Froyo Scene in Palm Springs

Fro-yo girl here. Palm Springs, California, is known for its golf courses, hot weather, and Mid-Century Modern style. The population is 48,390 and the median age is 56.1 years of age.

TCBY was probably the first froyo shop in Palm Springs but I wasn’t able to find out when it opened or closed. In 2008, Yogurt On Tap and Cactusberry opened. Yogurt On Tap was renamed Jus Chillin in 2012. Today, three froyo shops remain: Jus Chillin, Monster Shakes, and Tutti Frutti. Jus Chillin is 15 years old and Tutti Frutti is twelve years old. 

Current froyo shops

• Jus Chillin has two locations in downtown Palm Springs: 190 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way and 155 S. Palm Canyon Dr. The E. Tahquitz Canyon location was established in 2008 when it was called Yogurt On Tap and was self-serve. The name was changed to Jus Chillin in 2012 when the menu was expanded. The Palm Canyon Dr. seems to have opened in 2022 and doesn’t have froyo. The older shop has self-serve frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream, shaved ice, smoothies, acai bowls, pitaya bowls, banana splits, and more.
• Monster Shakes has two locations: 425 S Sunrise Way Suite H-7, Palm Springs, and 68718 E Palm Canyon Dr. #300, Cathedral City. The first location, Palm Springs, opened in 2018, taking over the Yogurt At Its Best space. They’re known for their monster shakes, but also serve Dole Soft Serve, Hawaiian shaved ice, smoothies, frozen yogurt, banana splits, energy bowls, floats, etc.
• Tutti Frutti, 245 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, offers self-serve froyo, juices, and smoothies in downtown Palm Springs. The shop has been locally owned and operated since 2011.

Former froyo shops

• Cactusberry Frozen Yogurt & Desserts, 1775 E Palm Canyon Dr, Ste 145, Palm Springs, was established in 2008 as a full-service dessert shop serving froyo, gelato, and sorbet. They created their own Cactusberry froyo flavor, prickly pear, and strawberry. The shop closed in 2016.
• Eddie’s Frozen Yogurt, 300 E Arenas Rd, Palm Springs, was located in downtown Palm Springs. Eddie’s opened in February 2010 and was voted the best froyo in Palm Springs. The froyo was self-serve and they had over 40 toppings. It had a fun, club-like atmosphere. Ownership changed in 2014 and the shop closed in 2018.
• Golden Spoon, 2465 E Palm Canyon Dr, Ste 1105, Palm Springs, was a part of the counter-serve California-based froyo chain. It may have opened in 2009 and closed in 2011. 
• TCBY/Beriyo was located in downtown Palm Springs. I don’t know when it opened or closed. 
• Yogurt At Its Best, 425 S Sunrise Way Ste H-7, Palm Springs, was a self-serve froyo shop that opened in 2010 in the same shopping center as Albertson’s and closed in 2018. I went once and didn’t like it. Monster Shakes took over the space. 

Did I miss any froyo shops in Palm Springs? 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.

Enlightened Greek Yogurt Pints Review

Fro-yo girl here. Enlightened, a leader of the better for you, lower sugar frozen dessert category, just launched a new product line, Greek Frozen Yogurt Pints. The froyo has the benefits of Greek yogurt, including prebiotics and probiotics, high protein content, low calorie, and with minimal added sugar. The froyo is gluten-free and kosher.

Available flavors: Kookie Dough, Coffee Toffee, Brownies & Cookie Dough, Salted Caramel Cookie, Mint Chip, Chocolate & Peanut Butter, Chocolate.

Enlightened Greek Yogurt Pints were inspired by Enlightened’s Greek yogurt bars introduced earlier this year. The pints have a MRSP of $6.99 and are available at Sprouts, Albertsons, Safeway, Walmart, Giant Eagle, and more. I found them at Sprouts and Vons in Eagle Rock. Pints were $7.49 each at Vons in Eagle Rock.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Greek yogurt: This is chocolate Greek frozen yogurt with a peanut butter swirl. In other words, it tastes like chocolate with a bit of peanut butter but mostly chocolate with many bites that had NO peanut butter. The froyo was frozen solid. They recommend waiting a few minutes to let it soften. After about ten minutes, I was able to dig in. The texture is smooth, creamy, and dense, but it doesn’t scoop easily. It tasted better than I expected – very chocolatey but also with a hint of bitterness that I actually liked a lot. It wasn’t crazy sweet. However, there was such a tiny peanut butter swirl. The peanut butter swirl did have a strong peanut taste.

One serving is 2/3 cup, 150 calories, 6g total fat, 24g total carbs, 8g total sugars, and 10g protein. The main ingredients are skim milk and Greek yogurt, and the sweeteners are sugar, monk fruit, allulose, and Stevia extract.

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.

PokiTomik Takes Over Yogurtland’s Downtown Burbank Space

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland Media Center in downtown Burbank closed last fall after nearly 13 years in business. It took a few months to remove the fixtures and the Yogurtland sign was removed in January. The space has been leased and PokiTomik opened on July 2 and serving poke bowls. The wall of yogurt machines is now just a wall. PokiTomik currently has 14 locations, all in Southern California. They do not serve froyo.

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

* POKITOMIK: 304 N. San Fernando Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502

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.

Yu Cake Raspberry Yogurt Cake Review

Fro-yo girl here. I know I declared Yu Cake’s blueberry yogurt cake roll the best yogurt cake ever last year, but I hadn’t tried all their yogurt cakes at that time. Since October 2022, I’ve tried Yu Cake's mixed berry yogurt cake roll and blueberry yogurt box cake. I recently tried the raspberry yogurt cake and it’s good but the blueberry yogurt cake roll is still my favorite.

The raspberry yogurt cake slice ($8.75) is a traditional looking slice from a round, layered cake. There are three layers of sponge cake and two layers of yogurt cream, plus a layer of frosting, raspberry jelly on top, and a freeze-dried strawberry. The raspberry jelly was the most flavorful part of the cake – and the raspberry tasted natural. It’s not a soft jelly but more like a pate de fruit. The light pink sponge cake is light and fluffy but mild in flavor and not very sweet. The yogurt cream is tangy and not too sweet. It’s a good cake but I like their yogurt cake rolls better. The raspberry jelly was good but overpowered the other flavors of the cake.

I noticed that although the yogurt cakes take different forms, the components are very similar. I still have to try the yogurt mille crepe cake.

Yu Cake has locations in Rosemead, City of Industry, and San Gabriel, CA.

* YU CAKE: 18558 Gale Ave #158, City of Industry, CA 91748

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 Closes on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. I’m not surprised to hear that Menchie’s on Montana in Santa Monica has closed. In 2021, it was only open Friday – Sunday, and I wondered how long it could continue with such limited hours. The shop was listed for sale for a long time.

Menchie’s on Montana Ave. opened in 2010 and was the scene of many celebrity sightings (e.g., Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner with their kids, John Travolta). It was the first Menchie’s in Santa Monica.

Menchie’s in Ocean Park in Santa Monica closed earlier this year and was purchased by the Yogurt Shoppe. The Yogurt Shoppe took over that space.

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

* MENCHIE’S: 732 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

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.

Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. General Mills recently launched a new line of snacks, Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème. This is the first non-frozen product from Häagen-Dazs. 

I found Cultured Crème at Target in the yogurt section for $1.99 each. One cup is 4 oz, smaller than the typical container of yogurt, which is 5.3 oz.

Cultured Crème is a dairy snack that is fermented and cultured. According to General Mills, the process for Cultured Crème takes "up to five times longer than traditional yogurt.” It’s less tangy than yogurt with a smoother, creamier, thicker texture. The product was inspired by the taste and texture of ice cream. Cultured Crème is made with fresh milk, cream, and real fruit. It’s made with no artificial colors and no artificial flavors.

Available flavors: Vanilla Bean, Coffee, Strawberry, Black Cherry, Lemon, Blueberry

Vanilla Bean: The crème had a thick, smooth, and creamy texture with visible vanilla bean specks. The flavor was very sweet (too sweet for me) and seemed like something I’d have for dessert rather than breakfast. The tang was mild. One serving is 190 calories, 11g total fat, 20g carbs, 17g total sugars, and 4g protein. Ingredients: cultured pasteurized milk, cultured pasteurized cream, cane sugar, corn starch, natural flavor, pectin, vanilla bean pieces.

Strawberry: I liked it slightly better than Vanilla Bean because it was a bit more tangy and not quite so sweet. I could see strawberry pieces.

Tip: Cultured Crème tastes better frozen! It tastes like a froyo ice cream hybrid. It’s perfect for making froyo bark and froyo clusters. When I made froyo bark with regular yogurt, it was icier than the bark I made with Cultured Crème.

Cultured Crème is too sweet for snacking but perfect for frozen desserts and snacks.

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.

IFYA's Summer Froyo Shoes Photo Contest Ends Soon, Win $75 DoorDash Gift Card

 

Fro-yo girl here. The International Frozen Yogurt Association invites froyo fans to share summer froyo photos for a chance to win a $75 DoorDash gift card.

To enter, post your original photo on Instagram with the hashtag, #summerfroyoshoes, using a public profile AND tag us, @froyoassociation. The photo should show frozen yogurt and at least one clearly visible shoe (socks and slippers are acceptable). The photo must be posted by midnight PST on July 19, 2023.

To enter via email, send your summer froyo photo to info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com by midnight PST on July 20, 2023.

The contest is open to anyone over 13 years of age residing in the US. Multiple entries are allowed.

The winner will be announced on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on or before July 23, 2023. If the winner entered via email, he/she will be contacted via email by July 23, 2023.

For full contest rules, see https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/official-rules-for-the-instagram-summer-froyo-shoes-photo-contest/

Good luck froyo fans!

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.

Online Exclusive Yogurtland Cup, New Topping: Ocean Themed Gummies, National Ice Cream Day Special

Fro-yo girl here. There’s so much going on at froyo shops right now. A week ago, I was at Yogurtland trying the new summer flavor, Watermelon Lemonade sorbet. During my visit, they didn’t have the new topping yet. The new topping is ocean themed gummies. They’re big and come in several shapes: seahorse (pineapple), turtle (apple), crab (strawberry), octopus (orange), shark (blueberry), and dolphin (raspberry). The Herbert’s Best candies are fruit flavored.

The gummies must be popular because they ran out of them at the Yogurtland that I visited.

The online exclusive cup is called Beach Buddies and it features Rocket Pop Sorbet, mochi, mango popping boba, and ocean-themed gummies.

Also, on National Ice Cream Day, July 16, Real Rewards members will earn double points on their in-store or online purchases. The offer does not apply to third-party delivery orders or gift card purchases.

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 Truck, The First Sustainable, Self-Powered Food Truck

 

strawberry FRO

FRO truck interior

toppings

FRO truck

Fro-yo girl here. FRO is a vegan soft-serve truck that launched in 2019 in Los Angeles. The truck claims to be the first sustainable, self-powered food service vehicle; it runs on solar batteries. It houses one soft serve machine.

While the truck says “self-serve pressed freeze”, it isn’t self-serve. They had two fruit flavors during my visit, mango and strawberry. The truck also says they serve a product that is organic, vegan, gluten-free, cold-pressed juice. The soft serve made with fresh fruit, water, and coconut milk. It is not frozen yogurt.

The cup was $7, and $3 more for toppings.

Available toppings: gummy bears, coconut, Tajin gummies, coconut, Tajin

Strawberry Fro: Fro is softer and smoother than Pressed Juicery’s Freeze. Tasted like a strawberry popsicle. It was sweeter than I expected though no sugar was added. I could see strawberry seeds. It didn’t have as clean of a finish/aftertaste as Pressed Freeze. Also, the portion was too big (would prefer a smaller size). I got tired of eating it because it was so sweet. Tangy toppings would have helped but I didn’t like the toppings they had. The toppings and the soft serve reminded me of a Mexican style fruit cart vendor. I still prefer Pressed Juicery Freeze.

Find FRO by following them on Instagram, IG @getfrola. The truck is available for special events.

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 Sweet 16 Birthday Bash Collectible Spoon

Fro-yo girl here. Happy birthday, Menchie’s! Menchie’s is celebrating their 16th birthday this month. They’re celebrating with raffles, the app game, a new birthday cup, featured flavors, and A NEW SPOON.

The new spoon is teal and features Menchie and Chip. Chip is wearing a party hat. The spoon says Party! Birthday Bash! The back side shows the back side of Menchie and Chip.

The spoons are available while supplies last. They tend to go pretty quickly. It’s the third new Menchie spoon in 2023.

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.

Enter IFYA’s Summer Froyo Shoes Instagram Photo Contest For a Chance to Win a $75 DoorDash Gift Card

Fro-yo girl here. Froyo fans, the International Frozen Yogurt Association’s summer froyo contest is here. This year’s contest is an Instagram photo contest with the theme of summer froyo and summer shoes.

The prize: The winner will receive a $75 DoorDash gift card. The gift card is good at 310,000 local and national restaurants and stores across 4,000 cities in the US & Canada.

To enter, post your original photo on Instagram with the hashtag, #summerfroyoshoes, using a public profile AND tag @froyoassociation. The photo should show frozen yogurt and at least one clearly visible shoe (socks and slippers are acceptable). The photo must be posted by midnight PST on July 19, 2023.

You can also enter via email. Send your summer froyo photo to info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com by midnight PST on July 19, 2023.

The entrant must be over 13 years old and reside in the United States. Participants can enter as many photos as they’d like.

Winner announcement: The winner will be announced on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on or before July 23, 2023. If the winner entered via email, he/she will be contacted via email by July 23, 2023.

For full contest rules, see https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/official-rules-for-the-instagram-summer-froyo-shoes-photo-contest/

Good luck froyo fans!

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.

Valley Swirl Opens Second Shop in Pico-Robertson Area of Los Angeles

Fro-yo girl here. Valley Swirl opened a second branch in the Pico-Robertson part of Los Angeles on Friday, July 7. The menu is the same as their La Brea location. It's RCC Kosher (everything is kosher). They have soft serve, mix-in style hand-crafted swirls, puffle waffles, waffle nachos, milkshakes, hand-crafted swirls (with toppings mixed in), boba drinks, smoothies, frappes, acai bowls, and hot beverages.

For the mix-in style, you choose the base, mix-ins and sauce. A hand-crafted swirl starts at $8.20 and includes two mix-ins and a sauce.

Bases: Chocolate, Vanilla, Non-Dairy Vanilla, Frozen Yogurt, Sugar Free Vanilla

Add-ins: Fruit, nuts, cookies, sauces, cookie dough, cotton candy, sprinkles, etc. Some of the toppings are marked as premium.

The vanilla froyo was very rich, smooth, and creamy. It reminded me of frozen custard. It was on the sweeter side but still indulgent and tasty.

The place looks like an ice cream stand with a cute painted patio area on the side. You order from the window and they'll call your name when your order is ready.

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

* VALLEY SWIRL: 9516 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

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 Smile Challenge App Game, New Flavor: Vegan Cherry Rocket Pop Sorbet, Returning Flavor: Chocolate Cake Batter Froyo, New Cup Design

 

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been a busy summer for froyo and for Menchie’s. Menchie’s is celebrating their 16th birthday this month.

The Smile Challenge Menchie’s App Game is back, Complete the challenge and be entered to win prizes. The grand prize is a $1,000 gift card, second prize a $500 gift card, and the third prize is a $250 gift card. Everyone who completes the game will receive $5 in Menchie’s Money.

The featured flavors are NEW Vegan Cherry Rocket Pop Sorbet and a returning favorite, Chocolate Cake Batter froyo made with Hershey’s Chocolate.

Vegan Cherry Rocket Pop Sorbet is made with no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. The cherry flavor is the strongest but there are other flavor notes as well. Raspberry or lime? There was nothing remotely tart or tangy about the sweet flavor but it did remind me of a popsicle. Recommended toppings: Sour Patch Kids, popping boba, and strawberries.

The limited edition birthday cup is blue and features Menchie holding a birthday cake, Sprinkle, Chip, and Mookie. And there’s a new spoon though I haven’t found it yet.

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’s New Summer Flavor, Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland’s new summer flavor is Watermelon Lemonade sorbet. Yogurtland describes Watermelon Lemonade sorbet as “our refreshing combination of delicious watermelon & tart lemon.” The vegan flavor is nonfat, gluten-free, and made with real watermelon and real lemon.

Watermelon Lemonade sorbet: I normally don’t like sorbets but I did like Yogurtland’s Watermelon sorbet made with Sour Patch Kids and I liked the new Watermelon Lemonade for a similar reason. Both flavors were tangy. Watermelon Lemonade sorbet isn’t as tangy as Watermelon sorbet made with Sour Patch Kids but it did remind me of a tangy and sweet Jolly Rancher watermelon candy. Plus, watermelon goes very well with yogurt, especially Plain Tart froyo. Recommended toppings: watermelon, strawberries, and Sour Patch Kids.

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 Pinkberry Flavor, Barbie Land Berry Pink

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry has a new froyo flavor inspired by the upcoming Barbie The Movie: Barbie Land Berry Pink frozen yogurt. The new flavor is pink, of course. I wasn’t sure what the flavor would be but bubble gum and cotton candy came to mind but the new flavor is Dragonfruit and Strawberry. There’s also a new topping, glittery Dream Sprinkles.

Barbie Land Berry Pink froyo: Love that this is actually a tart froyo. The dragonfruit flavor was much stronger than the strawberry flavor. It was quite tart and also sweet and tangy. The texture was smooth and light. The location I went to didn’t have the new Dream Sprinkles. Recommended toppings: sprinkles, strawberries, mochi.

There’s also a special Barbie The Movie cup. It’s just the small cup though. The cup has summer time beach images like roller skates, a froyo cone, palm trees, a beach ball, flamingo floatie, lifeguard station, surfboards, and the Statue of Liberty.

Find Barbie Land Berry Pink froyo at Pinkberry now through August 11 or while supplies last. There’s even a new pink Barbie cup.

Pinkberry is also sponsoring the Barbie The Movie sweepstakes. The prize packs include movie tickets, Barbie swag, and Pinkberry gift cards. Ten winners will be selected. Enter online at

The Barbie The Movie comes out on July 21.

P.S. Pinkberry is offering double points from now through July 5.

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.