Fro-yo girl here. With the spread of the coronavirus, many froyo shops have temporarily closed or reduced their hours. Froyo events like Menchie’s Hello Sunshine Spring Party have been postponed. It’s highly likely that you’ll be hearing less of me for the next month or two because so many froyo shops have closed and even my outings to grocery stores are extremely rare.
Yes, I have froyo in the freezer and I still know froyo shops that are open, so I’ll be okay. But I wanted to share a few tips for how to support your local froyo business during these troubled times. If they’re still open, stock up (safely) on froyo and tip generously. Buy gift cards, write glowing reviews, tell your friends about your favorite shop, see if your shop is taking donations for their employees, reach out and tell them you miss them on social media, book future events, or contact elected politicians to ask them to support measures that will help the restaurant industry recover.
The longer the shops are closed or faced with serious declines in revenue, the less likely those shops will reopen.
Here’s a list of shops in the Los Angeles area that are still open as of 3/30/20:
- The Bigg Chill, 10850 W Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles (West LA)
- Cyber Yogurt, 3305 Tyler Ave, El Monte
- Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar, 1550 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles (Hollywood)
- Go Greek, 452 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills
- Go Greek, 1431 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica
- Menchie's, 10386 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills
- Menchie's, 17245 Ventura Blvd, Encino
- Menchie's, 11331 Thienes Ave Unit A, South El Monte
- Menchie's, 4849 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village
- Pinkberry, 2829 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles (Silverlake)
- Pinkberry, 120 E Palm Ave, Burbank
- Pinkberry, 7288 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Hollywood)
- Pinkberry, 240 S Beverly Dr. #A, Beverly Hills
- Pinkberry, 8850 Tampa Ave, Ste 101, Northridge
- Pinkberry, 12044 1/2 Ventura Blvd, Studio City
- Swirlz, 2136 Huntington Dr., San Marino
- Yoga-urt, 1407 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale
- Yoga-urt, 2211 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Echo Park)
- The Yogurt Shoppe, 11726 Barrington Ct, Los Angeles (Brentwood)
- The Yogurt Shoppe, 873 Swathmore Ave., Pacific Palisades
- Yogurtland, 3335 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles (University Park)
- Yogurtland, 5045 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles (Eagle Rock)
- Yogurtland, 304 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica
- Yogurtland, 8205 Santa Monica Blvd #1, West Hollywood
- Yogurtland, 633 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia
- Yogurtland, 240 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA
- Yogurtland, 927 E Las Tunas Dr D, San Gabriel
- Yogurtland, 1132 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles (Koreatown)
- Yogurtland, 4954 Van Nuys Blvd #101, Sherman Oaks
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.
Fro-yo girl here. While browsing the yogurt section at Bristol Farms in South Pasadena, I spotted goat milk yogurt from Evergreen Acres. Evergreen Acres is a small goat farm in Tres Pinos, CA. They claim to have the “only Grade A dairy herd in California consisting mainly of Guernsey goats, bred from pedigree stock originating on the British Channel island of Guernsey.” Their milk has a high butterfat content. They also make cheese, kefir, kombucha, goat milk soap, etc. And they must have ducks because they sell duck eggs.
Bristol Farms had two products from Evergreen Acres: thick yogurt topped with cajeta and goat milk custard. One 8 oz jar is $6.99. It’s not a bad price considering that it comes from a small farm and includes a cute glass jar. The cajeta sounded too sweet, so I picked the Goat Milk Custard. There was no nutritional information provided.
Goat milk yogurt custard: It looked tasty. The yogurt custard was super thick, soft, creamy, and smooth in texture. However, it also had a grainy quality that I didn’t like. The flavor was intensely sweet yet tangy from the honey and the goat milk flavor was strong as well. It was very flavorful but too sweet. It’s like a dessert. I’ll have to add tart fruit to be able to eat it.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. Yes, it’s another coconut milk yogurt review. So Delicious offers oat milk and coconut milk-based yogurt alternatives. For the coconut milk line, they have Pairings (yogurt and toppings) and yogurt without toppings. I found So Delicious Coconutmilk Yogurt at Target on sale for 4 for $5 or $1.79 regular price. One cup is 5.3 oz. The yogurt is gluten free, non-GMO verified and vegan. It’s made with organic coconut.
Vanilla: It was surprisingly similar to regular dairy yogurt in terms of texture and flavor. The yogurt was quite tangy, soft and creamy, but also very sweet. The coconut flavor was quite mild. The texture wasn’t quite as smooth as regular yogurt but it was soft and stirring helped reduce the clumpiness. One serving is 130 calories with 4g total fat, 22g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, and 15g total sugars. Ingredients: Organic coconutmilk (filtered water, organic coconut cream), organic cane sugar, rice starch, natural flavor, calcium citrate, pectin, locust bean gum, citric acid, live and active cultures, vitamin D2, vitamin B12.
Key lime: Wow, this was super flavorful and very tangy. They must have added a lot of lime juice. The hint of coconut complemented the lime.
Available flavors: Peach, Key Lime, Blueberry, Chocolate, Plain, Strawberry Banana, Raspberry, Strawberry, Unsweetened Plain, Unsweetened Vanilla, Pineapple Brulee, Vanilla.
4 out of 5 stars.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. Chobani recently launched plant-based Chobani Oat, “batch-made oat-based drinks, oat blends, and crunch.” Oat Blends, aka plant-based yogurt alternative, are made with “organic whole grain oats, cane sugar, coconut, tapioca flour, pea protein, and live and active cultures.”
The current Chobani Oat packaging is a bit confusing because the word yogurt is missing, but it looks like a yogurt cup and is sold in the yogurt section. I found Chobani Oat at Target during a buy one, get one free sale. The regular price was $2.23 for a 5.3 oz cup.
Vanilla (Oat): It didn’t have an appealing scent or appearance (greyish brown, soft and gelatinous). The flavor was surprisingly tangy yet also very sweet. It was too sweet and bland despite the sweetness and tanginess. I wouldn’t get it again.
Strawberry Vanilla (Oat): This one smelled and tasted better thanks to the strawberry. It was sweet and tangy and I could taste the strawberry with a hint of oat. However, it was also very sweet.
Available flavors: Vanilla, Peach Mandarin, Strawberry Vanilla, Blueberry Pomegranate
I tried Non-Dairy Chobani yogurt before and Chobani Oat is similar but tangier. The texture of both products is soft and gelatinous. The Oat blend is tangy and more yogurt like, but the Non-Dairy has less sugar.
One serving of Chobani Oats (Vanilla) has 120 calories, 3g total fat, 21g total carbs, 13g total sugars and 3g protein.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. With froyo shops closing or switching to takeout or delivery only in light of the current global pandemic, it’s a good time to stock up on froyo. By next week, most if not all froyo shops may be closed.
Some shops offer pre-packed pints and quarts at a discount and those are great, but if you could pack your own pint, you may wonder whether you should add toppings or not.
The answer is it depends on the topping. Some toppings freeze well and I like adding them to my froyo because they break up the monotony of a big quart or pint of froyo.
Toppings that freeze well include nuts (they don’t really change when they are frozen), mochi, coconut, sprinkles, sauces, cookies, brownies, cake, cereal, chocolate chips, chocolate shell and chocolate candies. Cookies, granola, and cereal may soften when they’re frozen under a pile of froyo, but they still taste great.
Toppings that don’t freeze well include fruit (too much water, they become really hard), gummy candy, whipped cream, and malt balls. For some reason, the malt balls become quite hard. I haven’t tried freezing popping boba, but they’re filled with water, so I imagine they’d become pretty hard.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. There’s a new flavor at Pinkberry, Acai Berry, and it’s tart based froyo! Acai Berry is available as a swirl and a smoothie. I tried the swirl, of course. It tasted mainly like blueberry to me with an acai aftertaste. There’s something about blueberry that works particularly well with acai. I remember how much I liked Blush’s Blueberry Acai froyo. I haven’t had it in years, but Pinkberry’s Acai Berry reminded me of Blush’s Blueberry Acai froyo. It also seemed creamier and denser than some of their tart froyo flavors. It was definitely tart but about average in tartness. There were no new toppings introduced with Acai Berry. Recommended toppings: Any berries, Almond Roca, dark chocolate crisps.
Acai Berry froyo will be swirling for a limited time, probably at least a month.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Here’s the official Pinkberry press release:
Pinkberry Swirls Up New Acai Berry Frozen Yogurt
Acai Berry Frozen Yogurt is Now Available for Your Snacking Pleasure
Mar 13, 2020, 09:07 ET
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring is here and so is Pinkberry's (www.Pinkberry.com) latest frozen yogurt flavor, Acai Berry! This refreshingly tart flavor will be available both as a swirl and smoothie beginning March 13.
Top your Acai Berry swirl with bananas, honey almond granola and a drizzle of honey, creating a frozen snack reminiscent of an Acai bowl.
"Acai Berry is the ideal flavor to welcome springtime," said Melissa Hubbell, senior director of marketing for Kahala Brands™, parent company of Pinkberry. "Paired with our fresh fruits and topped with honey, it is a perfect light and slightly tart snack!"
At Pinkberry, guests can customize their swirl with a variety of toppings that include fresh, never frozen, fruit that is hand-cut in stores daily, along with premium granolas and nuts, specialty chocolates, and much more. Pinkberry is swirling with possibilities!
Promotional Flavor:
Acai Berry Frozen Yogurt
Promotional Combination and Smoothie:
Acai Berry Frozen Yogurt topped with blueberries, bananas, honey almond granola and a drizzle of honey
Acai Berry Smoothie
About Pinkberry
Pinkberry® launched in Los Angeles, CA in 2005 as the original brand that reinvented frozen yogurt. Today, over a decade later, Pinkberry continues to create great tasting treats with fresh ingredients in an experience comprised of distinctive product, outstanding service and inspirational design. At Pinkberry you can taste the difference of an uncompromising commitment to quality and freshness. Most recently, Pinkberry U.S. was acquired by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kahala Brands™, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of nearly 29 fast-casual and quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 3000 locations in 35 countries.
For more information about Pinkberry, visit www.Pinkberry.com.
For more information about Kahala Brands, visit www.KahalaBrands.com.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. With all the gloomy news lately, we could all use a froyo party. Menchie’s is having a Hello Sunshine Spring Party event on Saturday, March 21, from 12 PM – 2 PM. Everyone’s invited to celebrate spring at Menchie’s.
Party details:
- Froyo will be BOGO free during the Spring Party.
- New spoons! Look for a special new yellow froyo spoon featuring Sprinkle to be handed out during the Spring Party.
- Froyo contest: Track down the new Hello Sunshine selfie frame and use it to show off your spring smiles. When you post your picture to Instagram tagging @mymenchies and using the hashtage #MenchiesHelloSunshine, you’ll be entered to win a $25 Menchie’s gift card. Your account must be public. The contest is for US residents only. Three winners will be selected.
While you’re there, be sure to try March’s featured flavors, Carrot Cake OREO and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
Also, there’s a new froyo cake design for March inspired by March Madness. The Slam Dunk cake is perfect for your basketball viewing parties, not that there are any games to be viewed.
Update: The Spring Party has been postponed.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. I found another new plant-based yogurt at Bristol Farms. Le Grand plant-based yogurt alternative is from a Canadian plant-based brand that also makes sauces and soups. The yogurt comes in 4 oz plastic cups and has no added flavors, is organic, and has over 5 billion live cultures per serving. Bristol Farms was selling Le Grand Yogurt Alternative for $1.99 each.
Le Grand Yogurt Alternative was introduced at Expo East 2019 last fall and will be at Expo West 2020 in March. It’s made with cashews, coconut cream, rice, and cacao butter.
Creamy Vanilla: The texture was unusual. It was like a very firm gelatin. Even stirring vigorously did not soften the yogurt much. The texture was grainy too. The flavor was mild and nutty – not bad, but on the bland side. The texture was the main drawback. Also, there was no tang. 3 out of 5 stars.
Creamy Lemon: This was a bit softer than the Vanilla and also tasted a lot better because the lemon was bright and tangy. It had a clean, light flavor with a hint of nuttiness. 4 out of 5 stars.
One serving of Lemon yogurt is 110 calories, 4.5g total fat, 17g total carbs, 2g protein, and 9g total sugars. Ingredients: Filtered water, rice, cane sugar, cashews, lemon, coconut cream, cacao butter, sea salt, live active cultures.
Available flavors: Lemon, Vanilla, Raspberry, Unsweetened, Mixed Berries
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.
Fro-yo girl here. I reported on the opening and closing of Go Greek Yogurteria in previous posts. Go Greek’s Glendale Galleria location closed last year. The kiosk is still there but it hasn’t been occupied since Go Greek vacated the space. Well, I noticed new signs at the old Go Greek kiosk. The signs are for Prinkipia Frozen Yogurt.
Prinkipia has several self-serve froyo shops open in shopping malls throughout Southern California. They also have boba tea shops that don’t serve froyo.
It looks like they’ll have six flavors of self-serve frozen yogurt like Go Greek had. The kiosk is on the second floor near the center of the mall.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
* PRINKIPIA FROZEN YOGURT, 100 W Broadway, Glendale, CA 91210
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.
Fro-yo girl here. About a week ago, I spotted a new “Fresh is in Season” poster at Yogurtland. The poster features their new spring flavors, Brambleberry Pie frozen yogurt and Orange Blossom White Peach light ice cream. Brambleberry Pie is March’s featured flavor, while Orange Blossom White Peach will be released in April.
Brambleberry Pie is described as “Vine-ripened raspberries and Marion blackberries combined with shortbread cookies give our brambleberry pie a sweet and jammy flavor. It's just like biting into a fresh baked pie - crust and all.” It’s lowfat and vitamin C fortified.
Brambleberry Pie froyo: Blackberries and raspberries are both tart, but this yogurt wasn’t tart at all. The berry flavors were muted and too mild. The flavor reminded me of grapes, but muted. I could not detect the shortbread cookies. Recommended toppings: Fresh berries, granola, almonds.
Orange Blossom White Peach sounds fragrant and promising. Too bad it isn’t frozen yogurt!
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.
Fro-yo girl here. New month, new featured flavors! This month Menchie's is featuring a returning favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a new flavor, Carrot Cake OREO. Menchie’s sure has a lot of OREO froyo flavors. March 6 is National OREO Cookie Day.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup froyo’s return coincided with National Peanut Butter Lovers Day on March 1. Carrot Cake OREO makes me think of Easter and the spring. They’re so popular that they’re a permanent flavor now. Carrot Cake OREO features carrot cake flavored cookies and a cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake OREO froyo: Hmmm, I could taste a few warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg but it definitely tasted like carrot cake, not pumpkin pie. I can’t say that I tasted carrots, but it did taste like carrot cake. I liked it quite a bit! This is a lowfat flavor with no artificial colors. Recommended toppings: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, white chocolate chips, cheesecake bites.
Too bad they didn’t have any Carrot Cake OREOs in the toppings bar.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. Not only did Yogurtland smoothie bowls this week, they also added some excitement and branding by coming out with a new cup design and new spoons.
The cups say “Introducing Our New Smoothie Bowl” on a dark berry background and include a picture of a smoothie bowl. The dark berry smoothie spoons match the cups (similar colors) and feature the Yogurtland logo on the end. The taglines, “Smoothie Goodness in Every Spoonful and “A New Way to Spoon” tie the new product to the new 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.
Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland launches a new product today, smoothie bowls. The mixed berry smoothie bowl features raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and banana. It’s vegan, nonfat, gluten free and no sugar added. Mixed berry smoothie bowl comes out of the regular soft serve machine. There’s a new plant-based topping as well, chia pudding – made with oat milk and chia seeds.
Mixed berry smoothie bowl: I don’t eat smoothie bowls, but I have had many fruit smoothies. I found the new flavor to be blander than I expected. I could taste the berries and the banana flavor wasn’t too strong, but it tasted muted and watery. The texture was icier. I did appreciate how it wasn’t as sweet. Adding yogurt or any milk alternative would have made it less watery.
There’s a new froyo spoon too. It looks like the current logo spoon, only it’s red. My Yogurtland didn’t have the spoons yet. It looks like there's a new cup design for the smoothie bowl as well, but I haven't seen it at my Yogurtland yet. A wider, flatter bowl would have been nice if they really want to encourage people to build a smoothie bowl.
The new chia pudding topping was pleasant and mild. It adds some texture and makes whatever you’re eating more filling.
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.
