Yogurtland Still Has Partial Serve At Multiple Locations

 

Fro-yo girl here. Last February, I wrote about how some froyo shops in Los Angeles still had partial serve – that is, you could get your own froyo, but an employee would add your toppings. Yogurtland Eagle Rock and Yogurtland Burbank were partial serve locations. Both brought back full self-serve in mid-2024.

I was surprised to see that Yogurtland East Hollywood still has partial serve. Apparently, Yogurtland in Koreatown is also partial serve.

I’m still annoyed. The employee usually puts on too many toppings and taps the cup on the counter, messing up your nice swirl. If it’s a safety or theft issue, then make the entire store counter-serve.

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

* YOGURTLAND: 1132 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029

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.

An Update on Loop Neighborhood, Froyo Disappears

 

where the froyo station used to be

Fro-yo girl here. In 2015, I wrote about Loop Neighborhood, the new kind of convenience store founded in Northern California in 2013 and located at Shell gas stations. Loop carried healthier options and had a modern, sleek design. Some of their stores even offered self-serve froyo. They chose top-of-the-line Electro Freeze soft serve machines, Dannon Yo Cream froyo, and flat-rate pricing. I went once and the froyo was too soft – so there was some issue with how they were using and maintaining those soft serve machines, unfortunately. 

Over the years, I watched Loop grow and I was excited because it meant more places to get froyo. In 2017, Loop had 23 locations in Northern California. By 2020, Loop had 35 stores and 33 of them offered self-serve froyo. The Loop website indicated which locations offered froyo.

And then the pandemic struck. I’m assuming that this is why they stopped offering froyo. Self-serve froyo wasn’t allowed for about a year.

Do any Loop Markets still carry froyo? The Union City branch removed the froyo machines and toppings bar and that area is now used for storage. I have the before (2018) and after pictures (2024).

where the froyo toppings used to be

froyo machines

Loop's website lists the features (e.g., coffee, car wash, Amazon lockers) and which locations offer each, but froyo is no longer on the website.

Loop currently has 56 markets in California. Other gas station convenience stores still offer self-serve froyo and they survived the pandemic, but those stores are not in California.

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.

First East Bay Easy Breezy Opens in Walnut Creek

Fro-yo girl here. Easy Breezy #6 is the first EB in the East Bay! The shop opened in mid-March 2024 in downtown Walnut Creek, near Broadway Plaza (I had a flashback to my visit to Yogurt Park in Broadway Plaza many moons ago). Like the other locations, the Walnut Creek branch is adorable. The first thing I saw was the familiar signboard with the mascot, Breezy.

WC EB features eight hand-crafted flavors of froyo, custard, and vegan soft-serve with premium toppings and warm sauces. It’s $0.98/oz – yes, more expensive, but the quality is better. I personally love their creamy, tangy, velvety original tart. It tastes different than any other original tart out there. The toppings bar made me happy…spotted Lotus cookies, madeleines, nuts, sprinkles, lots of fresh fruit, cheesecake, candy, cereal, and syrups.

The décor looked familiar – light blue walls, hand-written flavor signs, Carpigiani soft serve machines, a froyo toppings island, and eco-friendly touches like bowls for dining in and reusable bowls. The vegan flavors are made with different bases, including coconut milk and cashew milk. Everything is clearly labeled for people with dietary restrictions.

Samples are dispensed by a friendly employee.

Congrats, Easy Breezy!

* EASY BREEZY: 1387 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

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.

Yogurtland Eagle Rock Returns to Full Self-Service

Fro-yo girl here. Self-serve is back at Yogurtland Eagle Rock! I think they adopted partial-serve in 2021. You could get your own froyo but not the toppings.

A week ago, they brought back self-serve toppings. Finally! I also heard that Yogurtland Burbank will soon allow you to serve your own toppings too.

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

* YOGURTLAND: 5045 Eagle Rock Blvd, Eagle Rock, CA 90041

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.

Cuppa Yo Grand Opening in Dublin on March 23

 

Fro-yo girl here. Cuppa Yo’s first location in California, located in Dublin, California (East Bay), has announced its grand opening date, Saturday, March 23. I won’t be able to be there, but I’m sure I’ll visit the shop in the future.

Cuppa Yo was founded in 2009 in Bend, Oregon. They’ve been signing franchisees and opening many new stores recently. The concept is self-serve and can now be found in multiple states.

The Dublin store will be in Tivoli Plaza, a new retail plaza on Summit Road. For updates, follow Cuppa Yo Dublin's Instagram account, @cuppayo.dublin

* CUPPA YO: 3970 Summit Rd, Dublin, CA 94568

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.

It’s Time to End Partial-Serve at Froyo Shops

Fro-yo girl here. Remember how during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, frozen yogurt shops couldn’t provide self-service or allow indoor dining? By 2021, partial-serve was being offered by some froyo shops. You could wear gloves and get your own froyo, but an employee would add the toppings. The toppings were kept on the other side of a clear plexiglass barrier.

I haven’t seen a froyo shop require or even recommend wearing a mask this year and the vast majority went back to self-serve in 2022. Yet, a few frozen yogurt shops still offer partial self-serve, including Yogurtland in Eagle Rock, Burbank, and East Hollywood. I can’t really understand it at this point. Partial-serve is more annoying than full-service or self-serve.

I don’t think any Menchie’s I’ve been to is still practicing partial-serve. However, the one “self-serve” Pinkberry shop in Burbank does practice partial-serve.

The problem with partial-serve is that it takes a long time to ask for each topping and if you don’t specify exactly how much you want, the employee tends to give you way too much. So, explaining how much you want and where you want it slows down the process further if you’re very particular about your froyo. Typically, one employee is assigned to put the toppings on and that’s much slower than allowing customers to get their own toppings. And the employee doesn't care what your cup of froyo looks like and doesn't place the toppings carefully. However, at counter-serve shops, the employee usually puts the toppings on carefully. 

If you want to layer your froyo and toppings, you'll have to wait in line twice. 

I’ve been avoiding Yogurtland locations that still practice partial-serve. Am I the only one who feels that partial-serve is the worst?

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.

Wafflecomb Under New Ownership, Now Offering Self-Serve Froyo

 

Fro-yo girl here. Wafflecomb in Santa Clarita, California, first opened in 2018 as a counter-serve bubble waffle and soft serve ice cream shop. I never went to old Wafflecomb which seemed similar to SomiSomi (soft serve ice cream, waffles). The ownership recently changed.

The new owner added more soft serve machines, started carrying froyo, and switched to a self-serve soft serve format. I think changed the waffle recipes as well. The bubble waffles and taiyaki are now bubble mochi waffles and mochi taiyaki. The soft serve is $0.71/oz. They have 10 flavors a day, including a dairy-free option, ice cream, custard, and froyo.

For $8.99, you can get a freshly made bubble mochi waffle (two flavors are available: vanilla and chocolate) with unlimited soft serve and toppings. It’s a good deal but the waffle is fairly large, so it’s a big dessert. I didn’t see any fresh fruit toppings. They only had dry toppings: candy, cereal, cookies, coconut, mochi, Pocky, and Hershey’s syrups. The toppings were neatly labeled.

The mochi bubble waffle was pretty good and I’ve had many bubble waffles. The bits between the puffs were nice and crunchy. The mochi made the waffle a little chewier. The batter wasn’t too sweet. The matcha soft serve ice cream was also good!

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

* WAFFLECOMB, 26240 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91530

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.

Newish Froyo Shop Opens in Lake Balboa

 

Fro-yo girl here. Joy Sedona Frozen Yogurt opened in October 2022 and I only found out about it. I didn’t see any reviews on Yelp though there were some on Google.

Joy Sedona is a self-serve froyo shop in Los Angeles, specifically the Lake Balboa neighborhood of San Fernando Valley. They also sell slushees, smoothies, acai bowls, and scoopable Thrifty ice cream.

The shop is close to six schools and seems to be catering to high school/middle school students and families. At $0.69/oz, it isn’t cheap but it's the closest to all those schools. There are 10 froyo flavors a day, including a no sugar added option.

They have several cup sizes and you can get your own froyo and most of your own toppings. The refrigerated toppings are not self-serve though. They have hot sauces too. Toppings include fruit, popping boba, nuts, candy, mochi, chocolate chips, granola, chocolate pretzels, cereal, cookies, cupcake bites, etc. Toppings were labeled.

The yogurt that I tried was too soft, loose, and runny. The vanilla was also very sweet and bland.

The shop looked clean and had generic signs. A sign with nutrition facts per serving was posted near the froyo cups. Service was friendly. Ask for a frequent buyer card.

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

* JOY SEDONA FROZEN YOGURT: 16927 Vanowen St, Lake Balboa, CA 91406

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.

Abyss Yogurt Inside Abyss Market Opens: Self-Serve Kosher Froyo & Toppings in Valley Village

Fro-yo girl here. Abyss Market was known as Fast Stop Mini Market. Late last year, they changed the name to Abyss Market and they’ve been transforming into a food destination. I’m not sure if ownership also changed. Abyss Market added the Black Rabbit Café late last year. The café serves hot panini sandwiches, salads, wraps, and more from the back of the store. Then, “the dopest liquor store in North Hollywood,” added self-serve froyo in February 2022. The froyo and toppings are certified kosher, with two Cholov Yisroel flavors from Klein’s and the other 8 kosher flavors from Dannon YoCream.

The toppings bar was small and did not include any fresh fruit. For toppings they had candy, nuts, cereal, cookies, sprinkles, and chocolate chips. But for a liquor store froyo set up, it was very clean. The toppings were covered and labeled. They even provided gloves. It’s 70 cents an ounce, more expensive than average but everything is kosher. Menchie’s in Valley Village is 62 cents an ounce and their froyo is kosher, but not all their toppings are kosher.

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

* ABYSS YOGURT: 5406 Whitsett Ave., Valley Village, CA 91607

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.

Partial Self-Serve Returns, Indoor Mall Locations Reopen, Other Shops May Not Reopen?

Menchie's, Ocean Park, Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. On April 5, Los Angeles moved to the orange tier for COVID-19 restrictions. Under the orange tier, restaurants can offer 50% capacity for indoor dining. What does that mean for LA’s froyo shops? I’ve seen a few froyo shops in Los Angeles that were full service begin to offer partial self-serve again but technically, self-serve froyo is still not allowed in California. 

At most froyo places that I've been to that allow self-serve, gloves are provided. You can serve your own froyo but an employee adds the toppings. I was able to serve my own froyo and toppings at a few shops even during the height of the pandemic but most froyo shops adhered to the public health department's guidelines of not offering any self-serve. 

With so many froyo shops now offering partial self-serve, I thought it was allowed but it actually isn't yet. I have been cautious throughout the pandemic, but I would feel comfortable with self-serve froyo if customers and employees wore masks and gloves and hand sanitizer were provided. It doesn't feel fair that customers can dine indoors but they still can't serve their own froyo while wearing masks.

I haven’t seen a froyo shop that allows for indoor dining yet. But I got used to eating froyo in my car. You can eat inside a mall again, so froyo shops in indoor malls like Yogurtland Montebello and Yogurtland Century City have reopened. Yogurtand Cerritos is still “temporarily closed.” Will it ever reopen? Menchie’s on Ocean Park in Santa Monica looks like it just closed but it hasn’t been open for months. All the equipment is still inside and the signs are still up.

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.

Tutti Frutti Menlo Park’s Replacement, Cup O’ Tea

Fro-yo girl here. I didn’t get a chance to try Cup O’Tea in Menlo Park, CA, the frist time I saw it. I recently visited for the first time.

The interior looks the same as before, when it was still Tutti Frutti. They had 6 self serve froyo flavors a day. Most of the flavor signs seemed to be Dannon YoCream signs, but they also had a few Tutti Frutti flavor signs. Toppings included fruit (it did not look fresh), jellies, boba, cereal, candy, coconut, cookies, nuts, cookie dough, etc. I didn’t see a price posted, but the employee thought it was 59 cents an ounce.

The drink menu includes milk tea, snowy, slushy and hot drinks. They also added garlic noodles.

They still had Tutti Frutti cups. I asked about sample cups and received one.

The mochi that I chose was hard and dried out. The other toppings looked old. Half of the toppings bar was empty! Sad.

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

* CUP O’TEA: 888 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025

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 Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Grand Opening

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland Baldwin Hills opened in August 2017. Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, bordering Culver City and close to the Coliseum. The grand opening celebration is today, October 22, 2017.

The schedule of events:

• 11 AM – 2 PM: free froyo and toppings
• 2 PM – 5 PM: balloon artist and face painting
• 5 PM – 8 PM: prizes and giveaways
• 8 PM – close: buy one, get one free

I went for the free froyo, of course. They handed everyone a small cup which you could fill with as much froyo and toppings as you wanted. To encourage you to sign up for the app, anyone who signed up was able to spin the prize wheel for a chance to win Yogurtland tote bags, slap on spoon bracelets, giant spoons, coupons and beach balls. They had a live DJ, Vicious Lee.

The new location is between Subway and Chipotle, across from Macy’s. They have 16 self-serve flavors a day and the usual Yogurtland toppings. The green tile wall has been replaced by the sleek faux wood wall. Normally, it’s 47 cents an ounce.

We received coupons for future visits good at the Baldwin Hills location only.

P.S. I heard that more ice cream flavors are in the works. The new soft serve ice cream is a big hit.

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

* YOGURTLAND BALDWIN HILLS: 3939 E Crenshaw Blvd, Suite C, Los Angeles, CA 90008

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 Eagle Rock (Los Angeles, CA) Opens on May 23

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s Eagle Rock is now swirling in the plaza anchored by Sprouts. Today was the first day. They’re still in soft opening mode, with a grand opening celebration scheduled to begin this Saturday, May 27. The festivities will last for a week with free froyo from 11 AM – 1 PM on May 27. Menchie made an appearance today and he will return this Saturday for the ribbon cutting.

There are 12 self-serve froyo flavors a day for 51 cents an ounce. They make waffle bowls on site and also offer froyo cakes, with custom cake designs availabble. You can also buy Menchie’s merchandise like lip gloss, pencils, etc.

Earn free froyo by joining My Smileage. They didn’t have Nut Job 2 cups or this month’s featured flavors (Oreo) but that’s because they just opened. They did have Nut Job 2 sticker sheets though.

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

* MENCHIE’S EAGLE ROCK: 4929 N Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041

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.

First Visit to U-Swirl

Fro-yo girl here. I didn’t realize that the U-Swirl chain had locations in California. Their first California location opened a few years ago in Chico, CA. That location has since closed. This year they opened their second location in Southern California in Downey in August 2016. The first SoCal location in San Clemente opened in December 2015.

The San Clemente U-Swirl is co-branded with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The Downey one is not. U-Swirl describes itself as follows: “Unlike conventional frozen yogurt shops where you must wait for service only to have the clerk skimp on a few toppings, at U-Swirl you simply pick up a cup, swirl it with any combinations of yogurt flavors, then top it off with your favorite toppings. Choose one, three, ten toppings. Make it healthy, or decadent -- it's up to you! And because your creation is priced by weight, you even control what you pay.” That description could apply to any self-serve frozen yogurt shop.

U-Swirl Downey was clean and pleasant but the interior felt sterile without much personality. The flavor posters in the window were nice but generic looking. The yogurt wall had white and blue rectangular tiles. There were 12 self-serve flavors with the middle handle labeled as well (as a separate swirl flavor). If you count the middle handle, they had 18 flavors. It’s 47 cents an ounce, a bit cheaper than the Menchie’s down the street (Menchie’s is 49 cents an ounce).

The froyo flavors were typical, e.g., peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, cake batter, pumpkin pie, etc. The texture was on the icy side. The flavors were average. Pumpkin pie tasted like spiced apple pie rather than pumpkin. Odd. Original tart was on the icy side and was about average in tartness. Flavorwise, I prefer Menchie’s and Yogurtland.

The toppings bar was a bit better. I liked how there were big pieces of brownies, big chunks of Butterfinger, Peanut M&Ms, cupcake bites and Magic Shell. They also had your typical mochi, popping boba, candy, fruit, nuts, coconut, cookies, cereal, chocolate chips and syrups.

There are currently 43 U-Swirl locations listed on the U-Swirl website.

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

* U-SWIRL: 8855 Apollo Way St. 220, Downey, CA 90242

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.

Yogofina Elmwood Finally Opens

Fro-yo girl here. The news first broke that Yogofina planned to open a new location in the Elmwood neighborhood of Berkeley back in March 2015. When a year had passed without an update, I started to wonder if Yogofina would ever open. Yogofina finally opened in September.

A friend took some pictures of the shop and shared them with me. It’s a small self-serve shop and the layout reminds me of their Lakeshore location. They do have a rewards program but it’s different than the one for other Yogofina locations. There are 14 self-serve flavors a day and lots of toppings.

* YOGOFINA: 2911 College Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705

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.