My Best Swirl of 2023

Fro-yo girl here. What was my best swirl of 2023? I saved pictures of all the froyo that I consumed in 2023 on my Pinterest board, 2023 Froyo Consumed by Me. After looking at all the photos, my best self-swirl was the cup of plain tart froyo that I swirled at Bloomfield Creamery in Pasadena, California. The froyo texture looks wonderful - firm, creamy, and smooth. Yum! 

My most viewed cup of froyo was the one that I swirled at Amazon Go. It had over 1.1k views on Pinterest. I'm not sure why that particular picture was so popular. 

This year, I consumed 130 cups of froyo, less than last year's 144 cups. My first cup of froyo this year was a cup of plain tart from Yogurtland Eagle Rock. 

Of the cups and cones of froyo that I consumed, 50% were self-serve, 13% partial serve, 32% counter-serve, 1% machine-served, and 4% pre-packed. In 2022, 60% of my cups were self-serve or partial-serve. Most places are back to full self-service but a few Yogurtland locations, including Yogurtland Eagle Rock, still have the employee serve the toppings. I don't see pandemic restrictions at other businesses, so not allowing for full self-serve seems lame. 

I prefer getting one flavor per cup. In 2023, 84% of my froyo cups and cones featured one flavor (compared to 88% in 2022). Similarly, 85% of my froyo cups and cones were dairy-based froyo (compared to 81% in 2022).

You can see every cup of froyo that I consumed on my Pinterest board.

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.

Froyology Takes Over the Tutti Frutti Montebello Space

 

Fro-yo girl here. Tutti Frutti Montebello closed sometime during the pandemic without any announcement. In 2021, the equipment and signs were still there, but they had been closed for months.

Three months ago, a new froyo shop called Froyology took over. The interior looks the same though they took down the Tutti Frutti signs. The décor and the soft serve machines are the same. They had ten self-serve flavors and one machine that wasn’t being used, with toppings, for $0.99 an ounce.

The Yogurtland in the same mall is also $0.99 an ounce. I feel bad for Montebello residents. Froyology and Yogurtland at The Shops at Montebello are the only froyo shops left, and they’re overpriced.

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

* FROYOLOGY: 2134 Montebello Town Ctr Montebello, CA 90640

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.

The 2023 Christmas Spirit Froyo Shop Winner

 

Source: IG @llaollao_my

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been tracking Christmas spirit at froyo shops around the world and I’ve seen new holiday froyo flavors, holiday toppings, holiday spoons, holiday cups, holiday promotions, holiday gift card designs, festive store decorations, holiday froyo cakes, visits from Santa, and more. Taking all of these into consideration, the froyo shop (or chain) with the most holiday spirit in 2023 is…Llaollao.

Llaollao celebrated Christmas with a new sauce, turron (Spanish nougat), a new holiday cup design, a new llaollao tote bag, llaollao Christmas socks, and a holiday giveaway. The turron sauce is only available in December, while supplies last. But you can buy jars of it for home consumption (and/or gifts).

Previous winners of the Christmas Spirit Froyo Shop Award

• 2022: Yogurtland
• 2021: 16 Handles

My Christmas-y froyo images Pinterest board has over 1,700 images. https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/christmas-y-froyo-images/

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 Collectible Froyo Spoons in 2023

 

Yogurtland, Snowman spoon

Fro-yo girl here. Froyo spoon collectors, these were the new froyo spoons that were released in the US in 2023. I’ve noted the shop, spoon color, and theme. 

2023 Collectible Froyo Spoons

• Menchie’s, yellow, Mookie, Calci-YUMM!
• Menchie’s, pink, Mellow, Spring for a Treat
• Menchie’s, teal, Menchie & Chip, Party Birthday Bash
• SweetFrog, green color changing, American Red Cross water safety
• Yogurtland, mint green, logo
• Yogurtland, dark yellow, sunglasses
• Yogurtland, giant yellow 
• Yogurtland, giant dark blue
• Yogurtland, light blue, snowman

Yogurtland introduced five new spoons (two of them were giant spoons), Menchie’s three, and sweetFrog one, for a total of nine new spoon designs. In 2022, there were seven new spoon designs introduced in the US. Yogurtland even had a Mystery Giant Spoon Day giveaway in November 2023. 

Check out all the fancy froyo spoons on the Pinterest board, Fancy 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.

Painful California Froyo Shop Closures in 2023

Yogurtland on Sunset Blvd, Hollywood

 

Fro-yo girl here. Before the year ends, I’d like to recognize a few froyo shops that closed this year that deserve a few words.

Ace Frozen Yogurt, 160 E Duarte Rd, Ste E, Arcadia, CA 91006

Ace Frozen Yogurt was the oldest remaining froyo shop in San Gabriel Valley. The counter-serve shop opened in 1986. Ace Frozen Yogurt. Ace Frozen Yogurt opened in 1986. The counter-serve froyo shop served Dannon YoCream froyo, smoothies, shaved ice, and more. The new owners, 626 Hospitality Group, kept the soft serve machines. They make top-notch soft serve ice cream with LA-inspired flavors from scratch.

Loving Cup, 2356 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109

Loving Cup closed the original location in Russian Hill earlier this summer. The shop opened in late 2008, specializing in hand-churned mix-in style froyo and rice pudding. Customers selected a size, a base (chocolate, vanilla or non-dairy), and mix-ins. The associate would hand churn everything together using a machine.

Menchie’s, 2901 Ocean Park Blvd, Ste 107, Santa Monica, CA 90405

The Menchie’s on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica has had multiple owners. It was sold again this year and converted into The Yogurt Shoppe. Menchie’s Ocean Park Courtyard first opened in 2011, so it was 12 years old when it closed.

Menchie’s, 732 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Menchie’s opened on Montana Ave. in 2010 and was the scene of countless celebrity froyo sightings since opening across the street from TCBY. This was the first Menchie’s in Santa Monica.

Yogurt Stop, 8803 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Yogurt Stop closed after fifteen years because the landlord would not renew the lease. They baked some of their toppings and had the cutest names for their froyo flavors. They were open late, till 2 AM on some nights.

Yogurtland, 5541 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

This Yogurtland first opened in 2007. There were two things that I really liked about it. First, you could see Yogurtland and the Hollywood sign together from the Target across the street. Second, there was a parking lot.

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.

2023 California Froyo Shop Openings & Closings

iCream showroom, Los Angeles 

Yogurt Stop, West Hollywood

Fro-yo girl here. I thought there would be more froyo shop openings this year, since COVID-19 isn't as much of a concern. However, there were fewer new froyo shops this year than in 2022 and 2021. Also, I think it's the first time that the number of new non-froyo shops serving froyo exceeded the number of new froyo shops, driven by the explosive growth of Nick the Greek.

In 2023, I found 41 new places that serve soft-serve froyo: 15 new froyo shops, 1 froyo truck, 19 non-froyo shops that serve froyo, and 4 froyo vending machine installations. In 2022, I found 46 new places that serve froyo: 18 new froyo shops (including two froyo trucks), 20 non-froyo shops, and 8 froyo vending machines. There were even more new froyo shops in 2021, fifteen, compared to 2023.

Six of the 2023 new froyo shop and truck openings were part of national froyo chains. Eight of twelve new froyo shop and truck openings were in Southern California, and four in Northern California.  

My goal is to track any new venue that serves froyo in soft serve form, including restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, froyo trucks, froyo trailers, vending machines, amusement parks, stadiums, etc. It's easier to track openings, since they're usually announced, but many places close quietly.

Businesses are listed in alphabetical order with the location.

New Froyo Shops and Trucks

• Beary Bliss, Big Bear Lake
• Frosty Peaks, Ridgecrest
• Froyology, Montebello
• The Frozone, Roseville
• Golden Spoon, Newport Beach
• LOL Yogurt, Atascadero
• Menchie’s, Burbank (moved)
• Menchie’s, Natomas, Sacramento
• Moxie's, Windsor (froyo truck)
• Pinkberry, Sacramento
• Prive La Yogurt, Roseville
• YOBA, Ontario
• The Yogurt Shoppe, Santa Monica (took over Menchie’s)
• Yogurt Bear, Santa Ana
• Yogurtland, Hastings Ranch, East Pasadena
• Yogurtland, Riverside
• Yogurtland, Palmdale (East)

Not a Froyo Shop but Serves Froyo

• IKEA, San Francisco
• Kalamaki Greek, Los Angeles (not new but added Greek froyo in November)
• Moo & Brew, Placerville
• Mrs. Chips Cookies, Sherman Oaks
• Nick the Greek, Hayward
• Nick the Greek, San Leandro
• Nick the Greek, Riverbank
• Nick the Greek, Belmont Shore, Long Beach
• Nick the Greek, San Luis Obispo
• Nick the Greek, West Hollywood
• Nick the Greek, Visalia
• Nick the Greek, San Dimas
• Nick the Greek, La Mirada
• Nick the Greek, Marina Del Rey
• Nick the Greek, Danville
• Nick the Greek, Monterey
• Pita GR, Brea
• Souvla, Larkspur
• Wafflecomb, Santa Clarita (not new but added self-serve froyo)
• Valley Swirl, Los Angeles

Froyo Vending Machines

• iCream showroom, Pinkberry, Los Angeles
• iCream, Pinkberry, Kidtopia, Fremont
• iCream, Pinkberry, San Francisco
• iCream, Pinkberry, Koreatown, Los Angeles

I didn't count rebranded froyo businesses or ones that changed ownership as new froyo businesses, but I tried to track both.

New Ownership of Froyo Shop

• Honeymoon Frozen Yogurt, Sebastopol
• Menchie’s, Pico Rivera
• Pinkberry, Marina Del Rey
• Pinkberry, Beverly Hills
• Yogurtland, Claremont

Froyo Shop Name Change

• Orange Tree, San Bruno, new name: San Froyo
• Sweetfrog, Lancaster, new name: Sweet Bunnies
• Tutti Frutti, San Carlos, new name: Toot Sweet Frozen Yogurt
• Tutti Frutti, Long Beach, new name: Frozen Oasis
• Tutti Frutti, Artesia, new name: Go-Go Froyo
• Yum Yum Yogurt, Kingsburg, new name: The Froyo Co.

As for froyo shop closings, I found twenty this year or nineteen if you consider the non-froyo shops that served froyo and closed. Last year, I found twenty-one froyo shop and non-froyo shop closings. Three Menchie's locations closed and six Yogurtland locations closed in 2023. Most of the froyo shops that closed were older (over 10 years old) shops. Ace Frozen Yogurt in Arcadia was over 30 years old. Two of the froyo shops that closed were replaced by other froyo shops.

Froyo Shop Closings

• Ace Frozen Yogurt, Arcadia
• Chill, Studio City
• Dolci Mango, Chula Vista
• Joghurt, Chino
• Joy Sedona, Lake Balboa
• Loving Cup, Russian Hill, San Francisco
• Menchie’s, Ocean Park, Santa Monica (now The Yogurt Shoppe)
• Menchie’s, Montana Ave, Santa Monica
• Menchie’s, Newport Beach (now Golden Spoon)
• Spoonful Yogurt Café, Riverside
• Sweetfrog, Palmdale
• Yogurtland, Brentwood, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Hollywood, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Pinole
• Yogurtland, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Northwood, Irvine
• Yogurtland, Oceanside
• Yogurt Shack, Concord
• Yogurt Stop, West Hollywood
• Yummy Spoon Yogurt, Chula Vista

Closings, Not a Froyo Shop 

• Health Habit, Valley Springs
• Mrs. Chips Cookies, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles
• Sweet Retreat, Morgan Hill

Not Closed, No Longer Serving Froyo

• The Kona Ice Shop, Winters

More froyo is on the way. I found 28 places listed as opening soon, with Nick the Greek accounting for 23 of these future locations.

Future Places Serving Froyo

• Easy Breezy, Walnut Creek
• Cuppa Yo, Dublin
• Menchie’s, Cameron Park
• Menchie's, Clovis
• Nick the Greek, Berkeley
• Nick the Greek, Hollister
• Nick the Greek, Tracy
• Nick the Greek, Oakland
• Nick the Greek, Sonoma
• Nick the Greek, Stockton
• Nick the Greek, Palo Alto
• Nick the Greek, Folsom
• Nick the Greek, Mountain View
• Nick the Greek, Marin
• Nick the Greek, Salinas
• Nick the Greek, Natomas
• Nick the Greek, Sacramento
• Nick the Greek, San Francisco, 4 locations
• Nick the Greek, Santa Barbara
• Nick the Greek, Pinole
• Nick the Greek, Mill Valley
• Nick the Greek, Petaluma
• Nick the Greek, Natomas
• Nick the Greek, Stockton
• Pinkberry, Natomas
• Pinkberry, Manteca
• Pinkberry, John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana
• Pinkberry, Fremont
• Yoga-urt, Granada Hills, Los Angeles

I’ll keep updating this post if I find out about other 2023 froyo shop openings and closings. Did I miss any openings or closings? Let me know.

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

NEW Jeni’s Frozen Dessert Sandwiches, Exclusively at Whole Foods

Fro-yo girl here. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams recently released three new frozen dessert sandwiches, and they’re available exclusively at Whole Foods. Two of the three sandwiches feature froyo!

The sandwiches are:

• Mint Chocolate Truffle: Palate-cooling peppermint cream with dark chocolate cookies
• Key Lime Pie: Tropical, tart, and uber creamy key lime with graham cracker cookies (contains yogurt)
• Triple Berry Tart: Sweet-tart and ultra-lush purple berry cream with chocolate cookies (contains yogurt)

One box contains three individually wrapped sandwiches. The MRSP is $7.99. Each sandwich is 3.5 fl oz. I found all three sandwich varieties at Whole Foods in Pasadena, CA. They were on sale for $7.19/box.

Key Lime Pie: This was my favorite sandwich. Key lime pie is one of my favorite flavors and this one delivered on the tart key lime flavor that I love. In fact, I’d say that the flavor was very tangy and you could really taste the lime. The texture of the froyo was creamy and not too soft or too hard. The graham cracker cookies were soft and tasty. The combination of the cookies with the tart key lime froyo also really worked. And I liked the size – not too tiny but not huge. One sandwich is 210 calories, 8g total fat, 34 total carbs, 19g total sugars, and 3g protein. 5 out of 5 stars.

Triple Berry Tart: This sandwich was good but I didn’t enjoy the cookie/froyo combination as much and the froyo wasn’t as tangy, even though there was less sugar than the key lime pie sandwich. The froyo is made with blackberries, blueberries, and red raspberries and the chocolate cookie was soft. The tartness was mild but the berry ice cream was creamy, rich, and fruit-forward. One sandwich was 210 calories, 9g total fat, 32g total carbs, 17g total sugars, and 4g protein. 4 out of 5 stars.

I remember when Jeni’s used to have macaroon and cookie ice cream sandwiches. Haven’t seen any of those for years, unfortunately. They were so good! I'm thrilled to see that Jeni's has new froyo sandwiches.

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.

Save the Date for Yogurtland’s Giant Spoon Exclusive Access Event

 

Fro-yo girl here. Remember how Yogurtland had the mystery giant spoon day giveaway on November 18? Hope you picked up a giant spoon then or before then because you can use that giant spoon to get an exclusive offer. On December 21, enjoy 21% off your Yogurtland purchase when you show your Yogurtland giant spoon (any color) at the register. This is the first time Yogurtland has had a discount for giant spoon owners. I like the idea though I do think Platinum spoon owners should get an extra special offer.

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 Free Froyo Candy Cane Lane Event & New Holiday Cup

 

Fro-yo girl here. Thank you, Candy Cane Lane, for sponsoring Menchie’s froyo giveaway on Friday, December 8. The first 50 guests at participating Menchie’s received 5 oz of free froyo.

Candy Cane Lane is a new holiday movie starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross that’s now streaming on Prime Video. Eddie Murphy plays Chris, a man on a mission to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest.

I also picked up the new Menchie’s holiday cups. The cups are red and feature Menchie, Chip, Mookie, and Sprinkle. It says Happy Holidays on one side and on the other, there’s a holiday to-do list. The to-do list doesn’t mention froyo. There are no new Menchie’s holiday spoons this year.

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 December Featured Flavors and Promotions

Fro-yo girl here. Happy December! It’s a busy, festive month at Menchie’s. I think there are new red Menchie’s holiday cups but I didn’t see any during my visit this week.

The new froyo flavor, Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate Fudge is made with Reese’s peanut butter. Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate Fudge froyo is nonfat and contains no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? Anyway, I enjoyed the flavor, which reminded me of Menchie’s Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cup froyo. The peanut butter flavor is much stronger than the chocolate fudge flavor, so that’s a plus for pb lovers. And it was creamy and smooth. Recommended toppings: Nutter Buter, Special Dark chocolate chips, and Butterfinger.

Menchie’s Holiday Eggnog froyo flavor returns this month but it’s called Holiday Elfnog, in honor of the new holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane. Holiday Elfnog is gluten-free, lowfat, and made without any artificial colors, artificial flavors, or high fructose corn syrup. It wasn’t there on my last visit to Menchie’s.

On December 8, Candy Cane Lane is sponsoring a free froyo giveaway at Menchie’s. On December 8, the first 50 people at 3 PM will receive 5 oz of free froyo. Candy Cane Lane is a new holiday movie starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross that’s now streaming on Prime Video. Eddie Murphy plays Chris, a man on a mission to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest.

Also, enjoy $3 off your $20 or more Menchie’s delivery from Grubhub every Friday in December. Limit one per person. Terms and conditions apply.

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.

Halo Top Frozen Yogurt Pops Made with Skyr Review

Fro-yo girl here. I first heard about Halo Top’s Frozen Yogurt pops in March 2023, when they were launched. After checking many grocery stores, I concluded that the pops were not available in my area. Well, I finally found some at the newly relaunched Amazon Fresh in Pasadena, California. They had both flavors, Triple Berry and Strawberry. A box of four pops was $5.34, slightly less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $5.49. These pops are supposed to be better for you, an on-the-go nutritious snack.

I haven’t seen frozen skyr popsicles for sale in US grocery stores before. I’ve seen them for sale in other countries though. Halo Top’s frozen yogurt pops are made with creamy Icelandic skyr-style yogurt, crunchy granola, and real fruit. Each pop is 110 calories with 4g of protein. Available flavors: Triple Berry, Strawberry.

Triple Berry: The pop was creamy and not as dense and hard as other yogurt pops. The flavor was okay. It was very sweet. The berries were blended with the yogurt. There wasn’t much granola. The berry bits had some tang. There was a bitter aftertaste. One 64g pop is 110 calories, 3g total fat, 10mg cholesterol, 16g total carbohydrates, 15g total sugars, and 4g proteins. The pops are made with ultrafiltered milk, and sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, and molasses. Yasso pops taste better for sure.

3 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.