Fro-yo girl here. On March 31, 2020, I provided an update on impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the froyo scene (e.g., scheduled events were postponed, hours of operation reduced, some shops chose to close temporarily, self-serve froyo was suspended for the most part). Now that a year has passed, it’s time for another update on the current state of frozen yogurt.
How has froyo changed during this time? Like other restaurants, froyo shops have transitioned to full service, takeout and delivery only, and contactless payments. They’ve added clear guards to protect the cashier and the toppings. Some of them have been putting toppings in small cups with lids. I’ve seen more of them offer pre-packed pints and quarts. Fewer new flavors have been introduced as very few shops offer samples now (due to safety concerns). Menchie’s and Yogurtland are closing more shops. Prices have gone up.
Things are better at the moment after a tough winter; the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths continue to decrease. Los Angeles County and a few other counties in Southern California moved from the most restrictive level, purple, to the red tier around March 16. The move to the red tier meant that indoor dining could resume at 25% capacity. The weather is warming up and it’s now spring time. I’ve seen a good number of customers at a few froyo shops in the area. Seasonal froyo shops have or are about to reopen.
I’ve continued to visit different froyo shops and most have not returned to self-serve. A few offer self-serve; they provide gloves and require that you sanitize your hands first. For example, you can serve your own froyo at Yogurtland Pasadena and Menchie’s Eagle Rock.
I’ve seen a few froyo shops mention on social media that they offer indoor dining but I haven’t run into one of those yet (keeping in mind that we’ve only been in the red tier for a week). Most restaurants that I’ve been to are still offer takeout and delivery only.
Menchie’s Glendale and South Pasadena are open Friday-Sunday only. Menchie’s Redondo Beach, Westchester, and Santa Monica Ocean Park appear to have closed for good since they haven’t been open for months. Prinkipia cancelled plans to open at the Glendale Galleria.
Of the froyo shops that I mentioned on 3/30/20, all the shops on the list are still in business (yay!).
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.
Fro-yo girl here. The good news is that froyo shops around the world have started to reopen. In the US, it started in late April, since the stay at home order was set to expire on 4/30 in many parts of the country. In Los Angeles, which is still under the safer at home order, as some retail businesses, parks, and recreational facilities have reopened. The reopening of those businesses and facilities started around May 13. The safer at home order is expected to stay in effect until at least July for Los Angeles.
I’ve been venturing out for froyo and I haven’t encountered any shops that still allow self-serve. Self-service of unpackaged food is not allowed as of March 21 in California. It’s unclear when self-service will be allowed again. Signs must be posted by the entrance of each shop telling those with symptoms not to enter. Samples are not allowed. Everyone’s supposed to wear masks now when they are in public.
With the warmer weather, aka froyo weather, and the loosening of restrictions, I’ve noticed that many froyo shops have started to reopen. I’ve also noticed that the most popular day of the week to reopen is Friday with some shops are only open on weekends.
Menchie’s Eagle Rock and Yogurtland Alhambra reopened on Friday, May 15, the day the original safer at home order expired. 21 Choices in Pasadena remains closed and hasn’t provided any updates since closing on March 18. Their Claremont location is open and now offers online ordering. Yogurtland Downey reopened on Monday, May 11. Yogurtland Pasadena has reopened. At Yoga-urt, customers aren’t allowed inside the store. They place orders online or by phone. At Marcel's in South Africa, they take your temperature before you're allowed inside the shop.
In other states, some froyo shops have been allowed to open the dining area but at reduced capacity. These next few months are prime froyo season, so my fingers are crossed for a good one. I’m hoping that there’s a lot of pent up froyo demand out there. It seems pretty safe to get froyo these days.
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.
Fro-yo girl here. With the spread of the coronavirus, many froyo shops have temporarily closed or reduced their hours. Froyo events like Menchie’s Hello Sunshine Spring Party have been postponed. It’s highly likely that you’ll be hearing less of me for the next month or two because so many froyo shops have closed and even my outings to grocery stores are extremely rare.
Yes, I have froyo in the freezer and I still know froyo shops that are open, so I’ll be okay. But I wanted to share a few tips for how to support your local froyo business during these troubled times. If they’re still open, stock up (safely) on froyo and tip generously. Buy gift cards, write glowing reviews, tell your friends about your favorite shop, see if your shop is taking donations for their employees, reach out and tell them you miss them on social media, book future events, or contact elected politicians to ask them to support measures that will help the restaurant industry recover.
The longer the shops are closed or faced with serious declines in revenue, the less likely those shops will reopen.
Here’s a list of shops in the Los Angeles area that are still open as of 3/30/20:
- The Bigg Chill, 10850 W Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles (West LA)
- Cyber Yogurt, 3305 Tyler Ave, El Monte
- Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar, 1550 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles (Hollywood)
- Go Greek, 452 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills
- Go Greek, 1431 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica
- Menchie's, 10386 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills
- Menchie's, 17245 Ventura Blvd, Encino
- Menchie's, 11331 Thienes Ave Unit A, South El Monte
- Menchie's, 4849 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village
- Pinkberry, 2829 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles (Silverlake)
- Pinkberry, 120 E Palm Ave, Burbank
- Pinkberry, 7288 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Hollywood)
- Pinkberry, 240 S Beverly Dr. #A, Beverly Hills
- Pinkberry, 8850 Tampa Ave, Ste 101, Northridge
- Pinkberry, 12044 1/2 Ventura Blvd, Studio City
- Swirlz, 2136 Huntington Dr., San Marino
- Yoga-urt, 1407 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale
- Yoga-urt, 2211 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (Echo Park)
- The Yogurt Shoppe, 11726 Barrington Ct, Los Angeles (Brentwood)
- The Yogurt Shoppe, 873 Swathmore Ave., Pacific Palisades
- Yogurtland, 3335 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles (University Park)
- Yogurtland, 5045 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles (Eagle Rock)
- Yogurtland, 304 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica
- Yogurtland, 8205 Santa Monica Blvd #1, West Hollywood
- Yogurtland, 633 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia
- Yogurtland, 240 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA
- Yogurtland, 927 E Las Tunas Dr D, San Gabriel
- Yogurtland, 1132 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles (Koreatown)
- Yogurtland, 4954 Van Nuys Blvd #101, Sherman Oaks
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.
