Froyo Scene in Encino

Fro-yo girl here. Encino is the home of Menchie’s University, the Menchie’s shop that also serves as the training center for Menchie’s franchisees. It’s also where Menchie's tests new flavors and new products. Yogurtland also has a branch in Encino, directly across the street from Menchie’s. Menchie’s and Yogurtland are the only froyo shops in Encino.

I think Menchie's HQ is also in Encino, though it's listed as Woodland Hills on the Menchie's website. It's Encino according to Google Maps and the building is called Encino Office Plaza.

Encino is an affluent neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. The current population of 61,012 has a median age of 42, 89% are white collar workers, and median household income is $175,424. In Cobra Kai, Daniel lives in Encino.

Current Froyo Shops

• Menchie’s, 17245 Ventura Blvd
• Yogurtland, 17200 Ventura Blvd, Unit 225

Closed Froyo Shops

• Barenaked/Purenaked Yogurt, 17499 Ventura Blvd, opened in 2007 and closed in 2010. The counter-serve shop had one flavor, plain, and healthy toppings. It was originally called Barenaked Yogurt and had a few locations in the LA area.
• Tutti Frutti, 16101 Ventura Blvd, was another self-serve froyo chain. The Encino branch opened in 2010 and closed in 2013.
• Yum Yum Yogurt & Deli, 16545 Ventura Blvd, #21, was an older counter-serve froyo shop that also served sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs. It closed in 2015 and seems to have opened in the 80’s or 90’s.

Still Open But No Longer Serves Froyo

• The Eatery, 16133 Ventura Blvd, is a bakery café that opened in 2019. They carried Pinkberry for a short while in 2019.

Did I miss any froyo shops in Encino? 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.

Menchie’s Testing New Flavor, Cap’N Crunch Cereal

 

Fro-yo girl here. While I was at Menchie’s in Encino, California, I spotted a new test flavor: Cap’N Crunch. I think it’s froyo but it didn’t say. It’s made with Cap’N Crunch cereal for sure. The froyo was creamy, thick, and smooth, but it didn’t taste like Cap’N Crunch to me. It tasted like vanilla with a hint of butterscotch.

Cap'n Crunch is a corn and oat cereal introduced in 1963 by the Quaker Oats Company. Cap’N Crunch is a popular froyo topping and it’s been offered as a froyo flavor by 16 Handles, Yogurtology, Aloha Yogurt, and others.

Test flavors are regularly offered at Menchie’s Encino and feedback is collected from Menchie’s guests.

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 Test Flavor at Menchie’s: Vegan Cake Batter

 

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited Menchie’s in Encino, California and there was a new test flavor, Vegan Cake Batter made with almond milk. It’s kosher and made with no artificial flavors and no artificial flavors.

Vegan Cake Batter was smooth and creamy but it tasted like egg nog to me, though I could taste the almonds too. It was unusual…didn’t really like it. I don’t like cake batter froyo in general.

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

* MENCHIE’S: 17245 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

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 Testing New Flavor, Dark Chocolate Candy

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited Menchie’s in Encino, California – that’s the location where they test new flavors and ask for guest feedback. The newest test flavor is Dark Chocolate Candy made with Dove Dark Chocolate frozen yogurt. It’s made with no artificial flavors and no artificial flavors.

Dark Chocolate Candy tasted like other Menchie’s chocolate froyo flavors in the past – something like fudgsicle. There was just a hint of dark chocolate. It was sweeter and more like milk chocolate. It wasn’t as good as Menchie’s Rich Dark Chocolate made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate.

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

* MENCHIE’S: 17245 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

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 University Needs a Makeover, Testing New Flavor, Full Service for Now, Curbside Pickup

Fro-yo girl here. I hadn’t been to Menchie’s University in Encino, CA in months because of the coronavirus pandemic, but I like going to see what they’re testing. Sure enough, there was a test flavor, Cinnamon Graham Cracker. I loved Menchie’s Golden Graham Cracker flavor, so I had high hopes. Hmm, I did not like Cinnamon Graham Cracker though – it seemed too sweet. But it did complement the Pumpkin Spice with Nilla froyo.

I wasn’t thrilled that they offered flat rate pricing because you can’t get exactly what you want or control the quantity. I wasn’t feeling like having a lot of froyo but the smallest option (Small w/ up to two flavors of froyo and 1 topping) felt too large. They wrote in the corner or price by weight but didn’t mention that option to me. She assumed I’d get the flat rate cup.

I was surprised that Menchie’s University did not have any of the new Connected cups. Also, the sign on the side of the building looks like it caught fire? It looks awful. Why wouldn’t they fix or remove it? Menchie’s University shouldn’t look this bad.

Menchie’s recently launched curbside pickup, available through the Menchie’s app. However, when I launch the Menchie’s app, my nearest location doesn’t even have the current flavors listed, let alone offer curbside pickup through the app. I don’t see a way to place an order other than calling the shop – and if that’s the case, who needs the Menchie’s app to do that?

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

* MENCHIE’S UNIVERSITY: 17245 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

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 Froyo Shakes at Menchie's

Fro-yo girl here. Select locations of Menchie’s recently added a new product, frozen yogurt shakes called Froyo Shakes. I think they started testing Froyo Shakes late last year and they recently expanded the number of stores that carry them.

I went to Menchie’s University in Encino, CA, the training center for Menchie’s. They had a sign for the Froyo Shakes. The associate gave me a clear cup which I filled with my choice of toppings, frozen yogurt and/or sorbet. It’s sold by weight like their frozen yogurt. After I filled my cup with the new Tropical Passion Fruit Sorbet, strawberries and pineapple chunks. He added milk to it and mixed it in the blending machine. It would be nice if they had an alternative milk option as well.

The milkshake tasted fine because I did really like the Tropical Passion Fruit sorbet. However, the blending didn’t seem to transform it. There were huge chunks of fruit in the bottom of my cup (too big for the fat straw that I was using). For some reason, the toppings hadn’t been blended into the sorbet. The fruit pieces were as large as they were before they were blended. Maybe I didn’t choose the right toppings or the machine wasn’t working properly?

I will say that I am a fan of Pinkberry's smoothies. They've always been made properly the few times that I've ordered them.

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.

Favorite Locations of Froyo Chains

Fro-yo girl here. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with many frozen yogurt shops, you may live close to more than one location of the same chain. You may have noticed that not all locations of the same chain are the same. In Los Angeles, the chains with the largest presence are Menchie’s, Pinkberry, Tutti Frutti and Yogurtland. I’d like to recognize my favorite locations of major frozen yogurt chains. Thank you! 

• Yogurtland: The Yogurtland Pasadena location (415 S Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA) is by far my favorite Yogurtland location (I’ve also been to many other Yogurtland locations in the area – San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Alhambra, Eagle Rock, Old Town Pasadena, Montebello, Arcadia, Monrovia, etc.). Not only is the customer service extra friendly, but they keep up with Yogurtland promotions (e.g., if a collectible spoon or new flavor is supposed to be available on a certain day, this location will be ready and have it in stock). The location is clean with easy parking, the price is lower, they update their Facebook page unlike many Yogurtland locations, they participate in community events, they update the flavors on the Real Rewards app every morning (thank you!) and they have many promotions including the cold day discount, student discount, etc. They were one of the few locations to have a Kung Fu Panda 3 release party. On a sad note, they've never offered cookie dividers, they don't have the new syrups dispenser unit with Magic Shell and peanut butter sauce, and they need to rotate flavors more often. Bring back chocolate milkshake, flan, oatmeal cookies and lemon cookie.

• Pinkberry: The Pinkberry Americana location (459 Americana Way, Glendale, CA) is one of the largest of their locations. It’s also one of their busiest. The associates seem extra friendly here. They’ve had test flavors in the past. The décor is cheerful yet soothing and I do love strolling around the Americana outdoor mall. Parking can be a challenge though. The downtown Burbank location also is appealing when I'm feeling like self-serve. The sample cups are on the counter for easy sampling.

• Menchie’s: While the other Menchie’s locations in the area often don’t have the new flavors on the launch date, Menchie’s Monrovia (606 W Huntington Dr., Monrovia, CA) usually has those flavors. And when the other Menchie’s locations (South Pasadena, Alhambra) ran out of Menchie’s Alvin spoons, Menchie’s Monrovia still had the Alvin spoons. Menchie’s Monrovia has also been known to hand out coupons and they have more promotions than the other Menchie’s locations in the area. They're the best about answering the phone when you call. If you're in the SFV, Menchie's Encino (17245 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA) is the best place to go - as the training center (aka Menchie's University), they frequently test new flavors and products and the froyo texture is always spot on (plus they're extra friendly).

• Tutti Frutti: Tutti Frutti La Crescenta (3731 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta, CA) has all kinds of cute Tutti Frutti signs, plus cute TF cups and fruit shaped yogurt spoons. This location has more toppings and interesting flavors that I haven’t seen at other Tutti Frutti locations (e.g., cereal milk, peanut butter soy). They also carried soy frozen yogurt for a year but the last time I went it wasn’t there. I found light up Tutti Frutti spoons here. They also have happy hours, coffee and boba drinks. For SFV dwellers, Tutti Frutti Northridge (10186 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA) has better flavors, TF spoons, and drinks. 

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 is Testing Freshly Made Waffles

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s University in Encino is where Menchie’s tests new products and flavors and provides training. Recently they were testing a new dairy-free flavor, dark chocolate made with coconut milk. I headed over less than a week later and the flavor was nowhere to be found. I guess the test flavors aren’t there long. I heard they were testing a Marshmallow Peeps flavor next. If I lived closer to Menchie’s University, I’d certainly go there regularly.

During my visit they were testing a new product: freshly made waffles. They’re sold by the weight for the same price as froyo and toppings. Head to the Menchie’s team member and ask for a waffle. The waffle iron is kept next to the round waffle iron they use to make waffle bowls.

A team member pours the batter onto the waffle iron. After a few minutes the hot waffle is ready. The waffle is rectangular (6 squares long, 3 squares wide). It’s a light waffle with deep pockets. The texture is soft and slightly crispy. It is not a liege waffle; the denser liege waffle would hold up to froyo better. Froyo gets absorbed into the Menchie’s waffle and quickly makes it soggy. Pro tip: Put your froyo on the side, not on top of your waffle.

The waffle flavor was okay but not better than those waffles you can make for yourself with a waffle iron at a hotel. The fact that the froyo makes the waffle soggy is a big negative. 

My two cents: If Menchie’s wants to offer waffles, they should make the batter more interesting and make a denser waffle that doesn’t get soggy so easily. Flavored waffles (made with flavored batter) like peanut butter or chocolate sound much more appealing than plain waffles. Or offer waffle bites dipped in different kinds of chocolate, peanut butter, etc. 

I actually like Liege waffles but they’re pretty filling so I probably wouldn’t get one plus add froyo to it.

Menchie’s University is also selling snacks by Brookside, IceBreakers Mints, IceBreakers Ice Cubes and Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe.

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

* MENCHIE’S UNIVERSITY: 17245 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

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.