
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Sacramento 
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Meridian – San Jose 
• Pinkberry Valley Fair, Santa Clara
• YogoFarm, Los Angeles
• Yogart, Grantville, San Diego
• Yogurt & Yogurt, Moreno Valley

There's a lot to keep track of! Expect to see Reis & Irvy's froyo robots in California, next year. I hope Pinkberry does open new locations because so many have closed. The only ones left in the Bay Area are in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. I feel sad for all the people who want Pinkberry but don't live close to one. And while they now have a foodservice program that allows just about any business to serve Pinkberry, it's still hard to find. For example, the Eatery in Encino offered Pinkberry for a month but then they discontinued. Polkatots in Pasadena apparently had Pinkberry briefly, but every time I call about it, they say that they've run out???

Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings in 2019? 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.

New Yoga-urt Winter Flavor: Mexican Hot Chocolate

Fro-yo girl here. Yoga-urt just introduced a new winter flavor, Mexican Hot Chocolate. Mexican Hot Chocolate is the first Yoga-urt flavor made with their Chocolate Bliss as a base. Like all Yoga-urt offerings, Mexican Hot Chocolate is probiotic, vegan, soy-free, kosher, organic, gluten-free, and all natural.

Both Mr. Froyo and I aren’t chocolate froyo fans, but we both really liked this flavor. The spicy cayenne kick was surprising and delightful. There’s also cinnamon and probably other spices. The spices make the flavor more interesting. Recommended toppings: cacao nibs, housemade chocolate shell, whipped cream. I paired it with Mint Magic, which is a cooling flavor. Combining it with spicy chocolate made for a flavorful combination of contrasts.

Mexican Hot Chocolate froyo is made in small batches by hand and is available for a limited time only. Hurry over to the Glendale (1407 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale, CA 91201) or Echo Park (2211 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026) location to try it. P.S. There’s still time to buy a $25 (or more) Yoga-urt gift card, which comes with a free mini froyo. I think the offer ends on December 24.

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.

West Los Angeles Froyo Update

Fro-yo girl here. I recently heard that Frozen Land opened, taking over the old Yogurtland space in Westwood Village, across from the UCLA campus. I never had the chance to go to that Yogurtland, since I figured it would be open for a long time. It was there for ten years, so that is a long time.

Interestingly, there is no self-serve frozen yogurt left in Westwood Village. What’s left? Frozen Land is the only froyo option in Westwood Village proper and it’s no longer self-serve. If you go down Westwood Blvd., you’ll run into Bon Bon Berry, Penguin’s, and The Bigg Chill. Frozen Land offers 10 froyo flavors a day, along with scoopable ice cream and gelato. Bon Bon Berry replaced Frost Frozen Yogurt in 2014 and is known for acai bowls. The Bigg Chill and Penguin’s are old school, from the 90’s. Ralph’s the supermarket in Westwood Village, had self-serve froyo for awhile, but they no longer offer it. I was surprised to see the soft serve machines were still there and the empty toppings bar.

This move away from self-serve is surprising, when self-serve was all the rage for years. You can still get self-serve froyo in West LA but you have to go to Century City. Culver City, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. West Los Angeles was an important place for froyo, but it no longer feels like froyo central. Red Mango opened its first US location in Westwood Village, Pinkberry’s first location was in West Hollywood, and Pinkberry HQ was in Santa Monica. On the other hand, Westwood Village has a lot of empty storefronts, so it’s not just froyo that’s suffering.

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.

Blush Dublin for Sale

Fro-yo girl here. Back during the early days of this blog, I used to go to and write about Blush Dublin all the time. It was the very first Blush location and it opened in 2008. I was there for the opening of Blush in Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Milpitas, and Burlingame. Jonathan Rim, who founded Blush, was super passionate about frozen yogurt and he created amazing froyo flavors. My favorites were pumpkin, green tea tart, blush, original tart and pomegranate. I hadn’t been back to the Dublin location in a few years because I moved to Southern California and Dublin was quite far from my father’s house.

I went back to Blush Dublin last December and asked about Jonathan. The employee didn’t know who he was. That’s when I found out that he sold the business. And now it’s for sale again. I came across the listing on BizBuySell. The lease expires next year. Sad. I still miss Blush’s froyo.

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.

Yogurtland & Cheetos Santa Ana Event Recap

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland hosted a special event at the Yogurtland inside Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, CA on Saturday, December 7. The event promoted their new limited time topping, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

I arrived around the time the event started, a little after 1 PM. There were two tables set up and it looked like you could walk up and take whatever was on the table without making a purchase. They had giant green and pink Yogurtland spoons, Yogurtland coupons for free froyo, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos samples, and small bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Chester Cheetah was also there for a meet and greet. I even saw him holding a cup of froyo and using the giant orange Yogurtland spoon.

The giant orange Yogurtland spoons were hard to get and it was unclear how to get one. I didn’t see how to win branded merchandise, like the Yogurtland Cheetos t-shirts. You probably had to get there right at 1 PM or earlier. It would have been better to set up a prize wheel.

I did get the new holiday cup which is inspired by their new Molasses Gingerbread Cookie flavor and I put Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on my plain tart froyo. The Cheetos overwhelmed the yogurt flavor. It wasn’t bad though.

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

* MAIN PLACE MALL: 2800 N Main St. Santa Ana, CA 92705

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.

Yogurtland & Cheetos Santa Ana Event

Fro-yo girl here. Frito-Lay and Yogurtland have partnered to make Flamin’ Hot Cheetos a limited time froyo topping at Yogurtland locations across the country, starting December 2. They’re also hosting a special event at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, CA. The event starts at 1 PM and ends at 4 PM. Chester Cheetah will make an appearance. Guests will have the opportunity to take photos with Chester, win branded merchandise, and enjoy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with their froyo.

I wonder what froyo flavors would pair well with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Mango comes to mind because of mangonadas. Corn. Plain tart.

I'm hoping to get some giant orange Yogurtland spoons. Fingers crossed.

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

* MAIN PLACE MALL: 2800 N Main St. Santa Ana, CA 92705

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.

Menchie’s December Feature Flavors

Fro-yo girl here. Happy December! This month’s featured flavors at Menchie’s include a returning holiday favorite, Holiday Egg Nog, and a new flavor, Ginger Snaps Fresh Baked Cookie. Who likes eggnog? I don’t. But I do like ginger snaps.

Ginger snaps fresh baked cookie froyo: This is a lowfat flavor made with milk, soy, and wheat. It didn’t taste like gingerbread, but it tasted more like molasses. Any spicing was very subtle. I didn’t notice much ginger either. It’s made with ginger snaps. Recommended toppings: chocolate shell, Heath, white chocolate chips.

I picked up another Menchie’s holiday spoon, Snow One Like You, while I was there. Also, they still had holiday cups too.

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.

Yogurtland New Winter Flavor, Molasses Gingerbread Cookie Froyo (and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos)

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland is looking festive this month with new toppings, a new holiday cup, and a new flavor of froyo, Molasses Gingerbread Cookie. Sadly, the Yogurtland location that I visited did not have the new cups or new toppings, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Pretzel Tree Toppers, yet. However, I was able to try the new flavor.

Molasses Gingerbread Cookie is described by Yogurtland as tasting “like a chewy molasses cookie, straight from the oven, with hints of warm ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg that will keep you in the spirit all season long.” It’s lowfat and made with ginger, molasses, and cookie crumb. I like molasses and gingerbread, so I was looking forward to trying this flavor. I could definitely taste the warm spices. I didn’t notice the cookie crumbs that are in the froyo. The texture was smooth and creamy, though not as creamy as I expected. It wasn’t heavy. Recommended toppings: whipped cream, white chocolate chips, Pretzel Tree Toppers (white chocolate covered pretzels).

I have to go back for the new toppings and the new cup.

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.

GivingTuesday: Yogurtland Donating to Exodus Cry

Fro-yo girl here. Did you know that this Tuesday is GivingTuesday? Giving Tuesday started in 2012 and is “GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities.”

While I was at Yogurtland, I noticed that the following locations will be donating 20% of purchases made on Tuesday, December 3, to Exodus Cry:

Alhambra, Downey, Fullerton, Genesee Plaza, Huntington Beach Edinger, Lakewood, Long Beach 7th St., Rossmoor (Seal Beach), South Gate, USC, UCI

I remember Yogurtland Cares, a non-profit organization created by Yogurtland to support charities that help women and children in need, has supported Exodus Cry for years. Exodus Cry is a non—profit that assists and empowers victims (young girls and women) of exploitation around the world.

Eat your froyo and do good at the same time.

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.

Yogurtland 2020 Sweet Treat Booklets

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Black Friday! I stopped by Yogurtland to get the new Sweet Treat coupon booklets for 2020. There are two versions. Booklet A covers the first half of the year and Booklet B covers the second half. During Black Friday, the booklets were 2 for $40. Otherwise, the booklets are $30 each.

Booklet A: You get 3 coupons per month. The first coupon is for $1 off, the next $2 off and the last is a buy one, get one free coupon. Then there are 12 more coupons, including an 8 oz free birthday treat good on your birthday, Valentine’s Day BOGO, Tax Day BOGO, catering coupons, 20% off your purchase, and free bottled water with purchase.

Booklet B: Like Booklet A, you get 3 coupons per month: $1 off, $2 off and BOGO free. There are 12 additional coupons, including a free bottled water with purchase every month, Fourth of July BOGO, Halloween BOGO, Holiday treat BOGO, catering coupons and 20% off your purchase.

The bottled water coupons are lame, but even if you don’t use them, the coupons are a good value IF you go to Yogurtland about once a week. If you plan on froyo catering for 30 or more people, they’re an even better deal.

The coupons cannot be combined with other offers, so I think that means no reward points. But with the birthday coupon, you’ll still get the birthday treat. However, you’ll have to use it on your birthday. The birthday reward gave you more time for redemption.

The coupons are only good at participating locations in California, Arizona, and Texas. I hope I don’t lose them again!

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.

2019 Black Friday Froyo Specials

Fro-yo girl here. It will be hard to find any place to get froyo on Thanksgiving, but get ready for Froyo Black Friday deals. You can find them at froyo shops worldwide.

The deals are listed in alphabetical order, by shop:

• 16 Handles (Clifton Park, Fairfield, Stamford, Summit): Get a $100 gift card for $50 
• 20 Degrees (Cookeville, TN): Free $5 gift card with $25 gift card purchase
• Cherry on Top (Riverside, CA): Buy $20 gift card, get $10 in free gift cards from 11/29-12/1 
• Berri Yummi (Wilmington, DE): 50% off gift cards from 6:30-8:30 AM on Black Friday
• Chill’d (Conifer, CO): $5 deal all day on Black Friday
• Chills Froyo & Custard (Kennewick, WA): Buy $30 in gift cards, get a $5 gift card for free on Black Friday
• Cuppa Yo (Bend, OR): Buy $20 in gift cards, get $5 free on Black Friday
• Cup n' Spoon (Morganton, NC): Buy $20 in gift cards, get a $5 gift card free on Black Friday
• Dolci Mango (Chula Vista & Poway, CA): $7 unlimited cup on Black Friday
• Front Porch (Round Rock, TX): Spin the wheel for discounts up to 50% off on Black Friday from 12 PM - 6 PM
• Froyoholic Cafe (Phoenix, AZ): BOGO free on froyo and crepes on Black Friday
• Happy Cow (Wesley Chapel, FL): For each $25 gift card purchased, receive a free $10 gift card
• Just Peachy (Burlington & Marysville, WA): 30% off gift cards with a minimum purchase of $10 on Black Friday
• Kiwi Loco (Rexburg, ID): BOGO on gift cards on Black Friday
• La Yogurteria di Vico Equense (Vico Equense, Italy): 30% off on Black Friday, 20% on Nov. 30, 10% off on Dec. 1, 2019
• llaollao (Houston, TX): Follow @llaollao_houston on IG and show post with Black Friday offer to get a free petitllao with a medium tub purchase
• llaollao (Malaysia): Black charcoal froyo one day only, Black Friday, while supplies last
• llaollao (Singapore): 1 for 1 medium tubs on Black Friday
• llaollao (Switzerland): 25% off your purchase on Black Friday
• Marcel's Frozen Yoghurt (South Africa): Get two limited edition Marcel's black cones for R50 from November 29 - December 1
• Menchie’s (Ann Arbor & Rochester Hills, MI): Save 30% on froyo cups on Black Friday, not valid with any other offer or promotion, including Mysmileage points
• Menchie's Antelope Valley Mall: BOGO free on Black Friday, show offer on IG: menchies_av
• Menchie's Butler North (Gainesville, FL): BOGO free on November 29
• Menchie's (El Centro, CA): $6 fill up cup on Nov. 29
• Menchie’s Kelsey Creek (Bellevue, WA): $6 fill up your cup on Nov. 29 all day
• Menchie's Mandalay Village (Port Hueneme, CA): BOGO on Black Friday from 11 Am - 5 PM, mention "5free" and get a $5 gift card
• Menchie's (Miami, FL): BOGO on Black Friday
• Menchie's National (West Allis, WI): 30% off on Black Friday
• Menchie's at Northcrest (Charlotte, NC): 30% off froyo on Nov. 29, plus a free gift while supplies last
• Menchie’s Northpointe (Lynnwood, WA): $6 fill up your cup on Nov. 29 all day
• Menchie's (Pico Rivera, CA): 50% off your cup on Black Friday from 12 - 6 PM, show offer @IG: menchiespicorivera
• Menchie's (Pinole, CA): BOGO free, 1-4PM on Black Friday, $5 minimum purchase
• Menchie's Redstone (Indianland, SC): 30% off on Black Friday
• Menchie's (Rialto, CA): BOGO free on Black Friday, show coupon on IG @menchies_rialtomarketplace
• Moolala (Merrick, NY): 20% off your purchase from 3 - 9 PM on Black Friday
• Nectar Frozen Yogurt Lounge (Portland, OR): On Black Friday, spend $25 or more on gift cards, get 20% off, spend $50 or more on gift cards, get 35% off, spend $100 or more on gift cards, get 50% off
• Orange Leaf (participating locations): Get a shake or smoothie for $1 when you buy $5 in gift cards on Black Friday, with coupon
• Oregon Froyo (Oregon, WI): Buy a $25 gift card, get $5 card free Black Friday weekend
• Pinkberry (US): Triple points on Black Friday, also purchase $50 in eGift cards, get a $15 eGift bonus from Nov. 29 - Dec. 6
• Pinkberry Nigeria: 50% off a large take home cup on select flavors from November 25-30
• Red Mango (Centennial & Mcallen, TX): $5 flat rate cup with toppings on Black Friday
• Redberry, Poland: 30% to 50% on second same or cheaper product
• Skinny Sweet Froyo (Glen Ellyn, IL): All you can fill for $4.99 on Black Friday
• Sincerely Yogurt (Bridgeville, PA): Get a $25 gift card for $15 on Black Friday
• Sincerely Yogurt (Cranberry Township, PA): Get a $25 gift card for $15 on Black Friday
• Sincerely Yogurt South Side (Pittsburgh, PA): Get a $25 gift card for $15 on Black Friday
• Smooy (Spain): Free sauce with froyo purchase on Black Friday
• Snog (UK): Special charcoal black Snog available from Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 only
• Spoons Frozen Yogurt (Alexandria, LA): 15% off your total purchase on Black Friday
• Suzy's Swirl (Lake Bluff, IL): BOGO on gift cards. Buy one gift card, get one of equal value from November 22-29, 2019
• sweetFrog: Buy $30 in gift cards, get $10 in leap back cards from Nov. 29-Dec.2
• Toppings (Rohnert Park, CA): First 50 customers who mention the Black Friday offer on Black Friday get BOGO 1/2 off, lower priced item receives the discount, not valid on gift cards
• Tutti Frutti (San Carlos, CA): 30% off any size cup of froyo on Friday, November 29th 12 pm-6pm.
• U-Swirl (Waco, TX): $5 all you can fill cup on Black Friday
• Vanilla Spoon (El Salvador): Buy one, get one 50% off on Nov. 29 -30
• Yagoot (Cincinnati, OH): BOGO free on Black Friday
• Yo Factor (Toms River, NJ): Buy $25 in gift cards, get a free $5 bonus card on Black Friday
• Yo! G's Frozen Yogurt (Poulsbo, WA): Buy $25 in gift cards, get $10 free on Black Friday
• Yo Zone (Beaverton, OR): Double points on Black Friday from 11 AM - 3 PM
• Yog Bar (UK): 50% off everything with minimum spend on Black Friday
• Yogli Mogli (Douglasville, GA): BOGO 50% off on Black Friday, show the cashier the IG post @douglasvilleyoglimogli
• Yogurt Andias (Hialeah, FL): $6 flat rate cup on Nov. 29
• Yogurt City (Dickson City & Wilkes Barre Township, PA): On Black Friday from 10 AM – 10 PM, 50% off gift certificates. Buy five $10 gift certificates for $25. Must purchase in quantities of five.
• Yogurtini Oxigeno (Costa Rica): 50% off on Black Friday
• Yogurtland: Some locations will be selling Sweet Treat booklets for $40 for two booklets for $30 each booklet (up to $260 in savings) on Black Friday
• Yogurtland (Compton, CA): BOGO free on Black Friday from 3 PM - 8 PM
• Yogurtland (Lafayette, LA): $5 fill up on Black Friday
• Yogurtland Santa Monica Promenade (Santa Monica, CA): BOGO free on Black Friday
• Yogurtland Towne Center (Baton Rouge, LA): $5 all you can fill cup on Black Friday
• Yogurtland Uptown (New Orleans, LA): $5 all you can fill cup on Black Friday
• Yogurtland (Yucaipa, CA): Buy $25 in gift card, get $5 gift card free from Black Friday - January 1
• Yoyogurt Cagliari: 20% off all orders from 11/29-12/1

Expect a few more updates to this post, since many shops announce deals at the last minute, even on Black Friday. You can also view Black Friday froyo specials on this Pinterest board, https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/black-friday-froyo-specials/

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.

Pacifica Gets Its First Froyo Shop as Fog City Yogurt Opens

Fro-yo girl here. Can you believe that Pacifica, the small coastal city 15 miles south of San Francisco, didn’t have a froyo shop till recently? With a population of 39,000, it might not be so surprising. Half Moon Bay has had multiple froyo shops and the population there is 12,000. Anyway, things seem to be looking up in Pacifica.

Fog City Yogurt opened in late October, a block from City Hall. The shop is very small but the building is older, so there’s not much room for more soft serve machines. The yogurt is self-serve and there are two Taylor dual hopper machines with four flavors on tap. The yogurt and toppings are 45 cents an ounce.

During my visit, the flavors were Chocolate, Vanilla, Orchard Cherry, and Cookies N Cream. The flavor choice seems very safe and conventional but with only two machines, it makes sense to offer the basic flavors. There were no dairy-free, low carb, no sugar added alternatives during my visit.

The toppings bar was small with limited options, including candy, cookies, sprinkles, nuts, mochi, chocolate chips, cereal, canned fruit, and syrups. None of the fruit was fresh fruit, which is disappointing.

The vanilla yogurt tasted fine and it had good texture (thick and smooth). It tasted like soft serve ice cream, actually.

The shop also offers gelato, coffee, soda and chips. It’s family oriented and meant to appeal to local kids looking for a snack after school. The décor is minimal and there’s no place for customers to sit inside. For a small town yogurt shop, it’s fine. I’m used to much more variety though.

3 out of 5 stars.

* FOG CITY YOGURT: 1610 Francisco Blvd, Pacifica, CA 94044

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.

New Menchie’s Holiday 2019 Snow One Like You Spoons

Fro-yo girl here. It’s taken me awhile to track down Menchie’s new holiday spoons, but I finally found them in Berkeley. I thought there were two spoon designs, but it’s one spoon that’s double-sided. Kiwi the Snowman is on the front with a striped scarf and ear muffs. Mellow the Snowman is on the back with a striped snowflake scarf. They’re pale blue.

There’s a holiday spoon contest too. To enter, take a selfie with the Menchie’s Snow One Like You spoon in your Menchie’s mix, post it on Instagram, tag @MyMenchies and use the hashtag #MenchiesSnowman, and make sure your account is public, you’ll be entered into the photo contest. The prize is a $25 Menchie’s gift card. One winner will be chosen every week in November and December. Good luck!

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.

Results of the Third National Frozen Yogurt Survey

Fro-yo girl here. Last fall, International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) sponsored the Third Annual National (US) Frozen Yogurt Survey to better understand the state of the US frozen yogurt market. As in previous years, there were two versions of the survey, one for frozen yogurt consumers and another for frozen yogurt shop operators. The consumer survey was open in September and the shop owner survey in October. The National Frozen Yogurt Survey is the only measure of national frozen yogurt consumer sentiment.

Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey

All frozen yogurt consumers in the US over 13 years old were invited to share their thoughts about frozen yogurt by taking the short online survey. There were 214 responses.

The consumer survey was designed to measure the following:

• Loyalty 
• Brand attitudes towards major frozen yogurt chains
• Frozen yogurt preferences
• Attribute importance of frozen yogurt shops
• Current & future consumption
• Purchasing habits
• Demographics

The results were quite similar to the results of last year's survey. The top 3 key attributes that consumers seek in frozen yogurt shops remained the same. The top 3 non-froyo items consumers would consider getting from a frozen yogurt shop did not change. Three out of four respondents expressed willingness to pay more for quality froyo, similar to 2018.

The survey measured liking for frozen yogurt chains with several questions. The order changed but the top four remained (in no particular order) Menchie's, Pinkberry, TCBY and Yogurtland.

However, there were some interesting changes. Loyalty as measured by going to a shop more than 75% of the time for froyo, declined. More people are going to get froyo without others compared to last year.

The respondents were younger and included more males than last year. Of the 214 respondents, 57% were female, 43% male, with 52% between the ages of 18-34. In 2018, respondents were 64% female, 34% male, and 41.2% were between 18-34 years old.

Shop Owner Survey Results

The shop owner survey was also an anonymous online survey. The survey asked frozen yogurt shop owners in the US about operational practices, shop and owner characteristics, supplier satisfaction, concerns, and shop performance.

The main goals of the shop owner survey were to:

• Provide shop owners with benchmarks to assess how they compare to other frozen yogurt shops
• Help suppliers learn more about how shops felt about their suppliers
• Provide an overall sense of where the frozen yogurt industry is headed by looking at trends over time

The shop owner survey included three questions to capture shop performance. One concerned the current performance of the shop. The second asked the owner to predict the shop's performance over the next 12 months. Finally, we asked shop owners how satisfied they were with their decision to open their business.

While more respondents reported that their business was doing better than doing worse over the past year, we did see an increase in the number of respondents who reported their shop was doing slightly worse. Fewer respondents expected business to be better in the next year compared to 2018 respondents. Rising costs are their main concern. Respondents were also fairly satisfied with their suppliers, especially their soft serve mix suppliers.

Thirty nine responses were received from frozen yogurt shop owners. Responses were received from shops across the country, with the most responses from California. Most respondents were owners of independent froyo shops who owned one shop.

Accessing the Survey Results

The full results are also available for $150 per report. To order reports or for more information, please contact info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com

A limited set of results is available for IFYA members in the members only Resources section of the IFYA website.

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.