Valentine's Day, Fro-yo Style

Fro-yo girl here. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and fro-yo makes a very romantic gift. Fro-yo gift cards are always an easy gift.

Fro-yo shop promotions:
* 32 Degrees: free Valentine's toppings starting on 2/11
* Nubi Yogurt: buy a $20 gift card (or more) between 2/1 - 2/14/2011 and then get a free medium fro-yo for yourself by bringing in your receipt by 2/20.
* Pinkberry: pick up a fancy Swirly Gram in stores from 2/11 - 2/14, while supplies last
* Tuttimelon Fresno: buy one, get one for 50% off on Valentine's Day between 10 AM - 9 PM
* Tuttimelon Modesto: Get an extra stamp for every purchase ($4 min) on Valentine's Day
* Yogurt Mountain, buy one, get one free fro-yo on Valentine's Day

Plenty of fro-yo fans would love to be taken to a fro-yo shop. You could even order a romantic cup of fro-yo (or swirl one at a self-serve place).

* Romantic fro-yo flavors: Chocolate, pomegranate, strawberry, raspberry, dulce de leche, red velvet. Menchie's introduced rose fro-yo and Yogen Fruz's valentine's NuMix creation is strawberry cheesecake.
* Romantic fro-yo toppings: Shaved chocolate, chocolate syrup/sauce, chocolate chips, Hershey's kisses, heart shaped sprinkles, pink & red sprinkles, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, raspberry, cinnamon, red hot candies, red velvet cake, whipped cream

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

October, the Month for Pumpkin

Fro-yo girl here. It's October and that means pumpkin is everywhere. I've seen pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin milk tea, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pancakes and best of all - Pumpkin Fro-yo. Pumpkin fro-yo is showing up everywhere. It's usually the sweet kind. My favorite pumpkin fro-yo is from Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt. It's sweet but has that tangy real yogurt taste. It tastes like real pumpkin too. And you can get it with whipped cream as well as an unusual new crunchy topping, pita chips.



The Nubi flyer that I received this week has a picture of pumpkin pie on it. It's their new fro-yo flavor. Yogurtland has a yummy pumpkin fro-yo flavor.

And I just learned that Pinkberry will be introducing pumpkin fro-yo on October 22nd. To celebrate the launch of pumpkin fro-yo, Pinkberry will give away free small pumpkin fro-yo minis on 10/22 from 4 - 7 PM.

You know you love me. X0 X0, 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.

Happy Mother's Day, Fro-yo Style

Fro-yo girl here. If your mom enjoys fro-yo or you want to introduce her to fro-yo, treat her on Mother's Day. You've probably already heard about the 3rd Annual TCBY Mother's Day celebration. Get a free cup or cone for mom, but you may want to call first (to make sure your local TCBY is a participating location).

Nubi Circle members received a bogo coupon good on May 9th. Last year I went to Nubi on Mother's Day for free fro-yo and I mentioned it on my blog: "On Mother's Day, I stopped by Nubi to get my free 10 ounces of fro-yo and toppings." This year, it's not free so I'll be eating fro-yo somewhere else tomorrow (a place or two that I haven't been to before).

Blush fans, mention Facebook on May 9th for the buy one fro-yo, get one free for mom special or buy $25 worth of gift cards and get a free small fro-yo with two toppings.

Starfruit is giving away free Diva smoothies to moms. Moms get 10 oz. of free yogurt at Yogurt Mountain.

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

Fro-yo Pictures: Nubi SF, Fraiche Stanford, Yogen Früz’s New Flavor

Fro-yo girl here. Just wanted to share some fro-yo pictures I took recently with the fro-yo community. First up, a picture of Nubi SF. They’re still in the construction phase but the wall for the fro-yo machines is up. They’re going to have 7 machines (14 flavors). It's expected to open in mid-September.


Next, I spotted the cutest sign for Fraiche on the Stanford campus. I almost had a car accident when I saw the sign with the cup of fro-yo on the side of the road. A place of higher yearning – clever.


Finally, here’s a poster of the new acai-blueberry soft serve at Yogen Früz. The new flavor hit their stores last Friday and it’s a nice balance of blueberry and acai flavors, a bit icier than their usual “top it” fro-yo.

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

* NUBI SAN FRANCISCO: Lakeshore Plaza, 1511 Sloat Blvd, Suite A, San Francisco, CA
* FRAICHE STANFORD: Tressider Union, 459 Lagunita Dr, Stanford, CA
* YOGEN FRUZ: 3 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA

Nubi San Leandro Grand Opening Coverage

Fro-yo girl here. I made it to the ribbon cutting ceremony today (7/31) at Nubi San Leandro’s grand opening event. It felt like half of San Leandro was present. The DJ kept the crowd entertained with tunes. Kids received blue and orange balloons (Nubi’s signature colors). We lined up for a visit to the yogurt station (12 flavors: 5 tart, 7 sweet). The fro-yo was 50% off today (and will be 50% off all weekend, no coupon necessary, at the San Leandro location) of the regular price of 38cents an ounce.


Around 4:30 PM they brought the balloons tied to a ribbon garland outside. Someone had an enormous pair of scissors for the ribbon cutting. The mayor of San Leandro welcomed Nubi and presented Nubi with a certificate commemorating the occasion. They cut the balloon garland, releasing the balloons into the sky. The balloon artist presented the mayor with a balloon hat.

Then the lineup for the free t-shirts began and that was super slow. The shirts weren’t sorted by size and they also made everyone sign a waiver and videotaped them talking about Nubi. What a terrible idea (it took FOREVER).


The VIPs (members of the San Leandro chamber of commerce) received signature Nubi insulated totes for their fro-yo.

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

Nubi San Leandro Grand Opening Details

Fro-yo girl here. Welcome Nubi San Leandro as it opens its doors tomorrow at 11 AM.


The ribbon cutting ceremony is at 4:30 PM tomorrow (Friday, 7/31). After the ribbon is cut, they'll hand out free t-shirts till they run out. The mayor of San Leandro, DJ Joe Manifesto, a breakdancing crew, balloon entertainment and more will be there at the ceremony.

During opening weekend, fro-yo will be 50% off for all Nubi San Leandro customers, no coupon necessary.

I just might be there.

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

* NUBI SAN LEANDRO: Bayfair Center Mall, 15555 E. 14th St., Suite 199, San Leandro, CA

Why I’m Anti Self-Serve Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. I know self-serve fro-yo is all the rage these days, but I just don’t like it. I will never like it for the following reasons:

1. Inferior quality. While there are plenty of bad full-serve places, on average self-serve fro-yo is inferior in taste and texture to full-serve. Often self-serve fro-yo is runny, watered down or too icy. Part of it may be that people might not put the handle back up after they’re finished with dispensing.
2. It's Unsanitary. I have seen more than one person TOUCH the nozzle to sample the fro-yo. Imagine how many dirty hands have touched the levers and spoons. Gross people could sneeze on the toppings and touch the toppings. Also, I have the feeling that they clean the machines less often than at a full-serve place because they have more of them and it takes 25 – 30 minutes to clean each machine.
3. Buffet atmosphere. Like a buffet, self-serve fro-yo encourages you to take a little bit of everything, which can result in a crappy combination. I don’t need to have that many fro-yo flavors or toppings.
4. Less attractive. A pretty swirl of fro-yo with toppings pleases one’s senses. My self-serve creations look like crap. Those ginormous cups they usually give you don’t help either. I’d rather have someone who knows how to swirl dispense my fro-yo.

The only positives about self-serve are (1) you can take just a tiny bit, (2) you can control the toppings to fro-yo ratio, (3) it’s cheaper (usually), and (4) you get exactly what you pay for - the hole in the middle becomes irrelevant. However, if the fro-yo is good, I don’t want just a tiny bit and I’m happy with the usual toppings to fro-yo ratio. I don’t mind paying more for better fro-yo.

People say that it’s more fun to swirl the fro-yo yourself and add your own toppings. I completely disagree. I like having people serve me!

P.S. There are some good self-serve fro-yo places out there. Tuttimelon UC tops my list, followed by Nubi, Tartini, Zuckersuss, Pink Swirl and Yogurt Paradise.

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

Do Nubi and Ono Hawaiian BBQ Share the Same Owner?

Fro-yo girl here. On Mother’s Day, I stopped by Nubi to get my free 10 ounces of fro-yo and toppings (the Mother’s Day promotion). It was crazy there with a constant stream of customers. The receipt shows that they took $3.90 off the bill (39 cents an ounce x 10 free ounces) but it says Ono BBQ 5 oz. free ($3.90). That’s strange – why would the Nubi register list the discount as an Ono menu item (even if they shared an owner)?

The Nubi Millbrae receipt is also a coupon for 15% off at Ono Hawaiian BBQ and they had Ono menus by the register. I wonder whether Ono hands out Nubi coupons?

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

Future Fro-yo Shop Pictures: Nubi, Blush, Tuttimelon

Fro-yo girl here. These last few weeks have been crazy with so many fro-yo store openings. And many more stores are on the way. I took pictures this week of the Nubi Lakeshore Plaza SF location, the Blush downtown Burlingame location and Tuttimelon Cupertino Village.

The Blush location replaces an art gallery and it looks like it’s going to be nice and spacious inside. I’ve heard that the design will feature recycled materials and even solar panels! I can’t wait to see it. Take a close look at the Blush picture;
they feature my blog! They’re slated to open in July.





Mark your calendars. Tuttimelon is opening SOON, May 30th. During the grand opening celebration, the first 50 people will receive a door prize (thanks Tuttimelon) and the first 500 will be entered into a raffle for a Wii and Apple iPod Touch.

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

* NUBI SAN FRANCISCO: Lakeshore Plaza, 1511 Sloat Blvd, Suite A, San Francisco, CA
* BLUSH BURLINGAME: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA
* TUTTIMELON CUPERTINO: 10919 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino, CA

Nubi San Francisco Location No Longer on Nubi Website

Fro-yo girl here. I didn’t make it to the March 4 Lakeshore Plaza meeting. I wonder what happened? Did they debate the fate of Nubi Yogurt? I noticed that the Nubi website no longer lists San Francisco as a future location. That isn’t a good sign.

I found the following: http://sf.everyblock.com/zoning-agenda/by-date/2009/3/5/1662911/

It is a zoning request from Nubi for the old T-Mobile space at Lakeshore Plaza. The preliminary recommendation is to approve with conditions. I visited the site and there is a notice in the window about the public hearing.

Keep your fingers crossed for Nubi.

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

Help Bring Nubi Yogurt to SF

Fro-yo girl here. Thanks Rita Y. for the news about the controversy at Lakeshore Plaza in SF. The Baskin Robbins location there is being threatened with closure. Apparently the owners want to substitute BR with a fro-yo store in order to raise the rent. Rita argues that there aren’t many BRs in SF, so it should be allowed to stay.

Some quick research yielded the identity of the prospective tenant: Nubi Yogurt. Nubi lists the Lakeshore address on its website. According to Nubi’s website, their space has the same address as Ono Hawaiian BBQ.

I’m not saying that I want BR to close but their Irving location isn’t that far away. On the other hand, there is NO self serve fro-yo in that part of SF (Parkside/Outer Sunset) and I like Nubi. I think it would do very well with so many schools close by (Lowell, SF State, etc.). Parking wouldn’t be that bad.

There are three vacant spots according to the Lakeshore Plaza website but the city only allows a certain number of food places per mall. If Nubi takes over Ono, wouldn't that be okay? Or maybe they only allow a certain number of ice cream/dessert places? I’m not sure how specific the city law is.

What can you do? The next neighborhood meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 PM (location: the UPS Store).

Or you can write to
Michael Smith
City Planning Comission
1650 Mission St, Suite 400
SF, CA 94103

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

* LAKESHORE PLAZA: 1501-1595 Sloat Blvd., San Francisco CA

Fro-Yo with Halloween Spirit

Love fro-yo? Love Halloween? Try one of these fro-yo treats on Halloween day:

1. Pumpkin fro-yo. I had some yesterday at Natural Sensations in SF (SFSU campus). Try places that serve sweet fro-yo.
2. Add crushed Oreo cookies or graham cracker crumbs and gummy worms to your fro-yo. Instant faux gross fro-yo treat! I believe you can assemble such a treat at Yogurt Station in Walnut Creek, Nubi in Millbrae, Frozo's in Milpitas & Santa Clara, etc.
3. Bring candy corn to your favorite fro-yo shop. Add to your fro-yo.
4. Get the pumpkin spice granola as a fro-yo topping at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt in Palo Alto.
5. Add Halloween candy (e.g., Halloween Kit Kats) to your store-bought fro-yo (e.g., Haagen Dazs).

Happy Halloween!