Neptune’s Frozen Treats Is Now Open in Palos Verdes Estates

 

Fro-yo girl here. Neptune’s Frozen Treats had a soft opening today, October 17, in Palos Verdes Estates. The shop is family-owned and run by a mom and her daughter. It’s their first shop, and I think the first froyo shop in Palos Verdes Estates. I’ve never been to Palos Verdes Estates before, probably because it didn’t have a froyo shop till today. It’s a gorgeous area by the beach, and the Malaga Cove shopping center looks like a European villa.

Neptune’s has a white and blue theme, inspired by the god of the sea. There are ten soft serve flavors a day (froyo, frozen custard, gelato, vegan (oat milk), and sorbet) and the flavors are thoughtfully paired to encourage you to use the middle handle. The signs also specify which flavors are gluten-free, vegan, lowfat, etc.

The beautiful toppings bar features lovely bowls and gold spoons. All the toppings are labeled with allergens listed (e.g., contains milk, soy, eggs). I spotted fresh fruit, brownies, cheesecake, cookies, mochi, cereal, granola, etc.

It’s $0.98/oz which isn’t too bad considering the area. Also, the shop was impeccably clean and the froyo texture superb. And you can sign up for rewards too. Note, the shop is cashless.

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

* NEPTUNE’S FROZEN TREATS, 55 MALAGA COVE PLAZA, PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA 90274

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.

Yoga-urt Granada Hills Opens

Fro-yo girl here. Yoga-urt Granada Hills opened for business at 2 PM today, July 23. It’s the fourth Yoga-urt location and the first franchise location. The owners are Granada Hills residents and Yoga-urt fanatics (obviously). The offerings are similar to the other locations: vegan, organic soft serve made from scratch, smoothies, floats, froyo sandwiches, froyo popsicles, etc.

You’ll find six froyo flavors a day. The flavors on opening day were Chocolate Bliss, Peanut Butter Prana, Strawberry Serenity, Vanilla Harmony, Salted Caramel Zen, and Green Tea Tranquility. All the flavors are amazing and proprietary.

Yoga-urt soft serve is vegan, kosher, soy free, gluten-free, all-natural, probiotic, hand-crafted, small batch, and made on site. The gluten-free cones and sauces are also made in-house with proprietary recipes. For toppings, choose from fresh fruit, mochi, sprinkles, nuts, granola, coconut, mulberries, cacao nibs, and housemade sauces.

Froyo prices: Mini $6.75/ Small $8.75/ Medium $11.25/ Large $13

The purple walls, inspirational quotes, and hearts remind me of the Kenneth Village shop. Very cute.

They plan to have a grand opening celebration on August 3. Save the date! More details to be revealed later.

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

* YOGA-URT, 17454 Chatsworth St, Suite A, Granada Hills, CA 91344

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.

Go Greek Yogurt Opens in Studio City, CA

 

Fro-yo girl here. Go Greek Yogurt announced the opening of their new shop at The Center at Coldwater in Studio City, CA, on June 26 on Instagram. The shop has been open for a few weeks prior to the Instagram post. They might have a grand opening celebration in the future.

The shop features six flavors of self-serve froyo a day with toppings for $1.25/oz, smoothies, and handcrafted Greek yogurt with sweet and savory toppings. The Greek yogurt comes in a variety of flavors like rose, strawberry, and Greek honey.

According to the Instagram post, “Swing by on or before July 10, 2024 and get 15% off your next order when you mention code STUDIOCITY15. *Limited to one-time use only.” The cashier did not know about the code. I've encountered this issue multiple times at different Go Greek locations. 

While the froyo was rich, smooth and flavorful and the toppings healthier than usual, it is very expensive at $1.25. Also, the fruit doesn’t appear to be organic, and the toppings options have gotten worse (they no longer offer Greek toppings like they used to or even flaxseeds).

Even worse, they do not allow any sampling. This seems stupid to me because why would you want someone to get a cup of yogurt that they don’t like if they could sample it first and make an informed decision. If they’re concerned about sample abuse, they could have the employee dispense the samples.

But the plain tart is excellent. It tastes like yogurt and it’s so creamy. The blood orange flavor was too strong, to the point where I could not really taste the yogurt (although it was vegan and I'm not sure it was vegan yogurt).

* GO GREEK YOGURT: 12930 Ventura Blvd # 114, Studio City, CA 91604

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.

Scoop and Cone Opens in West Hollywood

 

Fro-yo girl here. Scoop and Cone, the new self-serve frozen yogurt and chimney cakes shop that took over the old Yogurt Stop space, just opened in West Hollywood, CA. They remodeled and also are using new soft serve machines. Guests can choose from ten froyo flavors a day and toppings for $0.83/oz. The flavors were standard. For toppings they had the usual candy, mochi, fruit, popping boba, nuts, cookies, chocolate chips, cereal, granola, coconut, sprinkles, etc. Toppings were neatly labeled.

Yogurt Shop had better toppings, but Scoop and Cone does bring something new with the made-to-order chimney cones, aka kürtőskalács, or chimney cakes. Chimney cakes are a traditional Hungarian pastry, made by wrapping dough around a hot iron tube and baked (traditionally over hot coals(. The cones are served freshly baked with optional fillings, coatings, ice cream, and toppings.

I didn't notice anything that signified it was a grand opening except for a sign and some red balloons.

They're also adding candy and drinks soon. Parking in this neighborhood is very tough. Indoor and outdoor seating are available.

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

* SCOOP & CONE: 803 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

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.

Froyology Takes Over the Tutti Frutti Montebello Space

 

Fro-yo girl here. Tutti Frutti Montebello closed sometime during the pandemic without any announcement. In 2021, the equipment and signs were still there, but they had been closed for months.

Three months ago, a new froyo shop called Froyology took over. The interior looks the same though they took down the Tutti Frutti signs. The décor and the soft serve machines are the same. They had ten self-serve flavors and one machine that wasn’t being used, with toppings, for $0.99 an ounce.

The Yogurtland in the same mall is also $0.99 an ounce. I feel bad for Montebello residents. Froyology and Yogurtland at The Shops at Montebello are the only froyo shops left, and they’re overpriced.

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

* FROYOLOGY: 2134 Montebello Town Ctr Montebello, CA 90640

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.

Yogurtland Opens in Hastings Ranch/East Pasadena

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been keeping a close eye on the new Yogurtland in East Pasadena/Hastings Ranch and after a few false alarms (e.g., Google reported the shop was open when it hadn’t opened yet), I can report that it is now OPEN! 

I asked about a grand opening event and was told that they wouldn’t be having one. There was a free froyo giveaway on August 19 while they were training employees.

This is a smaller location with 12 self-serve froyo flavors and toppings for $0.69/oz. I was happy to see the gourmet sauces, including chocolate shell. The green square tile wall has been replaced with a white tile wall. They also have a neon sign that says Share Love, Joy & Hope.

Yogurtland has another location in Pasadena on Lake Ave. There was one in Old Town Pasadena that closed a few years ago.

* YOGURTLAND: 259 Sierra Madre Villa Ave., Unit 103, Pasadena, CA 91107

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.

Pita GR Opens in Brea, California (North Orange County)

Pita GR in Brea, CA

Spaceman USA machine

Greek froyo with vissino

Fro-yo girl here. I was out of town for one week and missed the grand opening of Pita GR in Brea, CA, on August 8. During the grand opening, they even served free lunch: a pita or a salad with a beverage.

Pita GR is a Greek street food fast casual restaurant that first opened in Downey, CA in September 2018. The chef is Greek. The restaurant is inspired by the traditional Greek pita sandwich shops in Greece. The Brea location is their second and their first in Orange County.

They make their own frozen Greek yogurt with their own recipe. There's one flavor, plain, with Greek toppings: Greek honey, housemade baklava or Greek sour cherry preserves. You can also enjoy the froyo plain. I noticed they switched soft serve machines and now use Spaceman USA (the Downey location has a Carpigiani soft serve freezer).

Greek froyo with vissino ($6): Their Greek froyo is excellent: smooth, creamy, dense. It tastes fresh, mildly tangy, and has a clean finish. It doesn’t seem as sweet or processed as the froyo you get most places. They layered the froyo with sour cherries and sour cherry syrup. The cherries are more sweet than sour but the syrup makes the froyo tangier.

The food is good too! I usually get a salad and froyo for dessert.

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

* PITA GR: 2445 E Imperial Hwy, Unit F, Brea, CA 92821

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.

2022 California Froyo Shop Openings & Closings

Fro-yo girl here. It's been an interesting year for froyo in California. While froyo shops continued to deal with rising costs and supply shortages, the number of non-froyo shops offering froyo seemed to be higher than ever, thanks to froyo vending machines (iCream partnered with Pinkberry) and Nick the Greek. Amazon Go opened three shops in Southern California, two of which offer self-serve Pinkberry froyo.

I tried to keep track of any place that serves froyo in soft serve form, including restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, froyo trucks and trailers, vending machines, and more. As usual, it's easier to find out about openings since many places close quietly, without making any announcement. 

Froyo Shop Openings (Includes Froyo Trucks)

1. Abyss Yogurt, inside Abyss Market, Valley Village
2. Cool Spot, Brentwood (froyo truck)
3. Easy Breezy, Los Gatos
4. Golden Spoon, Valencia (Northpark)
5. Joy Sedona, Lake Balboa
6. K&J Froyo & Kafe, Hanford
7. Lizzy’s Premium Frozen Yogurt, Desert Hot Springs 
8. Never Better Frozen Yogurt, Lake Elsinore
9. NuYo, Blue Oaks, West Roseville
10. Sprinkles on Top, Elk Grove
11. Sweet Spot, Escalon
12. Tuttimelon, Fairfield
13. Waffie & Yogie, Long Beach
14. Yogurt Mill, Modesto (froyo truck)
15. Yogurt Stop, Walnut Creek
16. Yogurtland, Fresno – El Paseo 
17. Yogurtland, Palmdale - East Ave.
18. Yogurtland, Madera
19. Yogurtland, Pixley

Not a Froyo Shop but Serves Froyo

1. Active Culture, Long Beach
2. Amazon Go, Whittier 
3. Amazon Go, Woodland Hills 
4. Anita Gelato, Tarzana
5. Jayna Gyro, Sacramento
6. K Street, Oakland
7. Loop Market, Sacramento
8. Nick the Greek, Daly City (Gellert)
9. Nick the Greek, Elk Grove
10. Nick the Greek, Foster City
11. Nick the Greek, Fresno
12. Nick the Greek, Novato
13. Nick the Greek, Roseville - Fountains
14. Nick the Greek, San Francisco
15. Nick the Greek, Santa Rosa
16. Nick the Greek, Vacaville
17. Nick the Greek, Walnut Creek
18. Souvla, Dogpatch, San Francisco
19. Sweetie’s Ice Cream Shop, Santa Barbara
20. Valley Swirl, Los Angeles (moved)

Vending Machines

1. Pinkberry, Cabazon, Palm Springs
2. Pinkberry, Westfield Santa Anita, Arcadia
3. Pinkberry, Topanga, Canoga Park
4. Pinkberry, Oaks Mall, Thousand Oaks
5. Pinkberry, Beverly Center, Los Angeles
6. Pinkberry, Ontario International Airport, Terminal 2
7. Pinkberry, Ontario International Airport, Terminal 4
8. Pinkberry, Pacific View Mall, Ventura

That's a total of 46 new places that serve froyo: 18 new froyo shops (including two froyo trucks), 20 non-froyo shops, and 8 froyo vending machines. In 2021, I found 26 new places that started serving froyo, including 15 new froyo shops, 10 non-froyo shops that serve froyo, plus one existing café that added froyo. That's a lot more in 2022 vs. 2021. 

I didn’t count the rebranded froyo businesses or the ones under new ownership, but I did try to track both.

Name Change/Rebranded

• U Top It Subs & Sweets, Ukiah (moved, changed name from U Top It)

New Ownership

1. JoJo’s Yogurt, Clovis
2. Menchie's, Fremont
3. Tutti Frutti Canyon Country, Santa Clarita
4. Urban Yogurt, Shingle Springs
5. Waffie & Yogie, Long Beach

Closings

1. Big Spoon, Roseville
2. Cherry Chill, Ontario
3. Go Crazy, Concord
4. Hogi Yogi, Redlands
5. Menchie’s South Pasadena
6. Menchie's, Santa Maria
7. Mickey’s Yogurt, Riverside
8. Owl’s Ice Cream, Porter Ranch
9. PennyLane, Campbell
10. Riyo Yogurt, Lotus
11. Tutti Frutti, Buena Park
12. Tutti Frutti, North Hills
13. Tutti Frutti, Piedmont, Oakland
14. Valley Swirl, Los Angeles (moved)
15. YoFrutti, Moorpark
16. Yogurt Creations, Santa Maria
17. Yogurt World USA, Petaluma
18. Yogurtland, Santa Ana – Main Place Mall
19. Yogurtland, Brentwood
20. Yogurtland, Burbank - Downtown
21. Yogurtland, Whittier

As for froyo shop closings, I found twenty-one this year (and some weren't technically froyo shops, but I grouped them together since most were froyo shops). Three Yogurtland locations closed in Southern California and two Menchie's locations. One Yogurtland location closed in Northern California. In 2021, I found 45 closings, including 8 Menchie’s locations, 2 Pinkberry locations, 4 Tutti Frutti locations, and 6 Yogurtland locations. 

And more froyo is on the way. I found 20 places listed as opening soon.

Coming soon

1. Beary Bliss, Big Bear Lake
2. Menchie's, Burbank (moved)
3. Nick the Greek, Berkeley
4. Nick the Greek, Folsom
5. Nick the Greek, Hayward
6. Nick the Greek, Hollister
7. Nick the Greek, Marin
8. Nick the Greek, Monterey
9. Nick the Greek, Mountain View
10. Nick the Greek, Natomas
11. Nick the Greek, Oakland
12. Nick the Greek, Palo Alto
13. Nick the Greek, Sacramento
14. Nick the Greek, Salinas
15. Nick the Greek, Sonoma
16. Nick the Greek, Stockton
17. Nick the Greek, Tracy
18. Pinkberry, Manteca (1st drive-thru)
19. Souvla, Larkspur
20. Yoba, Ontario

Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings? 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.

2021 California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings

Fro-yo girl here. It’s time for my annual update of California froyo shop openings and closings 2021. It was still a tough year for small businesses, with COVID-19 restrictions, rising costs, and labor and supply shortages. Most self-serve froyo shops resumed allowing customers to serve their own yogurt and toppings.

As usual, I tried to track any place that serves froyo in soft serve form. This includes restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, food trucks and trailers, etc. It's always easiest to track openings since most frozen yogurt have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement.

Here’s my attempt to track froyo shop openings and closings in California this year. Shops are listed in alphabetical order.

Froyo Shop Openings (Including Trucks and Pop-Ups)

1. Active Culture, Novato
2. Culture Shock, Auburn
3. FroGo, Alameda (froyo truck)
4. FrostedLUV, Stockton
5. Frutzy, Bakersfield (pop-up)
6. Machi Frozen Yogurt, Sacramento (formerly YoGo)
7. Pinkberry, Redlands
8. Simon’s Dole Whip & Yogurt, Temecula
9. SLO Froyo, San Luis Obispo
10. The Spot Café & Froyo, Weed
11. Sweet Boba, Fullerton
12. Toppings Frozen Yogurt, Santa Rosa
13. Yoga-urt, Santa Monica
14. Yogurt Pop, Rancho Murieta
15. Yogurtland, Madera

Openings, Serves Froyo but Not a Froyo Shop:

1. The Good Plow, Carpinteria
2. Nick the Greek, Dublin
3. Nick the Greek, Fremont
4. Nick the Greek, Fullerton
5. Nick the Greek, Roseville
6. Nick the Greek, San Mateo
7. Nick the Greek, Santa Clara, Westfield Valley Fair
8. Nick the Greek, Santa Monica
9. Nick the Greek, Westlake Village
10. Tahina, Alameda

Added Froyo, but Not a New Business and Not a Froyo Shop

• Capo, Belmont

That’s 15 new froyo shops, 10 non-froyo shops that serve froyo, plus one existing café that added froyo, for a total of 26 places that started serving froyo this year. Last year, I found 22 froyo shop openings. I didn’t count the rebranded froyo businesses or the ones under new ownership.

Rebranded

• Corner Café & Froyo Murrieta renamed Simon’s Dole Whip & Yogurt
• Yogurtland Lakewood (now Yogurtland by Holsom)

Under New Ownership

• Golden Spoon, Riverside
• Menchie’s Ocean Park, Santa Monica
• Red Mango, Los Angeles
• Rockie’s Frozen Yogurt, Whittier
• Top a Lot, Santa Cruz
• Yum Yum Yogurt, Kingsburg

Froyo Shop Closings

1. Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt, Clovis
2. Big Spoon, Natomas
3. Blitzer’s! Premium Frozen Yogurt, Murrieta
4. Blizz, Downey
5. Cloud 9 Yogurt House, San Diego
6. Creme De La Ice Cream, Santa Maria
7. Culture Shock, Auburn (moved)
8. Fiji Yogurt, San Diego
9. Forty Carrots, Santa Monica
10. FROLO, Manteca
11. Frozen Land, Los Angeles (Westwood)
12. Frozo’s, Santa Clara
13. Golden Cups, Long Beach
14. Golden Spoon, Whittier
15. Golden Spoon, Valencia
16. Happy Yogurt, Escondido
17. Menchie’s, Burbank (moving)
18. Menchie’s, Chatsworth
19. Menchie’s, Glendale
20. Menchie’s Roseville
21. Menchie’s, Temecula
22. Menchie's, Van Nuys
23. Menchie’s Westchester
24. Menchie's, Westfield Mall, San Jose
25. Peachwave, Redondo Beach
26. Pink Boba, Fullerton
27. Pinkberry, Citrus Heights
28. Pinkberry, Hollywood
29. Prinkipia, Canoga Park
30. Red Mango, Los Angeles
31. Rockin’ Yogurt, Santa Barbara 
32. Ruby Frozen Yogurt, Stockton
33. Swirl Frozen Yogurt, Camarillo
34. Top That Yogurt, Sonoma
35. Tutti Frutti, Corona
36. Tutti Frutti, Montebello
37. Tutti Frutti, Norwalk
38. Tutti Frutti, Visalia
39. Tuttimelon, Fairfield
40. YoDo Yogurt, Campbell
41. Yogurt Creations, Paso Robles
42. Yogurt Creations, Atascadero
43. Yogurt Creations, Arroyo Grande
44. Yogurt Creations, Lompoc
45. Yogurt Valley, Wildomar
46. Yogurtland, Alhambra
47. Yogurtland, Burlingame
48. Yogurtland, Long Beach, 7th St.
49. Yogurtland, Mission Viejo - Kaleidoscope
50. Yogurtland, Oxnard
51. Yogurtland, San Bernardino
52. Yogurtland, San Luis Obispo
53. YOJO Coffee & Frozen Yogurt, Menifee

I found 53 closings, including 8 Menchie’s locations, 2 Pinkberry locations, 4 Tutti Frutti locations, and 7 Yogurtland locations. Yogurt Creations closed their remaining locations.  Last year, I found 72 froyo shop closings. It was a very tough year due to the pandemic.

Coming soon

• Active Culture, Long Beach
• Beary Bliss Yogurt Shop & Sweets, Big Bear
• Easy Breezy, Los Gatos
• Menchie’s, Burbank (moving)
• NuYo Frozen Yogurt, Roseville
• Sprinkles on Top, Elk Grove
• Yogurt Stop, Rossmoor
• Yogurtland, Fresno (Riverside Dr.)
• Yogurtland, Pixley

Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings? 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.

Yoga-urt Opens First Location on Westside, Grand Opening This Weekend

Fro-yo girl here. Yoga-urt is LA’s first and only all organic, plant-based, allergy-friendly soft serve concept. The first location opened in Glendale’s Kenneth Village in 2015 and the Echo Park shop opened in 2019. The Santa Monica location (1700 Ocean Park Blvd.) just opened last weekend and the grand opening celebration is taking place this weekend.

Grand opening details: Enjoy free smalls between 2 PM - 4 PM on October 16 & 17. For every purchase during grand opening weekend, get a raffle ticket. The prize is a $100 Yoga-urt gift card.

Founded and led by female entrepreneur, Melissa Schulman, Yoga-urt takes pride in creating hand-crafted, premium soft serve in small batches. It starts with a base of hand-squeezed almond and cashew milk, enriched with four probiotic strains. The soft serve is dairy-free, gluten-free, kosher, soy-free and all-natural.

They make their own gluten-free cones (super crispy, super delicious), sauces (the chocolate shell is to die for), cookies, pie-crust, and more. The cookies and pie-crust are made with the almond pulp, the byproduct of their housemade almond milk.

Taking over the Treats space, Yoga-urt Santa Monica has a menu that's similar to the other locations: The best hand-crafted organic, vegan, gluten free, soy-free, kosher, probiotic froyo/soft serve! Unique flavors - over 30 of them that rotate. My favorites are Vanilla Harmony, Sweet Greens, Pistachio Passion, True Tahini, Strawberry Serenity, Green Tea Tranquility, PB Prana, Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread...They also have shakes, smoothies, kombucha floats, froyo pie, brownies, cookies, coffee, soft serve pints, banana splits, and more. And yes, everything is organic, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and kosher.

Expect to find 10 soft serve flavors a day. The portions are generous and their high-quality froyo is so dense and filling that it feels like a fair price. Anything larger than a small feels like too much unless you plan to share.

Cups and spoons are compostable of course. Their products are good for you and they care about the Earth.

Yoga-urt is the only froyo Mr. Froyo will eat. The new location isn't exactly convenient for us but we're excited for Westside residents.

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.

California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings in 2020

Easy Breezy, Corte Madera

Fro-yo girl here. Since it's December, it's time for my annual update of the froyo shop openings and closings in California. It was a tough year for businesses in general, but even more so for froyo shops that on proximity to schools, gyms, movie theaters, tourists, etc. With fewer large gatherings, catering could not help counter the decline in foot traffic. Most of the self-serve shops that I visited switched to full service.

While the focus of this post is on froyo shops, I also tried to track froyo not served in froyo shops but served from a soft serve machine, including restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, cafeterias, hospitals, frozen yogurt trucks and trailers. 

It's always much easier to track openings since most frozen yogurt have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement. Some of the "temporary" closures will become permanent. It's even harder to tell if a shop is permanently or temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

Here’s my attempt to track froyo shop openings and closings in California this year. 

Froyo Shop Openings (in alphabetical order): 

1. Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt, Orland
2. Boba Junkie, Costa Mesa
3. Easy Breezy, Corte Madera
4. Go Crazy Frozen Yogurt, Concord
5. Golden Spoon, Whittier
6. Holsom by Yogurtland, Huntington Beach
7. Kona Shaved Ice, Winters
8. Menchie’s, Carlsbad, Bressi Ranch
9. Menchie’s, Riverbank
10. Mickey’s Yogurt, Riverside
11. Otter Yogurt, Half Moon Bay
12. Peachwave, Redondo Beach
13. Pinkberry, Santa Clara
14. Slices & Swirls, Loma Linda
15. Urban Desserts, Gold River
16. Twisted Tulip Frozen Yogurt, Ripon
17. Yogo Farm, Los Angeles
18. Yogurt Bear, Pomona
19. Yogurt Creations, Center Point Mall, Oxnard
20. Yogurt & Yogurt, Moreno Valley
21. Yogurt Me, Covina
22. Yummy Yogurt, West Covina

I found 22 openings which isn't bad considering what an off year it's been (coronavirus impact). I found 30 new openings last year and I added a few to that list after the initial publication in December 2019. Most of these were independent froyo shops. Yogurtland renamed an existing location this year but didn't open a brand new location in California. Menchie's opened two new locations in California. 

Froyo Shop Permanent Closures (in alphabetical order):

1. America's Cup, Costa Mesa - not sure if it's closed or not but Boba Junkie is at the same location now
2. Beach N Yogurt, Avila Beach
3. Berry Twist, San Rafael 
4. Besties Cool Treats, San Diego
5. Big Kahuna, Visalia
6. Big Kahuna, Clovis
7. Big Kahuna, West Sacramento
8. Blizz Frozen Yogurt, Sherman Oaks
9. Blush Frozen Yogurt, Dublin  
10. Blush Frozen Yogurt, Pleasanton
11. California Yogurt Factory, Foothill Ranch 
12. Crazy for Yogurt, Carmichael 
13. Cup O’Tea, Menlo Park 
14. Dolci Mango, Poway 
15. Fraiche, San Francisco Airport
16. Frozen Café, San Ramon 
17. Go Greek Yogurt, Woodland Hills
18. Golden Spoon, Glendora
19. Golden Spoon, San Juan Capistrano
20. Kiwiblast, Bakersfield
21. Menchie’s, Alhambra 
22. Menchie's, Baldwin Park
23. Menchie’s, Bell Gardens 
24. Menchie’s, Calabasas
25. Menchie’s, Florence-Firestone, Los Angeles 
26. Menchie's, Fullerton
27. Menchie’s Mandalay Village, Port Hueneme
28. Menchie’s, San Jose International Airport, San Jose
29. Menchie's, South El Monte 
30. Menchie's, Upland/Sycamore Hills
31. Miyo Yogurt, Pomona
32. Moyo’s Frozen Yogurt, San Francisco 
33. Otter Yogurt, Half Moon Bay
34. Peachwave Yogurt, Calabasas
35. Penguin's Frozen Yogurt, South Pasadena
36. Pinkberry, Chino Hills 
37. Razzle Dazzle, Upland
38. Red Mango, San Jose International Airport, San Jose
39. Redberry, Sacramento
40. The Scoop, Winters (now Kona Shaved Ice, still has froyo) 
41. Spoon Me Yogurt, Orange 
42. Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt, Ventura
43. SweetFrog, Riverside
44. Swirls, Camarillo
45. Tops Yogurt, Elk Grove
46. Tutti Frutti Grossmont Center, La Mesa
47. Tutti Frutti, Oxnard 
48. Tutti Frutti Piedmont Ave, Oakland (reported closed on Yelp but not Google Local) 
49. Tutti Frutti, West Covina
50. Tutti Frutti, Corona
51. Tutti Frutti, Rowland Heights
52. Tutti Frutti, Dublin
53. Tuttimelon, Alameda
54. Tuttimelon, Fairfield
55. U-Swirl, Downey
56. Woody's Frozen Yogurt, Buellton
57. Woody’s Yogurt Place, Mill Valley
58. Xtreme Frozen Yogurt, Murrieta
59. Yogi Berry, Fresno 
60. YoGo, Sacramento
61. Yogo Farm, Los Angeles
62. Yogurt & More, Sierra Madre 
63. Yogurt Creations, Oxnard
64. Yogurt Station, Monterey
65. Yogurtland, California Ave., Bakersfield
66. Yogurtland, Marina Del Rey 
67. Yogurtland, Mission Valley East, San Diego
68. Yogurtland Pico & Lincoln, Santa Monica 
69. Yogurtland Edinger, Huntington Beach (converted into Holsom by Yogurtland) 
70. Yogurtland, San Ramon 
71. Yogurtland, Irvine - Jeffrey Rd.
72. Yogurtland, Torrance Crossroads, Torrance 
73. Yogurtland, Temecula
74. Yogurtland, Ventura
75. Yogurtland, Camarillo
76. Yogurtlicious, Loma Linda
77. YOLO, San Anselmo
78. Yoyo's Frozen Yogurt, El Cajon

I found 78 froyo shop closures in 2020. Most of the shops on the list were open a long time (none longer than Woody's Yogurt Place? maybe Penguin's?), like over 10 years. Others like Yogi Berry, Otter Yogurt, and Cup O' Tea were open for less than a year. I was a regular at Blush Dublin and Yogurtland San Ramon. There were 10 Menchie's, 11 Yogurtland, 1 Pinkberry, 1 Red Mango, 1 sweetFrog, and 7 Tutti Frutti locations on the list, so 48% of the California closures were part of a large national frozen yogurt chain.

In 2019, I found 74 froyo shop closures (68 in 2018, 99 in 2017). There were more closures than openings but considering what a tough year it's been for restaurants, the number of closures is less than I expected. I didn't track the temporary "seasonal" froyo shop closures but I know of a few. They're relatively uncommon in California but much more common this year.

I also didn't count places that serve froyo but aren't froyo shops. But I tried to track those types of locations too.

New Places Serving Froyo But Not a Froyo Shop: 

• The Corral Sandwich Shop, Oakdale
• La Dolce Vita, Milpitas
• Loop Neighborhood (2 locations), Sacramento
• Loop Neighborhood, Sacramento
• Nick the Greek, Napa
• Nick the Greek, Ventura
• Nick the Greek, Union City
• Nick the Greek, Westwood, Los Angeles
• Nick the Greek, Newport Beach

Nick the Greek is a fast-casual Greek chain that's currently in growth mode in the Bay Area. Loop Neighborhood Market continues to offer self-serve froyo. 

And there were some closures of places that offered froyo but weren't froyo shops.

Closed, Not a Froyo Shop But Offered Froyo:

• AL’s Deli, San Francisco
• Currying Flavors, Agoura Hills (carried Pinkberry, briefly)
• Kirin Buffet, Arcadia
• Madison Station Café, Carmichael (COVID)
• Planet Smoothie & Tasti Dlite, Santa Monica
• Slusheeland, Tarzana
• Spread Mediterranean Kitchen, Los Angeles
• Swirl Fiesta, Riverside

Not Closed, But Stopped Offering Froyo:

• Bee & Tea, San Jose

I also noted ownership change announcements. 

New Ownership, Froyo Shop:

• Cherry on Top, Riverside 
• Cloud 9 Frozen Yogurt, San Diego
• Crazy For Yogurt, Carmichael
• Major Brain Freeze, Redlands
• Menchie’s, San Marcos
• Yoyo’s Frozen Yogurt, Rancho San Diego

Some of the openings that were supposed to happen in 2020 have been delayed. But expect to see many new Nick the Greek locations in 2021. Reis & Irvy's has been very silent this year - so much for froyo robots? I've lumped froyo and non-froyo shops together for the coming soon list.

Coming Soon:

• Active Culture, Marin
• Fraiche Yogurt, Stanford Hospital
• Frosted Love, Stockton
• Fro Zone, Folsom
• IKEA, San Francisco
• Menchie’s, Hanford
• Myo, Carmel
• Myo, Alamo (taken off the website)?
• Nick the Greek, San Diego
• Nick the Greek, South San Francisco
• Nick the Greek, Mountain View
• Nick the Greek, Gilroy
• Nick the Greek, Livermore (taken off the website)?
• Nick the Greek, Castro Valley
• Nick the Greek, Dublin
• Nick the Greek, Fremont
• Nick the Greek, Vallejo
• Nick the Greek, San Mateo
• Nick the Greek, San Diego
• Pinkberry, Santa Clarita
• Prinkipia Frozen Yogurt, Glendale (?)
• Toppings, Santa Rosa

I didn't find any new froyo trucks or trailers in California this year. Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings? 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.

Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt Opens in Corte Madera (Marin County)

Fro-yo girl here. With Woody’s Yogurt Place of Strawberry Village (Mill Valley) closing on January 5 (RIP, hope they find a new location), the froyo options in Marin County dwindled – but just for a few days, because Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt just crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and landed at Town Center Corte Madera. Believe it or not, it’s the first froyo shop in Corte Madera! It’s at the mall across from REI.

This is Easy Breezy’s fourth shop. The other three are in San Francisco, with the first opening eight years ago. Owner Ariel Ford is the queen of SF froyo! Her shops raise the froyo bar by making froyo daily with their own proprietary recipes. They chop, blend and hand squeeze the fruit they use to flavor their froyo. Having fresh mint in froyo makes a difference. Also, the froyo flavors and toppings are premium and creative. They use organic yogurt and also offer many vegan options. There’s even a coconut milk based soft serve for those with nut and dairy allergies. Flavors are posted on their Facebook page and website. Some of the current flavors are Moscow Mule, Vietnamese Coffee, Chocolate Orange, and S’mores.

EB in Marin County features 8 self-serve flavors a day, quality toppings (including organic berries), and warm sauces for 86 cents an ounce. The shop had a soft opening on January 13, 2020. Expect an opening celebration this spring, after the soft opening.

Choose your cup size or get a cone. Toppings included sauces, candy, cheesecake, mochi, cookie dough, popping boba, fresh fruit (the blueberries and strawberries were organic), brownies, chocolate chips, yogurt chips, granola, cereal, nuts, sprinkles, gobs of cookie dough, potato chips, etc.

The shop is adorable with wood accents and Breezy the mascot. The yogurt comes out of the machine quickly, so that's something of which to be aware. If you want samples, an employee will dispense them for you. Ask for a frequent buyer card. Students get 10% off. They started selling pints! At $9 each, they’re a steal. 

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

* EASY BREEZY FROZEN YOGURT: 119 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera, CA 94925

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.

California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings of 2019

Fro-yo girl here. As 2019 comes to an end, it’s time to look at the froyo shop openings and closings of 2019 in California. I believe that California continues to have the most froyo shops. While the focus of this post is on froyo shops, i.e., shops that primarily serve frozen yogurt, I also tried to track froyo not served in froyo shops but served from a soft serve machine, including restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, cafeterias, hospitals, frozen yogurt trucks and trailers.

It's always much easier to track openings since most frozen yogurt have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement. Fortunately, helpful Yelpers are good about reporting closings.

Here’s my attempt to track froyo shop openings and closings in California this year.

Froyo Shop Openings (in alphabetical order): 

1. 21 Choices Pasadena (moved)
2. Blitzer’s Yogurt, Murrieta (replaced FroYoLand)
3. Cups and Cones, Pittsburg
4. Dolci Mango, Poway
5. Everest Yogurt, Sacramento
6. Fog City Yogurt, Pacifica
7. FROLO Frozen Yogurt, Manteca (moved)
8. Froyo Freeze, Harbor City
9. Frozen Land, Westwood, Los Angeles (replaced Yogurtland)
10. Jon & Bon's Yogurt Shoppe, Rocklin
11. Live Culture Café, Encinitas
12. Mangos Frozen Yogurt, Downey (replaced Wild Berry)
13. Menchie’s, Chula Vista
14. Menchie’s, Citrus Heights
15. Menchie’s, Pinole 
16. Menchie’s, Upland
17. Menchie’s Victory Plaza, Whittier (replaced Frugo’s)
18. Original Yogurt Shack, Carlsbad
19. Peachwave, Seal Beach
20. Swrlies, Los Angeles (pop-up)
21. Tiki Tiki Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream, El Monte (replaced Green Apple Frozen Yogurt)
22. Tutti Frutti, Montrose (moved)
23. Yoga-urt, Echo Park, Los Angeles
24. Yogi Berry, Fresno (replaced Mickey’s Yogurt West)
25. Yogurt Factory, Temecula (2nd location)
26. Yogurt Time, Santa Rosa
27. Yogurt Now, El Sobrante
28. Yogurtland, Anaheim (Katella)
29. Yogurtland, La Habra
30. YOLO, San Anselmo

There were 30 openings this year, compared to 43 in 2018 and 64 in 2017. I've been to 8 of them so far. The number new openings has been on the decline since peaking in 2016. Five new Menchie's locations opened compared to two for Yogurtland. Several shops moved or replaced other froyo shops.

Froyo Shop Closures (in alphabetical order):

1. Berries, Rancho Cucamonga
2. Berrystar, Palmdale
3. Big Spoon, Sacramento
4. Big Spoon, Fair Oaks
5. Boardwalk Yogurt, Venice
6. Bougie’s Frozen Yogurt, Perris
7. Bravo! Frozen Yogurt, Salinas
8. California Yogurt, Yuba City
9. Cherry On Top, Pasadena
10. Cherry On Top, Garden Grove
11. Chillz Frozen Yogurt, Riverside 
12. Chillz Frozen Yogurt, Grand Terrace
13. Cones, Pittsburg (merged, now part of Nick’s Sandwiches, still offers froyo)
14. Corner Yogurt, Half Moon Bay
15. Crazy For Yogurt, Rancho Cordova
16. Exquisito, Anaheim
17. Fraiche, Palo Alto
18. Friza Frozen Yogurt, Torrance
19. FROLO Frozen Yogurt, Manteca (moved)
20. Froyo Delite, Hollister
21. FroYoLand, Murrieta (now Blitzer’s!)
22. Frugos, Whittier (taken over by Menchie’s)
23. Fusion Mix, Fremont
24. Go Bananaz, Tustin
25. Go Greek, Thousand Oaks
26. Go Greek, Glendale
27. Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Calabasas
28. Golden Spoon, La Costa, Carlsbad
29. Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Santa Margarita
30. Golden Spoon, Temecula (Ynez)
31. Golden Spoon, Temecula (Temecula Pkwy)
32. Golden Spoon, Wildomar
33. Great American Yogurt, Huntington Beach
34. Live Culture Cafe, Encinitas
35. Loving Cup, Hayes Valley, San Francisco
36. Major Brain Freeze, Loma Linda
37. Menchie’s Carmenita Rd., Whittier
38. Menchie’s, Compton
39. Menchie’s, Dublin
40. Mickey’s Yogurt West, Fresno
41. Miyo Yogurt, Los Altos
42. Moonlight Yogurt, Encinitas 
43. OMG! Dessert Lounge, Anaheim
44. Peachwave, Calabasas
45. Pinkberry Blossom Hill, San Jose
46. Pinkberry Hillcrest, San Diego
47. Pinkberry, La Canada Flintridge 
48. Pinkberry Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
49. Pinkberry, Newport Beach  
50. Pinkberry, San Francisco
51. Pinkberry, Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
52. San Clemente Yogurt, San Clemente
53. Sweet Swirl, Claremont
54. sweetFrog, Camarillo
55. SweetXO, Agoura Hills
56. Swirls, Encinitas
57. Tutti Frutti, La Crescenta (moved to Montrose)
58. Tutti Frutti, Huntington Park
59. Tutti Frutti, National City
60. Tutti Frutti, University Park, Los Angeles
61. Twins Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Cucamonga
62. U Yogurt, Ventura
63. Wild Berry, Downey
64. Xtreme Frozen Yogurt, Carlsbad
65. Yo Place, Long Beach
66. Yogurt De Lite, Fremont
67. Yogurt Delight, Dublin
68. Yogurt Haven, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
69. Yogurt Shack, Carlsbad
70. Yogurt Time, La Palma
71. Yogurt Zone, Vacaville
72. Yogurtland, Old Town Pasadena
73. Yogurtland, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
74. Yogurtland, Poway
75. Yogurtland, Westwood, Los Angeles
76. Yogurtland, Colima & Fullerton, Rowland Heights
77. Yogurtland, Beverly Connection, Los Angeles
78. Yogurtlicious, Corona
79. Yumi Yogurt, Redwood City 

There were 79 froyo shop closures in 2019, compared to 68 in 2018 and 99 in 2017. There were more closures than openings, as in 2017 and 2018. Another batch of Pinkberry shops closed, seven in total. Three Menchie's locations closed and six Yogurtland locations. Some old school shops closed that seemed like they'd be around forever, including Yogurt De Lite in Fremont, Great American Yogurt in Huntington Beach, and Yumi Yogurt in Redwood City.

New Places Serving Froyo But Not a Froyo Shop: 

• Al’s Deli, San Francisco
• Apizza, San Francisco (Loving Cup)
• Coit Tower Café, San Francisco
• Eatery, Encino Freshii, Oakland
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Temecula
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Meridian, San Jose
• Souvla Marina, San Francisco
• N2 Lab, Monrovia, January 2019
• Nick the Greek, Morgan Hill
• Nick the Greek, San Carlos
• Nick the Greek, Santa Clara
• Nick the Greek, Santa Cruz
• Nick’s Sandwiches, Pittsburg (merged with Cones)
• Quarters Kitchen, Yorba Linda

Froyo is on the menu at the restaurants and convenience stores. Nick the Greek is a fast casual Greek chain that's currently in growth mode in the Bay Area. Loop Neighborhood Market continues to offer self-serve froyo.

Froyo Shop, Temporarily Closed:

• Golden Spoon, Long Beach

Golden Spoon Long Beach is expected to reopen in December. 21 Choices was closed in Claremont for months but it did reopen after remodeling.

Reopened in Same Spot After Remodeling:

• 21 Choices, Claremont

Not New, Not a Froyo Shop, Started Offering Froyo:

• Happy Days Café, Sherman Oaks

Had Froyo but No Longer Offers:

• Yalla Mediterranean locations (7)
• Walnut Creek, Burbank, Fremont, Seal Beach, Culver City, Dublin, Pleasant Hill

Closed, Not a Froyo Shop But Offered Froyo:

• Exquisito, Anaheim
• Mission Oaks Cafe, Camarillo
• Poki Yo, Yorba Linda
• Tea-nilicious, Hawaiian Gardens

New Management not a Froyo Shop:

• Health Habits, Valley Springs

New Ownership, Froyo Shop:

• Razzle Dazzle, Upland 
• Yogurt Creations, Arroyo Grande
• Yogurt Creations, Atascadero
• Yogurt Creations, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
• Yogurt Creations, Lompoc
• Yogurt Creations, Paso Robles
• Yogurt Creations, Santa Maria

Coming Soon:

• Apizza Belmont 
• Dolci Mango, Poway 
• Easy Breezy, Corte Madera 
• Fraiche, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto
• Jon & Bon’s Yogurt Shoppe, Rocklin 
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Sacramento 
• Loop Neighborhood Market, Meridian – San Jose 
• Pinkberry Valley Fair, Santa Clara
• YogoFarm, Los Angeles
• Yogart, Grantville, San Diego
• Yogurt & Yogurt, Moreno Valley

There's a lot to keep track of! Expect to see Reis & Irvy's froyo robots in California, next year. I hope Pinkberry does open new locations because so many have closed. The only ones left in the Bay Area are in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. I feel sad for all the people who want Pinkberry but don't live close to one. And while they now have a foodservice program that allows just about any business to serve Pinkberry, it's still hard to find. For example, the Eatery in Encino offered Pinkberry for a month but then they discontinued. Polkatots in Pasadena apparently had Pinkberry briefly, but every time I call about it, they say that they've run out???

Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings in 2019? 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.