Fro-yo Chicago Report: Downtown

Fro-yo girl here. I found the best fro-yo in downtown Chicago...but it's not at a fro-yo shop. It's at Graham Elliott's fancy/fun sandwich shop, Grahamwich. They only have one kind of fro-yo, Greek yogurt and it comes with paired toppings: pomegranate seeds, shaved chocolate and chestnuts ($4). Pomegranate season is almost over, so I wonder what new fro-yo/toppings combination they'll come up with next. I hope they keep the Greek fro-yo. I loved how it was sour and not too sweet and actually tasted like yogurt, not ice cream. The texture was smooth and icy (but not watery).

Kingoberry opened up in the Printer's Row area about three months ago, inside Pockets. They serve Love's Yogurt. They will deliver fro-yo to you. The price is very reasonable but they only have two fro-yo flavors.


It was sad to see the shuttered Berry Chill. The sign said it was closed temporarily closed for emergency repairs. I spotted two "coming soon" freshii signs downtown, so I'm guessing that means more fro-yo is on the way.

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

* GRAHAMWICH: 615 N. State St., Chicago, IL
* FRESHII (coming soon): 161 North Clark, 200 W Randolph, Chicago, IL
* KINGOBERRY: 555 S. Dearborn, Chicago, IL
* BERRY CHILL: 635 N. State St., Chicago, IL

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: ULove Yogurt in Burlingame

Fro-yo girl here. Thanks to Earl G. for the tip on the new coming soon fro-yo sign on Burlingame Avenue. The new shop is called ULove Yogurt. The door was open so I peeked inside. It seems like there's still quite a bit of work to be done. I couldn't tell how many machines they plan on having or even if it's going to be self-serve.






It's a tough spot to open because there are three excellent fro-yo shops within three blocks. Others have tried to serve fro-yo there (e.g., Cherimoya) and given up. There's also an abundance of cupcake, ice cream and gelato options in downtown Burlingame.

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

* ULOVE YOGURT: 1118 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame, CA

Pinkberry 2nd San Jose Location Grand Opening News

Fro-yo girl here. I know many of you are diehard Pinkberry fans, so I wanted to share their newest press release with you. It contains exciting news for Northern California. The second San Jose Pinkberry will have its grand opening event on March 3. They'll roll out the pink carpet between 6 - 10 PM with free fro-yo, a special guest DJ and more. I know it's on my calendar.

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

* PINKBERRY PUEBLO PLAZA: 1110 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, CA

And here's the press release:

More Swirly Goodness Comes to Northern California on March 3

SAN JOSE, Calif (February 22, 2011) – Pinkberry, the number one tart frozen yogurt brand, will open its second San Jose location on March 3, 2011 at 1110 Blossom Hill Road – in the Pueblo Plaza shopping center. The Pinkberry Pueblo Plaza grand opening event will be held on Thursday, March 3. Consumers who stop by anytime from 6:00 p.m. through 10:00 p.m. on Thursday will enjoy free Pinkberry, musical entertainment and a special guest DJ appearance by Evan Taubenfeld, singer, songwriter and lead guitarist for Avril Lavigne.

Pinkberry is premium frozen yogurt made with real non-fat yogurt and nonfat milk that is rBST hormone free. Pinkberry is made with only the highest quality ingredients and is the perfect balance of tangy and sweet, resulting in a refreshing, clean and craveable taste.

The Pueblo Plaza location will be will be serving Pinkberry’s six distinctive flavors: the signature Original flavor, a sweet and tangy yogurt with a refreshing finish; Pomegranate, a bold and tangy flavor made with 100 percent California-grown pure pomegranate juice; Coconut, smooth and subtle, made with real coconut puree for a fresh and cool finish; a rich, indulgent Chocolate; Mango, a fruity and light flavor made with authentic Alphonso mango puree for a soothing finish; and a Featured Flavor that rotates seasonally, such as the recent Blood Orange, paired with succulent blood orange pieces, fresh blood orange purée and a crisp waffle cookie.

Customers can personalize every yogurt experience at Pinkberry with any combination of delicious toppings. At Pinkberry, uncompromising quality is paramount and the toppings bar is no exception. Each topping is selected with the highest quality standards, whether it’s Grade-A fresh fruit that is hand-cut daily in-store, organic gummy bears with no high fructose corn-syrup, all natural honey almond granola, 100% pure Pomegranate juice, or rich, premium Belgian chocolate shavings. Toppings are thoughtfully selected as a unique and delicious complement to the various Pinkberry frozen yogurt flavors.

In addition to frozen yogurt and toppings for immediate consumption, Pinkberry also offers Pinkberry Take Home, which is 25 ounces of Pinkberry, swirled-to-order and packed on ice to ensure your Swirly Goodness will get home safely to your freezer. Pinkberry also offers Fruit Parfaits, Smoothies, and Fresh Fruit Bowls as fresh and satiating choices for any time of day.

The new Pueblo Plaza store incorporates modern furnishings and clean lines into an inviting, lively atmosphere that mirrors Pinkberry store concepts across the country and established in Southern California and New York. San Jose residents are invited to experience its uniquely refreshing combination of tastes, textures and flavors as Pinkberry swirls daily in Pueblo Plaza from 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Local fans who want up-to-the minute news and discount offers should sign up to be a Pinkberry Groupie at www.pinkberry.com/groupie. The brand can also be found on Facebook and at Twitter @pinkberryswirl.

About Pinkberry
Pinkberry reinvented the frozen yogurt category when it launched in West Hollywood, CA, in January 2005. Today it is the most talked about, best tasting, premium frozen yogurt, made with high-quality fresh ingredients. From store design to exceptional customer service to irresistible flavors and toppings, Pinkberry provides a social experience that indulges the senses. Pinkberry’s distinctive flavors are expertly crafted to complement its daily fresh-cut fruit and premium toppings that offer an irresistibly tangy, incomparably clean and refreshing taste. Pinkberry is certified by the National Yogurt Association and carries the Live & Active Cultures Seal. Get a taste of Swirly Goodness by visiting www.pinkberry.com.

Fro-yo Shop Loyalty Style Poll Results

Fro-yo girl here. I posed the question to readers, what's your fro-yo shop loyalty style? The results are in.

You readers are a loyal group; 35% have a few favorite fro-yo shops that you usually go to and 30% go to one particular shop most of the time. Sixteen percent are variety seekers who always want to try the newest fro-yo shop. And 16% are driven primarily by convenience. The results are encouraging since most businesses need loyal customers (repeat customers, positive word of mouth). Though I've heard some people say that all fro-yo shops are the same (an opinion I can't understand), the majority of readers are loyal to the shops that deliver on what they're looking for (taste).

I'm personally a cross between someone who goes to a few favorite fro-yo shops and someone who will try any place that's new. Of course I have favorite shops but I also need to try every place.

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

Western Freezers Open House & Tasting

Fro-yo girl here. Today I attended Western Freezers' open house, an event sponsored by YoCream and Palo Alto Egg. These type of events are perfect for (1) fro-yo networking, meeting people who are passionate about fro-yo, including vendors and fro-yo shop owners, (2) checking out the latest industry trends, (3) learning about fro-yo machines. I was excited to spot Chilaberries fro-yo van. I haven't been to their stores yet (they're in Tracy, Manteca, Patterson) but I saw some pictures of the stores and the elaborate decor was impressive. One store has an "under the sea" theme. Their Yeti mascot is a cutie. Apparently they carry 150 toppings, the most in the Bay Area.


Western Freezers carries Stoelting equipment, including fro-yo machines, frozen slush dispensers, hoodless fryers and more. It was interesting to see some old Stoelting fro-yo machines, including a 30 year old model that still works well. It featured an unusual side handle (vs. the usual style where you pull the handle down to dispense the product).




Palo Alto Egg is a Northern California food service distributor and they distribute YoCream, toppings, etc. They provided samples of juice poppers and colored jellies. The poppers seem to be catching on at fro-yo shops.

Yo Designs offers pre-fabricated design solutions (custom fro-yo kiosks) that allow you to have a completed kiosk in as little as four weeks.

YoCream brought five exciting new fro-yo flavors: Greek Yogurt, Thin Mint, Angel Food Cake, Strawberry Lemonade & Pink Grapefruit. Pink grapefruit was my favorite. It was tart and refreshing, with a strong grapefruit flavor. It had a bit of bitterness but that's natural for grapefruit. The strawberry lemonade was my second favorite. It was very tart and tasted mostly like lemonade (much more so than strawberry). Thin Mint was excellent, creamy mint chocolate flavor that would be so good with crushed cookies or a thin chocolate shell. The Greek Yogurt was very creamy but not sour enough...but they plan on adding honey to it. I'd love to try it again with the added honey flavor. Angel food cake wasn't as sweet as some of the cake batter/cupcake flavors (which is a good thing).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
* WESTERN FREEZERS: 42285 Osgood Rd, Unit F, Fremont, CA

Pinkberry Swirly Gram Picture

Fro-yo girl here. Were you lucky enough to be showered with fro-yo on Valentine's Day? Did you receive a Pinkberry Swirly Gram? I wanted to share a picture of my Swirly Gram. Isn't it adorable? The fluffy, fancy white bow is as big as the cup. It comes with a gift card where you can write something sweet. The pink and white striped cup is elegant and the inner lid even features standing red hearts. Awww. I didn't get the heart shaped balloons - guess you needed to choose the hand-delivery to get those.

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

400 Fro-yo Reviews Written

Fro-yo girl here. I'm keeping track of fro-yo review milestones and I reached the 400th Yelp fro-yo review today. I reached 300 reviews with my Tuttimelon Blackhawk review on May 1, 2010. My 400th review is for Tuttimelon Novato. I did wait to post it because I wanted to review a place I really liked for my milestone review. Over the years, I've reviewed fro-yo shops in five states: CA, NY, MA, IL, OR. I'm hoping to add to that list this year. I just had fro-yo today...seems like I'll never get tired of it!

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