2013 Year End Bay Area Fro-yo Wrap Up

Fro-yo girl here. Goodbye 2013...it’s that time to look back at the year that was in the Bay Area.

Bay Area closings: Yogorino (both locations in SF), YoCup (both SF locations), Yogurt Circle, Yoppi Yogurt Palo Alto, Yogen Fruz Novato, U Love Yogurt, Tuttimelon Burlingame, Tutti Frutti Berkeley, Tutti Frutti Oakland Chinatown, Sweet Sundays, Harmony Frozen Yogurt, Blush SF

Yogorino is no longer available in the Bay Area...or on the West Coast. Very sad. Harmony Frozen Yogurt was one of the first tart froyo shops in the Bay Area. YoCup was also an early Bay Area tart froyo shop but the quality was significantly worse after it was sold to new owners. Fortunately, Blush still has other locations. 

Tutti Frutti Berkeley and Yoppi Yogurt Palo Alto's locations weren't open long. Tutti Frutti was replaced by Honeyberry which has the worst froyo. 

Bay Area openings: Yogurtland Fremont, Yogurtland Pinole, Yumi Yogurt Hillsdale Mall, Tutti Frutti Montclair Village, Swifty Sweets, Red Mango Palo Alto, Pizza Bello, Pinkberry Walnut Creek, Menchie’s Berkeley, Menchie’s Fremont, Mega Walgreens SF, La Luna Cupcakes, Coffee Cultures, Almaden Yogurt Factory  

Scoop Microcreamery in Palo Alto opened this year and offered froyo made with liquid nitrogen for about a month but they stopped offering froyo. Back in October, Tuttimelon Burlingame changed from selling froyo to selling liquid nitrogen ice cream as Cryo Cream (the ownership is the same...Tuttimelon has been selling liquid nitrogen ice cream in Hong Kong for months), Honeyberry keeps opening new locations - some have froyo and some don’t. Swifty Sweets launched in April and is the Bay Area’s only froyo truck.

I had some memorable cups of froyo outside the Bay Area in 2013. If you're in NYC, be sure to check out Culture: An American Yogurt Company which has locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They make their fresh and frozen yogurt in house. Go Greek Yogurt in Beverly Hills flies in super thick authentic Greek yogurt from Greece. They offer fresh and frozen yogurt. I had my first froyo taco at A Tea Yogurt in downtown Alhambra, CA.

Check out IFYA's post on key events in the froyo industry in 2013. 

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.

Last Day for Harmony Frozen Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. Today is the final day of business for Harmony Frozen Yogurt. All items will be 50% off on the last day, while supplies last and the doors will close at 9 PM. 

I was happy that they still had natural tart. They didn't have as many toppings as usual. 

Fro-yo flavors of the day:
* Natural
* Raspberry
* Banana
* Mango

Here are some pictures from the last day, including my last cup of Harmony Frozen Yogurt, which I shared with Teddy and his dad.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 852 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA 94070

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.

Harmony Frozen Yogurt, Thanks for the Memories and Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. I have some sad news, frozen yogurt fans. Harmony Frozen Yogurt is closing for good on Wednesday, 8/28. All items will be 50% off on the last day, while supplies last and the doors will close at 9 PM. 

Harmony was one of the earliest tart frozen yogurt shops in the Bay Area and the first to offer organic frozen yogurt. The first location opened in downtown San Carlos in mid 2007. I have many fond memories of that original location. I loved dropping by on the way home from work for a medium cup of their natural flavor with fresh fruit. Their frozen yogurt was (and still is for a few days) organic. The natural flavor, made with Straus organic yogurt, had an exceptionally clean, natural taste. Their toppings were healthier than most places and they were an eco-friendly green business.

They moved to a larger spot in downtown San Carlos, taking over the old Red Mango location, and they offered more flavors of frozen yogurt, plus they added Straus organic ice cream, soft serve ice cream, smoothies and yogurt parfaits.

Harmony, you will be missed.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 852 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA 94070

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 & Worst Fro-yo Shops of 2008: Where Are They Now?

Fro-yo girl here. Back in 2008, I named the best and worst fro-yo shops in the Bay Area. Ever wonder what happened to those businesses?

Of the 7 worst shops, all 7 have closed. The places with below average fro-yo have usually stayed open two years or less. Even large chains haven’t been able to make it in the Bay Area (e.g., Golden Spoon). There are plenty of average frozen yogurt shops. The worst ones had fro-yo with horrible texture and flavor.The toppings were often stale or rotten as well.

Of the 10 best shops in 2008, 5 are still open, though a few of those have moved (e.g., Harmony Yogurt, Tuttimelon) or changed ownership. Poco Cafe closed after being open for years because the owner decided to retire. The best frozen yogurt shops offered consistency, cleanliness, freshness and superior customer service. You could tell that the owners cared about offering quality frozen yogurt.

Out of curiosity I looked at my old frozen yogurt reviews, the first 300 frozen yogurt shops that I reviewed. These reviews were written between December 2007 and 2010. Of the 9 shops with a 1 star rating, all have closed. Of the five star shops, 50% are still open.

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

Fro-yo Hot Spots in 2010

Fro-yo girl here. I'm taking another look back to 2010 and picking the cities in the Bay Area with the most fro-yo activity. Each year I pick out fro-yo hot spots based on three criteria: (1) innovation, (2) quantity of new fro-yo shops and (3) fro-yo quality. Last January 2010, I selected San Jose, Pleasanton, Fremont, and San Mateo.

This year the hot spots are:
* WALNUT CREEK: People in Walnut Creek love fro-yo. Yogurt Park and Yogurt Castle have been there forever. Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Tutti Frutti, Yogofina, and Tower 27 all opened in 2010, joining existing fro-yo shops, Yogurt Castle, Yogurt Place, Yogurt Station, Coco Swirl, Yoppi Yogurt, and Yogurt Park.
* OAKLAND: Oakland saw the most fro-yo activity. Multiple new locations of Tutti Frutti and Yogofina led the way. Mr. Green Bubble, iYogurt, and Miam Miam Lounge also opened in Oakland in 2010. Last year was a slow year for new innovative fro-yo shops. The one innovative newcomer of note was Miam Miam Lounge in Oakland.

Honorable mentions:
* BURLINGAME: Harmony Frozen Yogurt opened another branch in late 2009, followed in early 2010 by Blush and Tuttimelon. Cherimoya gave fro-yo a try (for a brief period) and then decided to stick with Vietnamese food.
* DUBLIN: I always think of Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt when I am in the Dublin area. In 2010, Blush was joined by Yogurtland, Yogurt Walk and Tutti Frutti.
* SUNNYVALE: Juicy Berry opened in 2010, and was later joined by Pinkberry and Tutti Frutti.

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

Father's Day Fro-yo Specials

Fro-yo girl here. If your father or someone you think of as a father likes fro-yo, I've compiled a list of Father's Day Bay Area fro-yo specials.

* Nubi Yogurt: Purchase $10 or more at any location and get a free Nubi Father's Day t-shirt (Ono is giving out shirts too, with a minimum $20 purchase)
* Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt: Purchase $25 or more in gift cards, get a free small fro-yo with 2 toppings OR buy fro-yo for yourself, get a free small fro-yo for your dad (mention Facebook)
* TCBY: Free cup or cone of fro-yo for dads
* Harmony Organic Frozen Yogurt, Burlingame location only: 50% off fro-yo till the end of the month...it's not a Father's Day special but part of their 1 year anniversary special

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

Burlingame, the New Fro-yo Hot Spot

Fro-yo girl here. I stopped by Burlingame today to check on the future Tuttimelon (saw the temporary sign and I thought I took a picture of it but it didn't turn out) and future Blush. I saw workmen in both and the race is on to see which one will open first. Tuttimelon's always so fast!



I also spotted the Quickly fro-yo sign and when I crossed the street to get a better look, I noticed the Cherimoya Yogurt sign. At first I thought they came out with a new flavor, cherimoya (and I was intrigued, I'm still wondering what cherimoya fro-yo would taste like).



Actually, Cherimoya is the name of the new fro-yo shop that's taking over the Quickly space. They're going up against Blush, Tuttimelon and Harmony? I don't envy them at all.

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

Fro-yo Xmas Gift Guide

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-yo gift cards are the perfect gift for teachers, co-workers, your stylist, your postal carrier and your family and friends. Be on the lookout for special holiday deals like these:

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: Buy $25 or more in gift cards and get a free small frozen yogurt w/ two toppings for yourself

* PINKBERRY: Purchase $500 or more in Pinkberry gift cards online at http://www.pinkberrygiftcards.com/ and get a $25 gift card. They have cute holiday designs but who spends $500 on fro-yo gift cards? For that same amount you can get 20 small FREE fro-yos with toppings from Blush.

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: Culture has put together the perfect gift set for fro-yo fans. Their fro-yo survival kit ($19.99) includes a reusable fro-yo bowl and spoon (I have one in smurf blue), a bag of housemade toppings choice, your choice of a jar of housemade fro-yo sauce and a $5 gift card. Bring the bowl back for 10% off your fro-yo purchase every time you use it. Yum! Also, if you buy a $25 gift card, you'll get a free small fro-yo.

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

UPDATE: Tuttimelon has a special holiday gift card promotion! Buy $20 in gift cards, get a FREE yogurt w/ 2 toppings or 10oz of yogurt at their self-serve locations. Share your love for Tuttimelon!

Harmony Yogurt also announced a special deal, buy $20 worth of gift cards, get a small fro-yo with one topping for free. Treat yourself and treat someone else to the fro-yo you love.

Halloween Fro-yo Treats

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve compiled a list of Bay Area fro-yo shops that are celebrating my favorite holiday, Halloween.

HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: Come in costume on Halloween and get 50% off your fro-yo and toppings. Good at all Harmony locations. They’re even closing early to celebrate Halloween. San Mateo closes at 6 PM, San Carlos and Burlingame closes at 7 PM.

BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: Free fro-yo for kids 10 and under who come in costume from 5 – 9 PM on Halloween. Everyone else should say trick or treat. Dublin location only.

TUTTIMELON WEST PORTAL: With a $5 minimum purchase on Halloween, get a free bag of treats!

TUTTIMELON POLK & ALAMEDA: Something’s brewing at these locations on Halloween. It involves a raffle and other surprises.

If anyone dresses up as a big bowl of fro-yo, send me a picture (please).

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

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 4640-A Tassajara Road, Dublin, CA
* TUTTIMELON: 44 West Portal Ave., San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON: 2125 Polk St., San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON ALAMEDA: 2402 Central Ave, Alameda, CA

Harmony Frozen Yogurt Burlingame Grand Opening Event, Aug. 8

Fro-yo girl here. I've got a serious case of fro-yo conflict on this weekend. Fruittiyogi opens in Alameda (free fro-yo from 12 - 2 PM), Golden Spoon opens in San Jose (free fro-yo all day on 8/8, 8/9) and Harmony in Burlingame is having a grand opening event.

About the Harmony event, the store has been open for a few weeks now. To celebrate, Harmony fro-yo and toppings will be 50% off all day (Burlingame location only). The first 150 customers will receive a Harmony glass mug or sports bottle. I have the Harmony mug (thanks Linda W.)...the sports bottle isn't as appealing. Doors open at 11 AM this Saturday.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 1243 Howard Avenue, Burlingame, CA

Harmony Frozen Yogurt Announces Changes to Increase Value

Fro-yo girl here. Harmony sent out an e-mail today, announcing new programs to increase the value they provide to customers.

* Child’s size yogurt is now 33% larger
* Small size yogurt is now 20% larger
* Cost of a single topping reduced by 33%
* No sales tax charged

I don’t think the changes affect my usual (the Deal) but it’s nice to be able to dine in and not pay sales tax.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT SAN CARLOS: 1226 Arroyo Avenue, San Carlos, CA 94070
* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT SAN MATEO: 1051 Park Place, San Mateo, CA 94403
* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT BURLINGAME: 1243 Howard Avenue, Burlingame, CA 94010

Harmony Frozen Yogurt Grand Opening Special: 50% Off on Saturday, 4/11

Fro-yo girl here. Harmony is celebrating the grand opening of their San Mateo location this Saturday with 50% off fro-yo and toppings. It’s an all day event, from 11 AM – 9 PM. No coupon is necessary to receive the discount. Come one, come all to enjoy delicious, good for you, all-natural, organic frozen yogurt. Thank you Ken K. for the tip!

I’m getting “The Deal” – a medium size cup of fro-yo with three toppings.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 1051 Park Place, San Mateo, CA

Harmony Frozen Yogurt Opens Second Location in San Mateo

Fro-yo girl here. When Harmony opens a new location, it sure does it quietly. Their own website (http://www.harmony-yogurt.com/) doesn’t even list their new location in San Mateo – but it is open. Apparently the next location will be in Burlingame. Another Harmony location is always good news (and I’m sure many of you feel the same). Update: they added the San Mateo location to their website.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 1051 Park Place, San Mateo, CA, 94403