A Notable Passing: Tuttimelon Closes Its Irving Location

Fro-yo girl here. A new ice cream sandwich shop called Swich just opened at 2045 Irving St. in San Francisco, CA…the former Tuttimelon location. While many frozen yogurt shops close, this particular Tuttimelon location and the original location at 2150 Irving St. were special to me as a frozen yogurt fan. 

February 2, 2008 – the first day at Tuttimelon’s first location at 2150 Irving St. (Outer Sunset) and I was there. I had a cup of original tart with red beans as a topping. It was my favorite frozen yogurt shop back then and it was open late every day, even on Christmas. I could have delicious extra tart froyo whenever I wanted it. When it started out, Tuttimelon only had one flavor, original tart, but oh, what a delightful flavor. I couldn’t get enough of it, especially when sprinkled with green tea powder.

February 2 later became known as Tuttimelon Day. Two two, tutti, get it?

The original location was the size of a closet, so they moved up the street and let customers serve themselves. The new location at 2045 Irving St. opened on October 24, 2009. I was there with Tracy T. and Danny (now engaged) and I met Matt G. (Fro-Yo Boy) and Wilhelm Y. I got a ride in the Tuttimobile and a Tuttimelon umbrella. Tuttimelon Bear and Joe Cool met for the first time and became friends.

http://froyogirl.blogspot.com/2009/10/tuttimelon-irving-grand-opening.html

I remember going to Tuttimelon to meet Jonathan W., to collect Tuttispoons, feeding Tuttimelon Bear, and to stock up on the 99 cents/cup special.

The original Tuttimelon location became a Teaway (same ownership), the first self-serve bubble tea bar. It’s still a Teaway.

The Tuttimelon on Chestnut St. closed around the same time as the Irving location. They still have a San Francisco location: Teaway/Tuttimelon on Broadway in Chinatown…but it’s not the same as the Irving location. I will always have the fondest memories of Tuttimelon Irving. How I loved their almond, pomegranate, original, mango and Japanese yogurt froyo.

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.

Tuttimelon Turns Four: Tuttimelon Day Feb. 2, 2012

Fro-yo girl here. Tuttimelon turns 4 today. Yes, the first location opened four years ago on Feb. 2nd at 2150 Irving St. in San Francisco, CA. That location is now home to their sister business, Teaway, the first self-serve bubble tea bar. I remember going there on the first day and returning many times for the 99 cents fro-yo special. On the first day, they only had one flavor, original tart.

Tuttimelon’s been busy opening locations in Hong Kong, with more locations to come this year. I’ve been busy collecting Tutti Spoons, though I’d have to go to Hong Kong to get all the colors.

Happy b-day Tuttimelon!

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

New Tuttimelon Fro-yo Flavors: Strawreo and more

Fro-yo girl here. The magical fro-yo flavor elves have been busy at Tuttimelon lately. Last Sunday, they introduced Strawreo (strawberry cookies n' cream). I also heard about the CupCakes flavor. I was surprised to see other "new" flavors at the Irving St. location. I tried a couple and my favorite new flavor is definitely JAPANESE YOGURT.



* Japanese Yogurt: yes, it tastes like Yakult. It's quite sweet but also tangy. It seems less sweet or just more palatable than Yakult in drink form. It's similar to yet different from Original Tart. I think it's sweeter than Original Tart. What an innovative flavor!
* Strawreo: I'll give them points for creativity and the cute poster. I've never heard of a strawberry cookies n' cream before. It tastes more like cookies n' cream than strawberry. I think I prefer regular cookies n' cream
* Mixed berries tart: it's decent but not one of my favorite Tuttimelon flavors

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

* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2045 Irving St., San Francisco, CA

Wow, I Wrote 300 Fro-yo Reviews

Fro-yo girl here. Today I posted my 300th fro-yo review on Yelp. I remember my first fro-yo shop review clearly. It was for Jubili in San Francisco and I posted it on December 16, 2007. At the time, I had just learned about mochi balls and I couldn't stop thinking about them. The first time I went to Jubili, they were out of mochi.

The next day, December 17, 2007, I posted another fro-yo review for Love Berry at Stonestown Galleria. I can't remember my 100th fro-yo review or my 200th fro-yo review (I should have paid closer attention). My 500th Yelp review was for Cafe Delatti in Los Gatos.

My first Tuttimelon review was posted on January 27, 2008 for their very first location, on Irving St. in San Francisco. Tuttimelon Blackhawk opened at the perfect time - it's my 300th fro-yo shop review.

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

Happy Anniversary, It's Tuttimelon Day!

Fro-yo girl here. Yes, today is Groundhog Day but even more importantly, it's the two year anniversary of the day Tuttimelon first opened its doors for business. In honor of that special occasion, I'd like to declare February 2nd, Tuttimelon Day. This is the perfect day to go to Tuttimelon for a cup of tuttilicious fro-yo and to thank them for bringing their fro-yo into our lives.

I wrote this tribute to the first location last year to mark the first anniversary of Tuttimelon and I'd like to share it again.

From February 2, 2008:
Fro-yo girl here. I'm probably the only person who thinks about these things and notices, but today is the one year anniversary of Tuttimelon Irving, the original and still the best location. It's hard to imagine the pre-Tuttimelon days since Tuttimelon has become a fixture in the Outer Sunset. The Irving location has been open EVERY DAY since 2/2/08.

The store doesn't appear to be celebrating the special occasion. I suggested that they bring back the 99 cents special in the future, just for the anniversary celebration.

Notable milestones (Irving location only):
* Added TuttiCard bonus card program
* Green tea fro-yo finally introduced, then mango tart and pomegranate tart
* Swirl technique perfected - I haven't encountered the dreaded hole in the middle since the early days
* New signature cups (for the longest time the cups didn't say Tuttimelon)
* Green tea powder stolen! But promptly replaced by Tuttimelon - thank you!
* Menu has changed several times, hot drinks were available for a period, the number of Yoggi drink flavors has dwindled
* Tuttimelon website quotes my Irving review
* Replaced their fro-yo machine with a newer version
* Prices have increased; as of 2/2/09, they are as follows:
- Original: S ($2.25)/ M($3.25)/ L($4.25)
- Flavored: S ($2.75)/ M($3.75)/ L($4.75)
* Security cameras installed to protect the premises

Happy birthday, Tuttimelon! As for the future, they're hoping to get a new machine soon so they can offer three fro-yo flavors at a time.

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

And now the update (2/2/2010): The original Irving location became Tea Way (still owned by Tuttimelon) and they opened a larger self-serve fro-yo shop a few blocks away on Irving St. on Oct. 26, 2009. Tuttimelon hasn't slowed down. They're still innovating in so many ways. They now have 16 locations in the Bay Area, the most by far, and have expanded abroad. More locations are on the way in the Bay Area, SoCal, Asia, Canada and who knows where else. Tuttimelon could show up anywhere. And more Tea Way locations with the self-serve toppings bar are on the way.

Notable milestones (Tuttimelon in general):
* Introduced the Sumo Bowl for people who want to eat an obscene amount of fro-yo
* Lets you put toppings on gelato (fro-yo bar toppings)
* New fro-yo flavors introduced (e.g., guava, acai blueberry, pineapple, coconut, passionfruit, lychee, taro), the most notable being Almond Tart (love)
* Opened a ton of self-serve locations, converted some full-serve locations into self-serve locations
* I haven't seen my green tea powder - got lost during the move from the old Tuttimelon Irving to the new Tuttimelon Irving?
* New gift cards introduced, no longer paper cards but they're the ones with the magnetic stripe
* Website redesigned a couple of times
* Gave away a ton of free Tuttimelon t-shirts, Tuttimelon iPod speakers, Tuttimelon visors, Tuttimelon umbrellas and more logo merchandise (collector's items for sure)
* Tutti Cards now accepted at all Tuttimelon locations
* Tuttimelon Bear is born!

I'm sure I'll have much more to report on the next Tuttimelon Day. Now go forth and eat Tuttimelon fro-yo!

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

Merry Christmas Fro-yo Style

Fro-yo girl here. I hope all of you are enjoying the holidays. My sweet friend surprised me with Tuttimelon gift cards! I have some Xmas fro-yo pics to share: (1) Christmas tree at Tuttimelon Irving, (2) my cup of Tuttimelon Xmas froyo - original tart with pomegranate seeds, kiwi, plain mochi and strawberry mochi. Tuttilicious! Yes, Tuttimelon Irving is open today. Merry Christmas fro-yoholics!



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

* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2045 Irving St., San Francisco, CA

Tuttimelon Irving Grand Opening Coverage

Fro-yo girl here. It finally happened, and while I feel sad to see the original Tuttimelon become Tea Way, they’re still providing tuttilicious fro-yo to the masses on Irving St., only it’s self-serve now. Today’s grand opening was very, very crowded. The line just kept growing.

Since we were with Tuttimelon Bear, we were able to go inside and watch the Tuttimelon team get ready for the event. Tracy, Danny and I helped with the fro-yo flavor signs.

Carmen Chu (SF Supervisor) presented Tuttimelon with a certificate and then swirled some pomegranate fro-yo into her cup. Roy (Mr. Tuttimelon) said something to the crowd but I couldn’t hear what was said since I was inside the store.

I finally got a ride in the Tuttimobile!!! It doesn’t smell like fro-yo. Patrick’s aunt and grandmother sat in the back of the car eating Tuttimelon fro-yo. So cute. I met his mom later. I hope he didn't make her wait on the curb so that I could get a ride in the Tuttimobile?



They had a fun spin the wheel game set up which determined which prize you’d win (for the first 50 people). Prizes included free gelato, a free fro-yo parfait, Tuttimelon gift card, Tuttimelon visors (in pink and black), Tuttimelon umbrellas (in pink and green) and a giant “Sumo” cup of fro-yo. I love my Tuttimelon umbrella! Thank you for the umbrella, Roy, and also for swirling my fro-yo for me (I still hate doing it myself).

The free fro-yo lasted till 2 PM. Close to 2 PM, raffle tickets were handed out to the people waiting in line and then I left…but I heard later that my friend Patra won the grand prize, the Wii (congrats Patra!)



Tuttimelon’s first SF self-serve location has 8 flavors a day (35 cents an ounce). I tried almond tart for the first time. It’s different and really good!

Flavors of the day:
* Almond tart
* Coconut tart
* Strawberry tart
* Taro tart
* Dark chocolate
* Pomegranate tart
* Original tart
* Mango tart



Joe Cool and Matt G. (fro-yo boy) shared a cup of taro fro-yo and then almond and coconut fro-yo. The Sumo Bowl is a 32 oz. cup - you can fill it up as much as you want for $9.45 (the perfect size for Matt G?). Tracy thinks they should have a fro-yo challenge - finish the Sumo Bowl and you don't have to pay :-).

I heard that their downtown SF/New Montgomery St. location will open very soon!

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

* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2045 Irving St. San Francisco, CA

The Signs They Are a-Changin’ on Irving St.

Fro-yo girl here. The store sign has appeared at the new Tuttimelon self-serve location on Irving…and the Tuttimelon store sign has disappeared from the original Tuttimelon location on Irving. BUT, a new sign has taken its place! The original location will become “Tea Way.”

Details are limited at this time. While the original Irving location is still open (last chance to get your 99 cents mango tart special!) and still serving fro-yo, it will be closed for remodeling soon…and then reborn as a tea shop. They must plan on having pearl tea? And hopefully tea eggs and snacks.

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

* TUTTIMELON IRVING (SELF-SERVE): 2045 Irving St. San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON/TEA WAY: 2150 Irving St., San Francisco, CA

Tuttimelon SF Grand Opening Details!

Fro-yo girl here. Be there to welcome Tuttimelon's first SF self-serve location next Saturday (10/24). Doors open at NOON.

12 - 2 PM: Free fro-yo time! Yes, FREE FRO-YO! I imagine you'll get a small cup that you can fill to your heart's content.

The first 50 people get a special Tuttimelon gift. In the past they gave away Tuttimelon iPod speakers, a Tuttimelon mug and movie passes. You'll also receive a raffle ticket with a chance to win Nintendo Wii, iPod Touch, and Tuttimelon gift cards. Remember you have to be present to win when the drawing is held at 2 PM.

From 2 PM till closing, fro-yo is 25 cents an ounce with the coupon.

See you there Tuttifans!

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

* TUTTIMELON IRVING (SELF-SERVE): 2045 Irving St. San Francisco, CA

Flavored Mochi Appears at Tuttimelon

Fro-yo girl here. Thanks to Fro-yo Gizmo Geek for the heads up on the new flavored mochi balls appearing in some (but not all) locations of Tuttimelon. I found the strawberry mochi at Tuttimelon Chestnut. The strawberry mochi is about the same size as their plain mochi balls but it’s softer and of course, pink. The strawberry flavor isn’t that strong but it’s nice. The mochi is chewy, sweet, and soft like it should be. They’re not using Wang brand strawberry mochi balls. Those aren’t soft enough.

* Tuttimelon Irving: Apple mochi
* Tuttimelon Cupertino: No flavored mochi spotted
* Tuttimelon Chestnut: Strawberry mochi

Mochi ball status at other Tuttimelon locations: unknown. Any information on mochi ball status would be appreciated.

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

* TUTTIMELON CHESTNUT: 2240 Chestnut St. San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2150 Irving St San Francisco, CA

Hoarding Tuttimelon’s Mango Tart Fro-yo Special

Fro-yo girl here. Yesterday I went to Tuttimelon Irving to stock up on their limited time, 99 cents for a small mango tart fro-yo special (limit of 5). My first thought was that they created the limit because of Bonnie L. (http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=uMYeoDTZNyBjVQ8tJ5Gvjg) but when I asked if others were stocking up, she said that quite a few people were!

I call the new phenomenon fro-yo hoarding! Get yours before it’s too late. I wish I had a larger freezer!

They’ll still stamp your Tutticard too. While you’re there, sign the petition to support the move of the Irving location to a larger space across the street (it’s on the same block). Once they move, they’ll be able to provide more seating.

My pick: Try mango tart fro-yo with fresh mango cubes for an exquisitely Tuttilicious experience.

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

* TUTTIMELON: 2150 Irving St, San Francisco, CA