Froyo Scene in Garden Grove, CA

 

Fro-yo girl here. Garden Grove in northern Orange County is far enough away that I don’t visit very often. The population was 172,361 in 2024. Garden Grove is the home of the Crystal Cathedral (renamed Christ Cathedral), Little Saigon, and a sizeable Korean-American population.

As for froyo, there are two current froyo shops, Yogurtland on Brookhurst, which opened in 2011, and Yogurtland on Chapman which opened in 2016.

I found seven closed froyo shops. TCBY was probably the oldest froyo shop. It closed before the second wave of froyo shops. Dolci Mango, which was counter-serve, was the first second-wave froyo shop to open in Garden Grove in 2008. Tutti Frutti may have been the first self-serve froyo shop in Garden Grove.

Costco is still open, but the snack bar no longer serves froyo.

Places To Get Froyo

• Yogurtland, 9755 Chapman Ave, opened at the Promenade in 2016
• Yogurtland, 13920 Brookhurst St A, opened at Garden Grove Plaza in 2011

Closed Froyo Shops

• Berry’s on Top, 12901 Harbor Blvd a5, was a self-serve froyo shop that also offered waffles, crepes, elote, fruit bowls, and more. It opened in 2016 and closed in 2022.
• Cefiore, 8871 Garden Grove, was a counter-serve Italian froyo franchise that was open from 2008 – 2013. They also served snow ice, waffles, smoothies, and drinks.
• Cherry On Top, 11931 Valley View St, was a branch of a self-serve froyo franchise. This location opened in the Eastgate Shopping Center in 2016 and closed in 2019
• Dolci Mango, 10130 Garden Grove Blvd, may have opened and closed in 2008. It was similar to Pinkberry, counter-serve with tart froyo.
• TCBY, 12161 Garden Grove Blvd, opened and closed a long time ago, possibly before 2006.
• Tutti Frutti, 14102 Brookhurst St, was open from 2009 – 2010.
• Yogurt Cravings, 14291 Euclid St, had an online listing but no information about when it opened or closed.:

Still Open, Stopped Serving Froyo

• Costco, 11000 Garden Grove Blvd, stopped serving froyo in 2020

Did I miss any froyo shops in Garden Grove? If so, 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.

Yogurtland’s Disney Pixar Hoppers Promotion

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland is currently promoting the upcoming Disney and Pixar animated movie, Hoppers. The movie arrives in theaters on March 6.

The promotion includes an exclusive flavor called Mabel’s Nutty Adventure. It’s Yogurtland’s NSA Pecans and Praline froyo with a new name. They’re also giving away free Yogurtland Hoppers sticker sheets.

The sticker sheet has nine stickers. Most of the stickers are the characters in Hoppers, I assume.

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.

Lillie Frozen Yogurt Friends & Family Night and Launch Details

Fro-yo girl here. I had the privilege of attending Lillie Frozen Yogurt’s friends and family night in Beverly Hills on February 21. The official opening is next Saturday night. They’ll be open on Saturday nights at Layla Bagels until they find a brick and mortar space (hope that happens soon).

The froyo is made with four ingredients. It’s all natural, organic, nutrient-dense, and has half the sugar of your typical froyo. And it actually tastes like real tart yogurt. I’m so thrilled because the froyo is phenomenal – thick, smooth, flavorful, tart, and natural. Even better, the toppings (except for the fresh fruit) are housemade.

It isn’t self-serve. There is one machine with two froyo flavor options (they have created a variety of flavors). Toppings include hard shell; fruit, honey, rice crunchies, brownies, honey oat shortbread cubes (so good), and praline toffee crumble. 

I’m going to be a regular once the shop opens.

I met the owner, Ethan, and his passion for froyo impressed me! Follow Lillie on Instagram @lillieyogurt.

* LILLIE FROZEN YOGURT: 233 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

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’s New Cups and Birthday Giveaway

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland has new 20th anniversary cups. The graphic features the 20th anniversary on one side and the words "Love Joy Hope" on the other.

Visit Yogurtland on February 25 for a free 8 oz cups of birthday cupcake batter frozen yogurt with any in-store purchase while supplies last. One free cup per transaction. February 25 is Yogurtland’s official 20th birthday. HBD, Yogurtland!

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’s New Flavor, Raspberry Romance

Fro-yo girl here. Yoga-urt introduced a flavor inspired by Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day. Raspberry Romance froyo tastes just like fresh raspberries but the texture and flavor are better than sorbet and gelato because it’s thick and creamy. The soft serve is also very tangy and seems less sweet than usual. So good. And the color of the soft serve is so pretty. It’s swirling at all Yoga-urt locations and available via Uber Eats as well.

The soft serve has live and active cultures, and it’s organic.

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.

Trying the Viral Japanese Cheesecake Trend

 

Fro-yo girl here. I must have seen the viral cheesecake recipe a few dozen times one week on Instagram. It seems so easy, and yogurt is the main ingredient, so I decided to try it. The basic recipe is yogurt that you put crunchy cookies in and let soften for a few hours. It’s supposed to be like cheesecake.

I went with Siggi’s Icelandic Style Whole Milk Yogurt - Lemon, which is thick and rich. And I added Trader Joe’s Speculoos cookies. I love both.

After letting the cookies sit in the yogurt overnight, I tried the combination. It was good, like a cookie dip, but not as sweet.

It comes down to whether you like your Speculoos cookies crunchy or soft. I like them crunchy. I’d rather have the yogurt with crunchy Speculoos cookies on top.

I tried the method again, using crunchy granola this time. I liked the softened granola better than the softened cookies. But do I prefer the softened granola to the crunchy granola? I do not.

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.

History of Yogurtland in Irvine

first Yogurtland in Irvine

Fro-yo girl here. With Yogurtland turning 20 this year, I was inspired to look at the history of Yogurtland in Irvine. While the first Yogurtland opened in 2006 in Fullerton, CA, Irvine became Yogurtland’s stronghold. It’s been the home of Yogurtland's HQ since 2012.

Currently, there are four Yogurtland branches in Irvine. Three branches have closed. At its peak, Yogurtland had six branches in Irvine.

Irvine's population is estimated to be around 320,000, so it's large enough to support multiple Yogurtland branches.

Yogurtland Branches in Irvine

Yogurtland, 14775 Jeffrey Rd., Ste. J, Irvine, CA 92618

• Opened 2007
• Closed 2022

This was the first Yogurtland in Irvine. It opened in 2007, the year after Yogurtland was founded. I visited several times, because it was also a test location. They tested breakfast items and fancy cones here. They had 16 self-serve flavors a day.

Yogurtland, 4970 Irvine Blvd #110, Irvine, CA 92620

The Yogurtland on Irvine Blvd is known as Northwood since it is in the Northwood Town Center. This branch offered 16 self-serve flavors a day. The location closed because the landlord did not want to renew the lease.

• Opened 2008
• Closed March 2023

Yogurtland, 4187 Campus Dr #M-172, Irvine, CA 92612

This Yogurtland location at University Center opened in 2008 across the street from UCI. It’s a smaller location with just 10 self-serve froyo flavors a day and toppings.

• Opened 2008
• Still open

Yogurtland - Jamboree Road (Market Place): 13260 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA 92602

Known as The Market Place, this Yogurtland branch on Jamboree Rd. It features 16 self-serve flavors a day and was also remodeled (the faux wood replaced the square green tiles). I still have to visit this location.

• Opened in 2009
• Still open

Yogurtland, 2738 Alton Pkwy Ste 113, Irvine, CA 92614

Yogurtland on Alton holds the distinction of being the shortest-lived Yogurtland in Irvine. I did not visit it.

• Opened 2010
• Closed in 2014

Yogurtland, 733 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618

Yogurtland opened at the Irvine Spectrum, an outdoor shopping mall, in 2015. The location is narrow, but they did squeeze in 8 machines (16 self-serve flavors a day) and the usual Yogurtland toppings. There is no indoor seating, but they have a few small tables outside.

• Opened in 2015
• Still open

Yogurtland, 4616 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92604

This is the newest Yogurtland location in Irvine; it opened in 2018 at Woodbridge Village Center. There are 16 self-serve flavors a day.

• Open 2018
• Still open

I’ve visited five Yogurtland branches in Irvine, as well as the headquarters.

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.