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.

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.

Menchie’s Is No Longer Opening in Arleta, CA

Fro-yo girl here. I first heard about the plans to open a Menchie’s in Arleta, CA (San Fernando Valley) over a year ago. The location was listed as “coming soon” on the Menchie’s website. But then I didn’t hear anything else. I happened to be in the area, so I drove by the proposed site, 9007 Woodman Ave., Suite D, Arleta, CA. It’s a strip mall anchored by Vallarta Supermarket.

There’s a Panda Express where Menchie’s was supposed to open. Turns out that the Menchie’s Arleta address has been taken off the Menchie’s website. A new churros place is opening soon, two doors from Panda Express and there's a Mexican snack/ice cream shop in the same strip mall.

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.

Froyo Poor Cities in Southern California

Fro-yo girl here. It seems like there’s a frozen yogurt shop in just about every city, particularly in Southern California. After all, Southern California is the capital of frozen yogurt and there are more frozen yogurt shops in California than in any other state.

However, there are still a few sizable cities in Southern California that do not have a frozen yogurt shop. These include:

• Altadena: Population: 44,621, median household income: $86,050, 8.7 square miles, 40% white, 27% Hispanic, median age: 42.2. Altadena doesn’t have a real downtown area unless you count the area on Lake that’s seeing some hipsterification with the arrival of Café De Leche and the soon to be gourmet food hall, Altadena Marketplace. Maybe the new Altadena Marketplace would be a good place for froyo? Altadena residents also live near a froyo rich city, Pasadena.
• Coachella: Population: 44,132 (96% urban), 99% Hispanic, median household income: $39,201. Coachella is famous for its music festival. Froyo has been served at the festival but no one has set up shop in Coachella. It’s been growing quite a bit and they’re getting a new downtown soon.
• El Sereno: Population: 43,766, 4.17 square miles, 9,826 people per square mile, 81% Latino, median household income in 2008: $45,866. El Sereno is directly east of Alhambra and a few miles from downtown LA. The downtown area has mainly older Mexican businesses, including restaurants and bakeries. 
• San Jacinto: Population: 46,490 (99% urban), 52% Latino, median household income: $44,755. I’ve never been to San Jacinto but it’s in Riverside County, one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

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.