Painful California Froyo Shop Closures of 2022

Yogurtland, Burbank, Media Center

Fro-yo girl here. Before turning the page on another year, I like to take a moment to remember a few froyo shops that closed during the year. This year, there were fewer froyo shop closures and none of the closures were very painful, but I do have a few that I'd like to mention.

Menchie's, 1040 Mission St., South Pasadena, CA 91030

Menchie's South Pasadena closed this summer. It was the one closest to my house, so I'd been there many times. Truthfully, it went downhill a long time ago many years ago. Part of me is glad that it closed because it reached such a miserable state. The soft serve machines were acting up and they barely offered any flavors. Sometimes the froyo was very icy. 

Yogurt World, 701 Sonoma Mountain Pkwy Suit, B-3, Petaluma, CA 94954

I've never been to the Yogurt World in Petaluma, but it was over 30 years old, so it deserves a mention.

Yogurtland, 304 N San Fernando Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502

There are two Yogurtland locations in Burbank. The one in downtown Burbank closed in the fall. I've gone by a few times since then, and the space hadn't been cleared out yet. 

Yogurtland Burbank Media Center was nearly 13 years old. I went a few times, including to the 5th anniversary celebration.

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 in South Pasadena

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s in South Pasadena, CA has closed. I’m not sure if the closure is temporary or permanent. According to Yelp, the shop is expected to reopen on August 24, 2022. Google Places says it’s permanently closed. The phone number has not been disconnected. However, the location is no longer listed on the Menchie’s app, so I think it’s closed for good or if it reopens, it won’t be as a Menchie’s. The closure occurred about 2 – 3 weeks ago.

The froyo machines are still inside the shop and most of the signage is still there. The light was on in the kitchen and everything seemed to still be there. The furniture is still there. There was no sign on the door and no announcement was made on social media. The last update on their Facebook page was made in February 2020. I’ll have to keep watching the space to see what happens.

They were closed down by the health department this time last year, so maybe the same thing happened? The county found rodent droppings.

Update: The business was listed for sale in February 2022 and it seems like they may have found a buyer. The transaction is listed as pending.

* MENCHIE’S: 1040 Mission St., South Pasadena, CA 91030

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.

Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt Space in South Pasadena Leased to Silverlake Ramen

Fro-yo girl here. Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt in South Pasadena closed in 2020. The sign is still up but the space has been leased by Silverlake Ramen. The windows are covered, so I couldn’t look inside. Silverlake Ramen has multiple locations (e.g., Highland Park, East LA) with several new locations in the works in Burbank, Manhattan Beach, Downey, Van Nuys, etc.

Penguin’s was once of the largest froyo chains in California, peaking at 123 locations. It filed for bankruptcy in 1991. The only locations left are in Westwood and Marina Del Rey (Los Angeles). Penguin’s La Canada closed in 2018, Torrance in 2014, and Redondo Beach in 2015.

Menchie’s remains open in South Pasadena but it usually only has a few flavors (today they had 7 flavors, half the froyo machines were empty).

* PENGUIN'S FROZEN YOGURT, 1105 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, CA 91030

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 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.

Menchie’s Meltdown in Los Angeles

 

Fro-yo girl here. Last year was a very challenging year for froyo and probably more so for the self-serve froyo shops. Most froyo shops are self-serve too. I noticed froyo shops in Southern California cutting back on hours, the number of flavors offered, and the number of toppings too. Eight Menchie’s locations and seven Yogurtland locations in California closed in 2020.

The Menchie’s locations that closed in California in 2020 were located in Alhambra, Bell Gardens, Calabasas, Florence-Firestone (South Central Los Angeles), Fullerton, San Jose, and South El Monte. The outlook still seems grim for 2021. Make sure your local Menchie’s is open before showing up for their National Frozen Yogurt Day celebration on February 2 (FYI, buy one, get one free on February 2).

Menchie’s Glendale, Santa Monica (Montana Ave.), and South Pasadena are currently only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yes, three days a week. And they have flat rate cups and full service. Menchie’s Berkeley, Burbank, Redondo Beach, Westchester, Santa Monica Ocean Ave. and Universal Citywalk Hollywood are all temporarily closed. The Burbank location was a good one, so I hope to go there again one day.

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.

Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt in South Pasadena Has Closed

Fro-yo girl here. Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt in South Pasadena is now permanently closed. The first time I visited a few years ago, the chocolate dip tasted terrible and waxy, so I didn’t go back for a few years. I didn’t realize that ownership changed in 2015. Before 2015, the same people owned the Penguin’s in La Canada Flintridge and South Pasadena. 

I knew times were tough during the coronavirus, so I went back a few months ago and bought two takeout cups of peanut butter froyo. The froyo wasn’t the best ever but service was pleasant and they had many flavors of froyo to choose from and even ice cream, froyo cakes, froyo pies, muffins, cookies, sundaes, floats, shakes, smoothies, and Peet’s coffee. They were open early, so you could even get froyo for breakfast. And they had free wi-fi, easy parking, and plenty of places to sit, including outdoors.

It looks like the closure occurred in late July. I think I went in early July. The sign is still there, so I didn’t notice anything when driving by (I drive by that area often). The contents have been removed. There was no sign on the door explaining the closure. This leaves one froyo shop in South Pasadena, Menchie’s. Menchie’s South Pasadena is only open Friday-Sunday now and they only offer 6 flavors now.

Penguin’s was once of the largest froyo chains in California, peaking at 123 locations. It filed for bankruptcy in 1991. The only locations left are in Westwood and Marina Del Rey (Los Angeles). Penguin’s La Canada closed in 2018, Torrance in 2014, and Redondo Beach in 2015.

Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt, 1105 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, CA 91030

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 South Pasadena Switches to Full Service and Flat Rate Pricing (Other Menchie’s Are Doing It Too)

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s in South Pasadena, CA has been full service for awhile now, due to the coronavirus but now they no longer charge by weight. I was surprised to see their new format with fixed rate pricing and full service.

The options:

• Small: 2 flavors, 1 topping, $4.99
• Regular: 2 flavors, 2 toppings, $6.99
• Large: 2 flavors, 2 toppings, $9.99

I wonder why they’re restricting the number of toppings too. I wonder how many ounces you get. What if you don’t want any toppings? They seem to have fewer toppings choices now. It just seems so restrictive and unappealing for a place that was once about choice and self-service. If you could get your own yogurt and toppings, it would be fine but since you can’t, it’s just like the old days of froyo before self-serve when they charged per topping but worse, because those shops allowed you to get froyo without toppings.

Interestingly, other Menchie’s locations in Northeast Ohio and Erie, PA are offering flat rate pricing and full service. I heard Menchie's in Glendale, CA and Santa Monica, Montana Ave. are doing the same.

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 May Feature Flavors & New Cups: Chips Ahoy! Original Cookie, Pomegranate Razz Sorbet

Fro-yo girl here. Happy May! Menchie’s has one new and one reformulated flavor for May, Chips Ahoy! Original Cookie frozen yogurt (brand new) and Pomegranate Razz sorbet (reformulated). Both are available for a limited time.

It’s a challenge to find the latest flavors at the Menchie’s in my area. I like the Menchie’s Eagle Rock but they usually put the newest flavors several weeks late. Menchie’s South Pasadena usually has at least one of the new feature flavors at the beginning of each month. Right now, Menchie’s South Pasadena has Chips Ahoy! Original Cookie froyo but not Pomegranate Razz sorbet or the Detective Pikachu cups.

Chips Ahoy! Original Cookie frozen yogurt, made with Chips Ahoy! cookies, is lowfat and 130 calories per serving (4 fl oz). It’s been a long time since I’ve had Chips Ahoy! but it’s a taste that I haven’t forgotten. The Original Cookie froyo is mild and tastes more like cookie than chocolate – it has an extra sweet aftertaste with a baked cookie flavor reminiscent of Chips Ahoy! The texture was smooth. I didn't see any chocolate chips. Recommended toppings: chocolate chips, chocolate shell, Heath, mini M&Ms. I looked for Chips Ahoy! cookies at the toppings bar, but I didn't see any.

Pomegranate Razz sorbet has been reformulated and contains no artificial colors or flavors and no high fructose corn syrup. I’ll have to try it later.

There’s a new limited edition collectible cup design. The Detective Pikachu cup is for a new movie coming out on May 10. I’ll have to pick up my cups later as well. 

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 New Nut Job 2 Cup and the Return of Oreo Flavors

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s has a new exclusive cup design that promotes the upcoming animated film, Nut Job 2 Nutty by Nature. Nut Job 2 is scheduled to be released on August 18, 2017. I only spotted one cup design. It features a lot of animal characters, including squirrels, dogs, a mouse, etc. 

Oreo Just the Cookie and Just the Crème are back for a limited time only as well. I have a hard time deciding which one I like better but I’m leaning towards Just the Cookie. They taste better together.

P.S. A few months ago, the price went up at Menchie’s South Pasadena went up to 52 cents an ounce.

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.

Cupcake Dividers Look Like Froyo Cup Dividers & Where to Find Froyo Cup Dividers in the SGV

Fro-yo girl here. Spotted at Cost Plus: “Cupcake Dividers” from Sweet Creations – these cupcake dividers “allow you to fill your cupcake pan with one batter flavor on one side and another on the other with no mess.” They’re pretty cute because they look like cupcakes and they come in different colors ($1.99 each at Cost Plus).

You slip the mold in the center of the cupcake pan and take the mold out before baking. The dividers are made out of plastic. Maybe I’ll get one and use it as a reusable froyo cup divider…only it’s smaller than most of the froyo cups so they won’t fit the cup snugly.

Speaking of froyo cup dividers, they finally made it to the Pasadena area some time late last year. Yogurtland in Old Town Pasadena has cookie dividers and Menchie’s in South Pasadena has waffle dividers. Yogurtland's San Gabriel (927 E Las Tunas Dr.) location has cookie dividers.

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.