Finally, Dedicated Purple Rice Yogurt Shops Are Opening in the Los Angeles Area

Fro-yo girl here. Last year, I searched high and low for purple rice yogurt drinks in Los Angeles. I finally found some at The Alley and also Gotcha Tea House in Rosemead. A few places have purple rice milk tea drinks but not purple rice yogurt. I knew of a purple rice yogurt drink place that was supposed to open in Arcadia but then the pandemic struck. I don’t think the shop ever opened. But Yomie's (the Australian purple rice yogurt chain) is coming to Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia and San Gabriel too. They've already opened in the Bay Area, in Millbrae and in SoCal (Rowland Heights). The Rowland Heights location opened this week!

On a recent froyo run, I noticed a sign for From Yogurt in the same strip mall as Yogurtland Alhambra. From Yogurt’s sign mentions fruit, yogurt, and purple rice. Of course, the first word I saw was yogurt and my first thought was frozen yogurt. They’re taking over the Mr. Matcha space. Since they mentioned WeChat, I assume it’s Chinese-owned.

I’ll report back once it opens. We're getting multiple purple rice yogurt shops!

For a history of purple rice yogurt drinks and health benefits, see IFYA’s post, Now Trending: Purple Rice Yogurt Drinks.

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

FROM YOGURT: 29 Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

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.

Long Remodel Completed at Menchie’s Burbank

Fro-yo girl here. The scaffolding that surrounded the exterior of Menchie’s is gone and the renovation of Menchie’s has been completed. It looks like the whole shopping center was remodeled and renamed The Ranch @ Hollywood & Verdugo. The renovations began in 2019.

They renovated the interior of Menchie’s too and it looks cleaner now. And there's a new outdoor patio too.

FYI, Menchie’s Burbank is currently offering full service. You can find today’s flavors on the Menchie’s app and Menchie’s website.

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

MENCHIE’S BURBANK: 3800 W Verdugo Ave, Burbank, CA 91505

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 South Pasadena Expands Hours

Fro-yo girl here. For many months now, Menchie’s South Pasadena and Glendale, CA have been full service and only open Friday-Sunday. Very limited hours. Also, they only offer a few froyo flavors. The last time I looked, they only had 6 flavors. They’re still doing flat rate cups.

But, things are looking up. They’ve expanded their hours recently and are open daily again. They haven’t posted an update about it on Instagram or Facebook and the Menchie’s website doesn’t have the up-to-date hours (Menchie’s website still says the location is closed Monday-Thursday). However, the hours have been updated on Google and Yelp. The hours on Google and Yelp do not match and neither match the hours they posted on the door of the shop. Hmm. The place has definitely gone downhill.

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

MENCHIE’S SOUTH PASADENA: 1040 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

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 Featured Flavor at Menchie’s, Vegan Strawberry Sorbet

 

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s featured flavor of the month for April is a new one, Vegan Strawberry Sorbet. Made with real strawberries, the new flavor is gluten-free, dairy-free, and is made with no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or artificial flavors.

Wait, didn’t Menchie’s have a strawberry sorbet flavor before?? Kinda. They’ve had Strawberry smoothie sorbet, Strawberry kiwi twist sorbet, and Freshly squeezed strawberry lemonade sorbet.

I found Vegan Strawberry Sorbet at the newly remodeled Menchie’s in Burbank. It’s still full service there.

Vegan Strawberry Sorbet: It was smooth and not overly icy. While I could taste strawberries, the flavor seemed bland, like they used strawberries that didn’t have a strong enough flavor or not enough strawberries? Not terrible though. Recommended toppings: Popping boba, fresh fruit.

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 Revamps Real Rewards Program

 

Fro-yo girl here. I remember when Yogurtland first launched Real Rewards in 2013 (I signed up just as soon as I could). The program stayed pretty much the same for years. There were three levels: green, raspberry, and platinum. You earned one point for every ounce you purchased, free froyo every 36 points and a birthday reward.

The Real Rewards program just changed. Now, you earn two points for every dollar spent at Yogurtland. After you earn 100 points, you’l get a $5 reward for a future purchase. There are still three levels but they’re different now. The new levels are Signature, Premium, and Ultimate. The higher the level, the better the rewards (e.g., bigger birthday reward, exclusive rewards like the half birthday reward and quarterly bonus points. Two hundred points moves you up from the Signature to the Premium level.

Get 50 free points just for registering.

What’s different? Rewards and points are based on dollars now, not ounces. The Platinum card is gone. And the Ultimate Cup reward is no more. I know…that was the best reward ever!

P.S. I've been having problems with Real Rewards for about a year. Even though I provided my phone number, I wasn't getting my points. Hopefully, they fixed whatever the issue was. 

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.

Haitai Black Sugar Bubble Tea Ice Cream Review

Fro-yo girl here. Haitai is a Korean brand whose products include black sugar bubble tea bars and scoopable ice cream. I haven’t seen their boba ice bars yet, but H Mart did have the scoopable version. The ice cream is imported from Korea. One 600ml tub was $5.99 regular price at H Mart in Arcadia, CA.

Black Sugar Bubble Tea Ice Cream: Unlike Little Jasmine’s boba ice cream, Haitai’s was infused with brown bubble syrup throughout. The ice cream was brown in color with a few streaks of black sugar. The bubbles were smaller, harder and not as chewy as Little Jasmine’s. Haitai’s ice cream also seemed a bit icier. But if you love brown sugar flavor, it has the most by far. And it smells very nice, like brown sugar. It’s made with black tea but the brown sugar flavor is much stronger than the tea flavor.

One serving is 100ml, 125 calories, 3.5g total fat, 22g total carbs, 17g total sugars, and 2g protein.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

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

HMART: 1101 W Huntington Dr., Arcadia, CA 91007

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.

Partial Self-Serve Returns, Indoor Mall Locations Reopen, Other Shops May Not Reopen?

Menchie's, Ocean Park, Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. On April 5, Los Angeles moved to the orange tier for COVID-19 restrictions. Under the orange tier, restaurants can offer 50% capacity for indoor dining. What does that mean for LA’s froyo shops? I’ve seen a few froyo shops in Los Angeles that were full service begin to offer partial self-serve again but technically, self-serve froyo is still not allowed in California. 

At most froyo places that I've been to that allow self-serve, gloves are provided. You can serve your own froyo but an employee adds the toppings. I was able to serve my own froyo and toppings at a few shops even during the height of the pandemic but most froyo shops adhered to the public health department's guidelines of not offering any self-serve. 

With so many froyo shops now offering partial self-serve, I thought it was allowed but it actually isn't yet. I have been cautious throughout the pandemic, but I would feel comfortable with self-serve froyo if customers and employees wore masks and gloves and hand sanitizer were provided. It doesn't feel fair that customers can dine indoors but they still can't serve their own froyo while wearing masks.

I haven’t seen a froyo shop that allows for indoor dining yet. But I got used to eating froyo in my car. You can eat inside a mall again, so froyo shops in indoor malls like Yogurtland Montebello and Yogurtland Century City have reopened. Yogurtand Cerritos is still “temporarily closed.” Will it ever reopen? Menchie’s on Ocean Park in Santa Monica looks like it just closed but it hasn’t been open for months. All the equipment is still inside and the signs are still up.

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.

OMG! Dessert Lounge Reopens in Anaheim, CA

Fro-yo girl here. I reported that OMG! Dessert Lounge in Anaheim, CA closed in 2019. It’s open again at the same location by the gas station. I was pleasantly surprised by OMG! when I visited in 2017. They had 14 froyo flavors a day and a self-serve format. In addition to froyo, they had freakshakes, macarons, cheesecakes, smoothies, milkshakes, frappes, etc.

But, the new OMG! does not have froyo (sad face). They switched to soft serve ice cream. It’s currently full service but they plan to offer self-serve later. OMG! 2021 also offers macarons, boba drinks, mochi, cookies, and pastries.

Mmmm, why couldn’t they offer some froyo? I’m sure disappointed froyo fans are going to show up.

* OMG! DESSERT LOUNGE: 301 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805

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.

Tutti Frutti Franchise Law Violations, Registration to Sell Franchises in California Revoked

Fro-yo girl here. I was researching Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt when I came across a few lawsuits filed against Wellspring Industry (doing business as Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt).

Washington

The State of Washington Department of Financial Institutions Securities Division found that Tutti Frutti violated the state franchise laws by offering a franchise in Washington in 2008. Wellspring failed to register to sell franchises in Washington, to register the sale with the security administrator or to provide the purchases with a disclosure document or offering circular, as required by law. The lawsuit concluded with a cease and desist order.

California

The California Department of Oversight found that “from 2007 to 2016, the Wellspring Companies offered and sold franchise investments in California without registration or exemption.” Wellspring sold licenses rather than franchises. In March 2019, Wellspring Companies agreed to a Consent Order with the commissioner to resolve the violations of Corporations Code section 31110. Wellspring agreed to pay a penalty. They made one installment payment but missed the other payments.

In January 2020, the commissioner of the California Department of Oversight found Tutti Frutti/Wellspring in breach of the 2019 consent order. The commissioner denied Tutti Frutti/Wellspring’s registration to sell franchises in California.

The founder and majority owner of Wellspring, Jay Kim, sold Wellspring in 2017 and is now the CEO of Reborn Coffee.

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 Flavor at Yogurtland, Cookie Dough Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. I received a Yogurtland flyer with coupons in the mail this week. The flyer says that the new Yogurtland flavor, Cookie Dough froyo, will be in stores starting April 19. The new flavor is available for a limited time, while supplies last. I checked the Yogurtland app and Yogurtland Eagle Rock has Cookie Dough froyo early.

Cookie Dough froyo: Yogurtland describes it as “a classic cookie dough taste as a sweet creamy froyo”. It’s lowfat and made with real cookie crumbs and chocolate chips. Cookie Dough froyo was creamy and smooth, though I could see darker bits (the cookie crumbs?). It was mild and tasted more like cookie dough than cookies or chocolate chips. I didn’t detect a strong note of chocolate. I personally don’t like cookie dough (too sweet) but if you like cookie dough, be sure to try Yogurtland’s Cookie Dough froyo. Recommended toppings: Chocolate chips, walnuts, chocolate chip cookies.

Also, self-serve is back at Yogurtland Eagle Rock. It’s not full self-serve but you can get your own froyo and the associate will add toppings. Gloves are provided. They had a sanitizing station as well but it seemed to be out of sanitizer.

Yogurtland Eagle Rock has been busy during my last few visits. A good sign!

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.

History of "Tofu Frozen Yogurt"

Fro-yo girl here. While I was putting together my list of froyo shops that offer soy frozen yogurt last April for National Soy Foods Month, I noticed that three cafes in the greater Boston area serve soy froyo. Not only that, they all called it tofu frozen yogurt. And at least one of those cafes has been around for decades, so it didn’t seem like a new thing. They also all serve mix-in style froyo. I also remember that years ago, I spotted some old signs at Shy Giant in Seattle, the oldest froyo shop in the Pacific Northwest. One of the signs said tofu frozen yogurt.

I was inspired to research tofu frozen yogurt and found the history very interesting. In 1983, a time when frozen yogurt and low cholesterol diets were popular, Tofu Time introduced Tofutti, tofu soft serve ice cream. The founder of Tofu Time, David Mintz, started making tofu and developed Tofutti as an ice cream alternative. Tofutti was served at Bloomingdale’s and Zabar’s in New York City starting in 1982 and then “spread to Hawaii, California and Massachusetts. Tofu frozen yogurt or ice cream was cholesterol free, dairy-free, and lactose free. Tofutti was kosher as well.

By the mid-80’s there were several tofu frozen dessert competitors, including Glace, Tofulite, Tofait, Tofree from Colombo Yogurt, and Ice Bean. Haagen-Dazs sold Tofutti in its 28,000 shops. At one point there were as many as 30 different competitors in the soy frozen dessert space. Competition and media scrutiny over the high calorie count of soy desserts led to a sales decline.

According to the SoyInfoCenter.com, “the boom years for soy ice cream in America were 1984-1988. When the craze died down, four national brands were left: Tofutti, Ice Bean, Tofulite and Mocha Mix.” Tofutti is still around but it refers to the name of the company. The name was changed in 1986. They still sell frozen desserts made with soy, in pint form and as Tofutti ice cream sandwiches. By 2004, Turtle Mountain, makers of Soy Delicious non-dairy frozen desserts (later renamed So Delicious), had surpassed Tofutti in sales in the natural foods channel.

I don’t think Tofutti ever had probiotics but it was seen as a competitor to soft serve frozen yogurt, which probably explains why some people called it tofu frozen yogurt. David Mintz created it as an alternative to ice cream. He died last month at the age of 89.

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.

Additional Menchie’s Closures in the Los Angeles Area

 

Menchie's Westchester, CA

Fro-yo girl here. As I suspected, some of the froyo shops that were “temporarily closed” appear to now be permanently closed. Since the shops are closed, it’s difficult to get updates. But here are a few in the Los Angeles area that appear to now be permanently closed.

Menchie’s Ocean Park, Santa Monica

I’ve been trying to go to Menchie’s Santa Monica on Ocean Park Blvd. for the past couple of months. The shop was temporarily closed though and now it is permanently closed on Yelp. It’s still listed on Menchie’s website. The location opened in 2011.

The most recent post to the Menchie’s Ocean Park Facebook page was on August 4, 2020. The post said, “We are open from 2-9pm Mon-Sun.” The last Yelp update was on June 1, 2020 and the last review was posted in February 2020. The last Google update from the business was on May 29, 2020, when they reopened. Many of the Google reviews for that Menchie’s are actually for Mashti Malone’s. Hmm.

Menchie’s Westchester

Menchie’s Westchester, CA is listed as temporarily closed on the Menchie’s website. Google marks the location as permanently closed, but Yelp does not. The last Yelp review was in September 2020. An October 2020 review mentioned the shop was closed. The last Instagram post was in February 2018. The most recent Google reviews for this location are for Mashti Malone’s again. Strange. Mashti Malone’s shop is not close to the Menchie’s on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica or the one in Westchester. I think the signs point to it being closed for good. It was close to LAX Airport and opened in 2014.

Menchie’s Redondo Beach

I was in this area last fall and Menchie’s was closed then, even though it was the middle of the day. This location is listed as temporarily closed on the Menchie’s website. Google and Yelp still list it as open. The last Yelp review was in July 2020 but the reviewer wasn’t sure if the shop had closed or not. The last Google review was two months ago. The Iast Instragram post was in 2014. The phone number has been disconnected. The shop opened in 2009 in North Redondo. Update: Someone posted a Yelp review on March 21, 2021. So it reopened??

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

• MENCHIE’S OCEAN PARK: 2901 Ocean Park Blvd, Ste 107, Santa Monica, CA 90405
• MENCHIE’S WESTCHESTER VILLAGE: 8815 S Sepulveda Blvd, Westchester, CA 90045
• MENCHIE’S REDONDO BEACH: 2515 Artesia Blvd. Ste E, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

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.

Winner of the 2021 Easter Froyo Shop Spirit Award

Marcel's Hot Cross Bun froyo, source: Marcel's

Fro-yo girl here. Easter 2021 isn’t as bad as Easter 2020. Los Angeles just moved to the orange tier and most places have reopened or are about to, including gyms, movie theaters, museums, and theme parks. You can dine indoors again. And the stores are carrying plenty of delicious Easter candy, including new ones like KIT KAT Lemon Crisp miniatures (so good), KIT KAT Key Lime Pie, M&M’s White Chocolate Key Lime Pie, and Sour Patch Watermelon jelly beans.

Last year, Yo Mama Frozen Yogurt in Hong Kong won the Easter Froyo Shop Spirit Award because they had a new Easter flavor, Golden Egg Tart froyo. I love how it was Easter appropriate but also Chinese in spirit. This year, I spotted lots of cute Easter froyo creations, Easter toppings, and Easter promotions.

The winner of the 2021 Easter Froyo Shop Spirit Award is…Marcel’s Frozen Yogurt of South Africa (IG @marcels_za). Marcel’s just introduced a new Easter froyo flavor, Hot Cross Bun. It’s available for a limited time, until April 16. Marcel’s describes the flavor as, “Every spoonful captures the flavour of freshly baked hot cross buns, complete with fragrant spices and a hint of citrus.”

For more Easter froyo pics, check out the Pinterest board, Easter Froyo Pics. There are over 500 Easter froyo images.

Happy Froyo Easter!

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.

Yummy Yogurt Opens in Plaza West Covina (West Covina, CA)

 

Fro-yo girl here. There were a couple of months during the pandemic last year where I did not visit an indoor mall…but things are better now and indoor malls are open. They even allow you to dine indoors. I’m not sure when Yummy Yogurt opened at Plaza West Covina but I’m guessing it was towards the end of last year? Or early this year? It's the only place to get froyo at Plaza West Covina.

There was a Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt kiosk inside Plaza West Covina (upstairs) that closed for good during last year’s pandemic. Yummy Yogurt isn’t the same kiosk though and it’s in a different location downstairs. It looks different than the old Tutti Frutti kiosk and has Prinkipia Frozen Yogurt symbols. But Yummy Yogurt uses the same Wellspring machines you usually find at a Tutti Frutti.

They’re actually letting you serve yourself, but you must use a glove. There are 10 self-serve flavors a day (sourced from Honey Hill Farms), toppings (fruit, popping boba, candy, cookies, sprinkles, nuts, coconut, jellies, and syrups) for 59 cents an ounce. 

It's a decent option if you're looking for froyo from the mall, though there's nothing unique about it.

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

YUMMY YOGURT: 112 Plaza Dr., Spc 4592, West Covina, CA 91790

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.