Eighteen Years of Fro-Yo Girl Speaks

1st visit to Yogurtland in El Monte

Fro-yo girl here. Yes, I’ve been blogging about frozen yogurt. When I started this blog, frozen yogurt was in the middle of its second wave, and I didn’t think that I’d still be writing about froyo all these years later. Froyo is resilient, and the third wave is happening right now.

The survivors of the first and second wave are still around too. Yogurtland (second wave) turns twenty this year, Yogen Fruz (first wave) celebrates 40 years, and TCBY (first wave) turns 45.

The pandemic was extremely difficult for self-serve froyo shops, but quite a few survived and now the scene has evolved. The new wave is characterized by Greek froyo, smaller cups, a return to counter-serve, and elevated toppings. I’ve definitely seen more froyo shops open. The froyo hot spots are South Florida and NYC. Los Angeles has seen more pop-ups, more shops, and other types of businesses that have added froyo (usually Greek froyo) this year.

In my 17th blogiversary post I mentioned trying five new froyo shops and trailers from January – October 2025. This year, that number is thirteen. It includes several pop-ups, a vending machine, three existing businesses that added froyo, and froyo shops.

I’ve collected thirteen new froyo spoons so far this year, compared to eight this time last year.

I visited the two froyo hot spots, NYC in February and Miami in April. It’s interesting how the scenes were different. Miami’s froyo shops were similar to MYKA: counter-serve, small shops, Greek froyo, elevated toppings. I appreciated the lower sugar emphasis. Meli was my favorite froyo shop in Miami. NYC’s froyo scene was more diverse, with Aussie-style self-serve shop Mimi’s, fancy Madison Fare, and Asian-style Yogurt Club. Culture is still my favorite froyo shop in NYC. MYKA opened in NYC after my visit, and it also opened in Boston and La Jolla, California.

Ice cream shops are also offering froyo in greater numbers. Salt & Straw introduced multiple froyo flavors, and Van Leeuwen has been adding froyo to new and existing scoop shops.

There hasn’t been a major froyo shop closing in California this year, so that’s really good news.

I also visited Pittsburgh, PA, so you’ll be hearing about the Pittsburgh froyo scene soon.

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.

17th Blogiversary of Fro-yo Girl Speaks

 

new SWRLIES trailer 

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-Yo Girl Speaks turns seventeen today, and I’m taking a moment to reflect on the year in froyo so far. There’s been much talk about the resurgence of froyo, particularly among Gen Z. I do see that Yogurtland on Lake in Pasadena is usually busy at night, and I’ve been surprised by the groups of teens who visit Pinkberry after school without their parents. Most of my froyo friends rarely get froyo these days.

I'm a regular at Yogurtland, Menchie's, Pinkberry, and Yoga-urt. I also like to get froyo from Pita GR, Go Greek, and Anita Gelato.

I’ve tried five brand new froyo shops and trailers this year, fewer than this time last year. These were Go Greek Newport Beach, Nick the Greek North Hollywood (not a froyo shop, but serves Greek froyo), SWRLIES in Highland Park, Golden Spoon in Laguna Beach, and Neptune’s Frozen Treats in Palos Verdes Estates. I made it to one opening day (not the grand opening, though) for Neptune’s Frozen Treats in Rancho Palos Verdes. There have been other new froyo shops, but they’ve mostly been in the OC and San Diego.

I’ve collected eight new froyo spoons (vs. nine last year).

I haven’t been on any froyo trips this year, but I’m heading somewhere next month for froyo. I also went to Vancouver, Canada, last December and had some excellent froyo at Krave Kulture and Killer Ice Cream.

While there haven’t been that many froyo shop openings in Los Angeles County, I did find lots of new froyo at supermarkets, including Chara Greek froyo, Le Zette (sheep’s milk froyo), TruJoy (Greek froyo), and Kri Kri (imported from Greece). Yasso even brought back their spoonable pints.

Salt & Straw came out with Wildflower Honey & Lemon Chess Pie Froyo this summer. I could barely taste the lemon, and there wasn’t much tang, so I was disappointed.

Cantaloop and Frog Frozen Yogurt closed after 17 and 13 years in Hollywood, respectively.

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.

Fro-yo Girl Speaks 16th Blogiversary

Easy Breezy, Walnut Creek

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-yo Girl Speaks turns 16 today, so I’d like to reflect on the year in froyo. Of course, I still love froyo, and I think it’s been a good year for froyo. I’ve visited seven new places for froyo:

• Cuppa Yo, Dublin
• Easy Breezy, Walnut Creek
• Golden Spoon, Tustin. I made it to the grand opening for free froyo.
• Go Greek, Studio City
• Scoop & Cone, West Hollywood
• Yoga-urt, Granada Hills. I made it to the opening day.
• Yogurtland, Santa Monica

The grand openings aren’t what they used to be. They’re very modest these days. I haven't been devastated by any froyo shop closings this year, so far.

It’s been a great year for froyo spoons too. I collected nine new froyo spoons and a new one is coming soon to Menchie’s. Yogurtland has been coming out with more giant spoons and they’ve also had more promotions, e.g., A Laufey Day. Froyo Games for the Olympics, PAC-MAN. Multiple Yogurtland locations in the area have been remodeled this year. And they finally got rid of partial serve (i.e., you couldn’t add your own toppings).

Top It! Yogurt Shoppe

I visited Seattle and Salt Lake City and enjoyed some wonderful froyo during those visits. Top It! Frozen Yogurt in Snohomish, WA, was worth renting a car to visit. I finally made it Yagoot, which started offering froyo way back in 1977 (in Ohio) and opened in Salt Lake City last year. I have plans to take another froyo trip this year.

Sadly, the Pinkberry vending machines in the area that were installed last year have disappeared. I do think they were too limited though – offering only one flavor and a few toppings. Amazon Go stopped offering self-serve Pinkberry but they still carry froyo. Prices also continue to rise and average about $0.75/oz now vs. $0.70 this time last year.

Enlightened introduced frozen yogurt bark, which wasn’t any better than the frozen yogurt bark I could easily make at home.

Both Yogurtland and Menchie’s came out with shoe charms. I have both sets but refuse to wear Crocs.

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.

Fro-yo Girl Speaks 15th Blogiversary, October 20

 

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-yo Girl Speaks turns fifteen today. The blogiversary is the time of year that I reflect on the previous year.

I noticed that froyo shop grand openings, if they occur at all, have been toned down. I’ve been to one official froyo shop grand opening this year, Yogurtland in East Pasadena. The froyo was discounted that day ($0.30/oz), but a few years ago they would have had free froyo during the grand opening.

Several shops changed hands or reopened after remodeling, including Menchie’s in Burbank (closed for remodeling), The Yogurt Shoppe (which took over the Menchie’s location in Santa Monica, Golden Spoon (which took over the Menchie’s location in Newport Beach), and Pinkberry in Beverly Hills (under new ownership).

Froyo vending machines continue to be installed. The iCream showroom in Los Angeles has multiple froyo vending machines, as well as acai and gelato vending machines.

The roster of new froyo products sold in supermarkets this year includes Jolly Llama Half-Dipped Yogurt Bars, Enlightened Greek Yogurt pints, Enlightened Greek Yogurt bars, Gelatys yogurt gelato bars, Cremily French Frozen Yogurt pints, and Cremily French Frozen Yogurt bars. Noosa also released new frozen yoghurt gelato flavors. The theme of most of these new products is lower sugar and being Keto friendly.

This year I also saw a greater number of new froyo spoon designs, stickers, and limited edition cup designs. Prices continue to inch upwards, approaching nearly $0.70 cents an ounce in the Los Angeles area.

I finally tried fried thick yogurt cubes at L2 Tea Club in San Gabriel. The fried yogurt cubes trend started in China and is slowly spreading to other countries like the US, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

I spotted froyo at some fancier restaurants too. Checker Hall in Highland Park added Greek froyo for the summer menu. Kato, a Michelin star restaurant at The Row in downtown LA that specializes in Taiwanese cuisine, has been serving froyo as part of the tasting menu for years. Froyo isn’t always on the menu, unfortunately.

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.

October 20, Blogiversary Number 14

Amazon Go, Whittier

Fro-yo girl here. I’m celebrating blogiversary #14 today, October 20, 2022 by reflecting on the previous year. Self-serve froyo is back and most people no longer wear masks indoors. A few froyo shops still offer hand sanitizer and gloves. There have been a few froyo shop openings and closings in California, but nothing in Los Angeles – unless you count non-froyo shops like Israel’s Anita Gelato in Tarzana and Amazon Go, the new convenience store in Whittier that serves Pinkberry. Also, iCream has installed five Pinkberry vending machines in Southern California with a sixth location just announced.

Yogurtland in downtown Burbank closed and so did Menchie’s in South Pasadena. It’s still easy for me to get to multiple Yogurtland locations but harder to get to Pinkberry and Menchie’s now. More new flavors and new froyo spoons have come out compared to 2020 – 2021.

Noosa finally introduced their frozen yogurt gelato. I first heard about it five years ago. Well, their yogurt is better than their frozen yogurt gelato. The latter is more like gelato than yogurt.

I’ve been to one froyo shop grand opening, Golden Spoon in Valencia, but they didn’t seem to be celebrating. Maybe it was the soft opening?

Prices are up at froyo shops – hovering in the mid to high $0.60 cent range at self-serve shops.

The first thick cut, bite-size, frozen yogurt cube shop opened in the US – in Seattle, Washington. The shop is called YoYo & CoCo. The trend started in mainland China and spread to Australia and Asia. I wonder if yogurt cube shops will open in California.

Many of the Yomie’s purple rice yogurt shops have changed names. I’ve had hard/old purple rice a few times recently, so I’m hesitant to get more purple rice yogurt.

Several lower sugar Asian bakeries have opened. Yu Cake is the best one that I’ve tried. They have locations in San Gabriel, Rosemead, and City of Industry. My favorite cake is the yogurt cake roll. The cake has a filling of yogurt flavored whipped cream that’s tangy and tastes like yogurt. So good! Pretty too! They even have yogurt flavored cake in other forms: box cake, jar cake, and mille crepe cake.

Acai places keep opening. I went to a couple and the base doesn't have much flavor as froyo. The toppings are good though. The fruit is often fresher than the fruit at froyo shops and they have more nut butters, seeds, and healthier toppings.

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.

Blogiversary Number 13

Fro-yo girl here. I’m celebrating blogiversary #13 on October 20 and reflecting back on the previous year. While the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, things are much better in California now, thanks to higher than average vaccination rates and the continued requirement to wear masks indoors. Most self-serve froyo shops have resumed offering self-serve. While some shops still offer hand sanitizer and gloves, they seem less vigilant about it.

As for froyo, it’s still been a tough period with supply and labor shortages, as well as inflation and higher prices. Some shops changed ownership during the pandemic or are barely getting by. Older froyo shops are closing for good, including multiple locations of Menchie’s, Yogurtland, and Pinkberry, but a few new ones have opened. There have been way more new froyo flavors and new froyo spoons than in 2020, so that’s something for which to be thankful. It does seem like froyo innovation has waned though.

I was able to catch one episode of the new Gossip Girl (wasn’t a fan) but it’s on HBO Max, to which I don’t have a subscription. I got tired of those boba ice cream bars and I like purple rice yogurt but I don’t crave them the way I do froyo.

I’ve only been to one grand opening this year: Yoga-urt’s grand opening in Santa Monica on October 16. I suspect it’s the only froyo shop grand opening I’ll attend this year. But, I’m still going to froyo shops that I haven’t been to in and around Los Angeles and Orange County. There are still plenty left but the majority are chains. I did have some wonderful new froyo at Tahini in Alameda; I’m still loving plain Greek froyo with Greek toppings!

Last year I only attended one froyo grand opening, Razzle Dazzle in Upland. Sadly, they closed last summer.

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.

Fro-yo Girl Speaks Blogiversary Number 12

 

Fro-yo girl here. Twelve years, on October 20, 2008, I posted my first blog post on Fro-yo Girl Speaks. Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been up to over the past year. The year started out like the others with plenty of National Frozen Yogurt Day and froyo Valentine’s Day promotions. But then everything changed in mid-March.

Like most people, the coronavirus pandemic has significantly changed my life. I don’t go out as much as I used to and I haven’t been able to visit as many froyo shops as I’d like. Froyo activity has slowed as well – fewer new flavors, fewer new spoons, fewer shop openings. The only grand opening that I’ve attended this year was Razzle Dazzle’s in Upland, California. I haven’t found any new froyo place to rave about but that's because hardly any new ones have opened.

I’m relieved that I was able to sell my extra froyo spoons on eBay. I sold hundreds of froyo spoons. Yay! I’ve been busy eating boba ice cream bars and Yasso Chocolate Dipped Bars. Mr. Froyo will only eat froyo from Yoga-urt now.

And for some good news, the Gossip Girl reboot has been given the green light, with a new story and new cast. The release date on HBO Max has yet to be announced. Kristen Bell will be back as the narrator.

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.