Exciting Changes at Bon Bon Berry in West LA

 

Fro-yo girl here. New ownership took over Bon Bon Berry in West LA about nine months ago. The menu has been streamlined to feature better-quality products with a renewed focus on customer service. The space has been redesigned to be cozier and more inviting, making it perfect for families, students, and anyone looking to unwind. There’s free Wi-Fi, plenty of outlets, and spacious indoor and outdoor patio seating. Parking is convenient in the shared lot, and prices are wallet-friendly. And you can earn free acai bowls and free froyo with the frequent buyer card.

The menu includes four daily froyo flavors—tart, vanilla, chocolate, and one rotating sorbet—as well as refreshing smoothies and their best-selling acai bowls, which are vegan, customizable, and packed with delicious toppings. For those who prefer to enjoy their treats at home, delivery is available within a 10-mile radius, including delivery by robot!

Looking ahead, Bon Bon Berry has exciting plans in store. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting event will be held in collaboration with the local chamber of commerce. Pop-up events on the UCLA campus, street teams, and influencer collaborations will help spread the word. They’re also preparing to unveil a brand-new menu item soon—stay tuned for the big reveal! Additionally, the space is available for rental, and they offer catering for events of all kinds.

Stay up to date with the latest news by following their new Instagram account: @bonbonberryla_

* BON BON BERRY: 1848 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

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.

Pinkberry Beverly Hills Reopens After Months Long Closure

Fro-yo girl here. Back in March, I wrote about how the franchisee of Pinkberry Beverly Hills was evicted from the property. The shop was closed for a few months. Everything was still inside when I looked inside the shop. The shop reopened on May 14, under new ownership.

They have four machines, so they should be able to offer eight flavors at a time but they only had five available. In addition to froyo, they have smoothies. For toppings, they had fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, kiwi, pineapple), popping boba, nuts, chocolate crisps, mochi, cereal, cookie dough, brownies, cheesecake, sprinkles, coconut, yogurt chips, granola, and luxe toppings. The luxe toppings cost $1.50 extra.

Froyo prices: Small $5.50/ Medium $7/ Large $8.50/ Cone $5. A small froyo with toppings is $7.

They redid the floors and plan to add more signs soon.

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

Pinkberry, 240 S Beverly Dr #A, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

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 Fremont Grand Reopening Under New Ownership

 

Fro-yo girl here. My news is a bit old but I recently learned that the owner of Menchie’s in Fremont, California retired and sold the business. The shop was closed for about 3 weeks in late November – early December while the new owner, who also owns the Menchie’s in Belmont, fixed up the place. He upgraded the wi-fi and phone system and got the glycol chiller working again.

There was a grand reopening on December 10 – 11 with a BOGO free deal on the 10th and a prize wheel on the 11th.

He’s also looking for four more employees right now. Once he has more staff, he plans to extend the hours.

Menchie’s Fremont looks clean, cheerful, and bright. The froyo is nice and cold with the new glycol chiller. I was impressed they had the new Mookie Calci-YUMM! spoons on March 1, the first day of the new spoon promotion. They even have St. Patrick's Day decorations!

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

* MENCHIE'S: 5030 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538

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.

Pinkberry Burbank Is Under New Ownership

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry Burbank was the only self-serve Pinkberry still open in Southern California but during COVID, they switched to full service. That wasn’t surprising since just about every self-serve froyo shop switched to full service. Most have returned to self-serve but Pinkberry Burbank has not. It turns out that the ownership changed during COVID-19 and it’s unclear when or if self-serve will return.

Prices went up. They charged 49 cents an ounce for many years. It’s now 65 cents an ounce. Yes, they still charge by the ounce even though you can’t serve your own froyo. The original tart had great texture, but the associate put big scoops of toppings in my cup. I have to say all my trips to Pinkberry Burbank this year have been positive but I got a very icy cup of froyo last year. Things seem to have improved!

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

* PINKBERRY BURBANK: 120 E Palm Ave, Burbank, CA 91502

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 Santa Monica Ocean Park Has Reopened After a Long Closure

 

Fro-yo girl here. I had to meet friends in Santa Monica last spring and I tried to go to Menchie’s Ocean Park in April. The shop was closed on a Saturday night. The machines and signs were inside, like they hadn’t left it that long ago. I checked for months and the store did not reopen. I thought it had closed for good only it was still listed on the Menchie’s website.

They opened briefly the summer after the pandemic (in 2020) but then they were closed again for months. I contacted the owner and she said she wasn’t sure when the shop would reopen.

Well, the shop reopened under new ownership. I’m not sure exactly when it happened since I’m rarely in the area but it might have been June or July 2021. I went on a Saturday afternoon and lots of families were sitting outside enjoying froyo.

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

MENCHIE’S OCEAN PARK: 2901 Ocean Park Blvd, Ste 107, Santa Monica, CA 90405

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.

Red Mango LA Live Location Under New Ownership

Fro-yo girl here. I haven't been to LA Live, the entertainment complex next to Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles since the pandemic started. I recently thought of the Red Mango at LA Live and wondered if it were still open. Their Instagram account, @redmangolalive, disappeared and I hadn't seen any new posts for a year (I think).

The Red Mango LA Live location is still listed on the LA Live website and the Red Mango website, though it is reported as permanently closed on Yelp. There have been several recent reviews on Google though, so it seems to be open for business. It's under new ownership as of December 2020. The terms of the sale were not disclosed. The listing describes the business as, "Featuring 4 self-serve machines (8 rotating flavors), cold pressed juice bar, large toppings bar and more. Small footprint. Simple operation. Turnkey. Plus 30 minutes free parking available in the downstairs garage."

This is the only Red Mango location still open in Los Angeles and Southern California. The shop first opened in 2013.

Update: Red Mango closed some time in 2021. Daphne's took over the space in 2022 but did not last a year.

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

RED MANGO: 1011 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015

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 Pasadena (Lake) Update: Ownership Change

Fro-yo girl here. I used to go to Yogurtland Lake in Pasadena, CA every week, but I changed to other Yogurtland locations after the last price hike at Yogurtland Lake in mid-January. It’s now 59 cents an ounce, while other locations outside of Yogurtland Pasadena are at least 10 cents cheaper. That includes Yogurtland Alhambra, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Eagle Rock (Los Angeles), Monrovia, Burbank, and San Dimas. Most Yogurtland locations in the area now charge 49 cents an ounce. Yogurtland Old Town Pasadena has always been, and is still, more expensive than Yogurtland Lake.

I noticed that they haven’t been keeping up with the promotional posters (e.g., they didn’t put up the poster for Flavor Favorites Unwrapped). They put the Spring poster up from 2018 recently, even though the store does have any of the flavors depicted in the poster. The sign that was chipped hasn’t been fixed. Some of the fruit purees have been replaced with inferior Lyons sauces. Many of the old employees have departed.

Unfortunately, this location on a downward trajectory since the ownership change (Steve was the owner). So sad. I named it as my favorite local Yogurtland location in 2016. Yogurtland Alhambra seems pretty nice and they had peanut butter froyo when other shops in the area did not. I noticed that when new owners take over, they often raise the price. Some make improvements but based on what I've seen, that's usually not the case.

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.