Lyft Rider Guides Include Top Frozen Yogurt Shops in Multiple Cities

Fro-yo girl here. I stumbled across Lyft’s rider guides online and found several city guides for top frozen yogurt shops. The shops are picked because they are the “most visited” by Lyft riders according to 2020 Lyft rider data.

For example, in the Culver City area of Los Angeles, Menchie’s on Sawtelle is listed as the top/most visited frozen yogurt shop. The Lyft webpage provides the address, hours of operation, phone number, website, a short description of the shop and a button to book a ride. The information on the page looks pretty current but there are cases where the most visited frozen yogurt shop is either temporarily or permanently closed.

Here are some of the most visited frozen yogurt shops, according to Lyft:

• Crenshaw, CA: Yogurtland
• Culver City (Los Angeles, CA): Menchie’s
• Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA: Pinkberry and Yogurtland
• Long Beach, CA: Pinkberry and Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt on the Boardwalk
• Redwood City, CA: Yumi Yogurt and Yoho. I know that Yumi Yogurt definitely closed. The final day of business was September 15, 2019. The city guide must not have been updated since then. I’ve never even heard of Yoho Frozen Yogurt and no address is provided. Strange. Oh wait, I know about Yoppi Yogurt in downtown Redwood City. They changed their name to Yoho. The top shops are supposedly determined by 2020 Lyft ride data. But Yumi Yogurt closed in 2019.
• Santa Monica, CA: Menchie’s & Pinkberry
• Sherman Oaks, CA: Menchie’s
• University Town Center, Irvine, CA: Yogurtland. Irvine is where Yogurtland HQ is located.
• Hayhurst, Portland, OR: Sunny’s Legendary Frozen Yogurt
• South Tacoma, Tacoma, WA: Menchie’s
• Glendale, NY: Menchie’s
• Saint Paul, MN: Menchie’s
• Avondale, Chicago, IL: Forever Yogurt
• Hancock, Austin, TX: Menchie’s
• Midtown NYC (New York, NY): Uptown Swirl – Google indicates that this shop is permanently closed (Google is sometimes wrong though). It was open earlier this year.
• Downtown Washington DC: FroZenYo. Yelp marks this location as permanently closed but Google does not. Google reviews are still being posted, as recently as 3 weeks ago.
• Midtown Atlanta, GA: Yoforia. This location is marked as permanently closed by Google and Yelp. It was open earlier this year. Yoforia Midtown was the last location of a regional chain that at one point had 12 locations in Georgia and a few in Charlotte, NC.

According to the rider data, Menchie’s is the most popular. It also has the most locations.

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.

SLW Yogurt Drink Review

Fro-yo girl here. I was shopping at Good Fortune Supermarket in Monrovia, CA when I spotted bottled yogurt drinks. They looked like glass baby bottles and were priced at $2.99 each for a 280ml drink. The drinks are from Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China.

The original drink was creamy, tangy, and sweet. It reminded me of Beijing Yogurt. It was sweet but not crazy sweet and tasted more natural and more like yogurt than Yakult. Surprisingly, it wasn’t refrigerated.

One bottle is 200 calories, 4.5g total fat, 37g total carbs, 36g total sugars and 3g protein. The ingredient list is longish (it’s not just yogurt and water).

Available flavors: Mango, original, strawberry

4 out of 5 stars.

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.

Holsum/Holsom by Yogurtland, New Concept Coming Soon?

Fro-yo girl here. Trademarkia is an interesting site which allows you to search for trademarks. Current and expired trademarks are searchable.

On April 3, 2020, Yogurtland Franchising, Inc. filed a US federal trademark registration for HOLSOM BY YOGURTLAND and HOLSUM. Holsom by Yogurtland and Holsum are trademarks for a restaurant concept “featuring bakery products, acai bowls, yogurt, frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt toppings, coffee, tea and smoothies.”

Could Yogurtland be planning a name change to reflect an expanded menu? Or will Holsom/Holsum be a related concept? Yogurtland has already served all the items listed on the trademark application – not chain-wide but in a few test stores. I miss those croiffles!

Do you like the name Holsum or Holsom? I don’t…but I’m biased against non-standard spellings. Holsum/holsom conveys a sense that the offerings are healthy though. I guess Wholesome was already taken? Nourish, Nourished, Be Nourished are taken. Maybe Y Nourish? Orange Leaf had Purpose, a Snackery, which was a cute name.

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.

85C Bakery’s Ice Cream Mochi

Fro-yo girl here. The 85 Degrees in Pasadena, CA has been closed for months (temporarily?) due to the coronavirus, so I hadn’t visited one in months. They added oolong milk tea (yay, finally) and ice cream mochi since my last visit. The mochi ice cream come in a pack of two for $3.50. There were three flavors: mango, strawberry and vanilla.

Vanilla: The mochi shell part looked yellower than it would naturally but was soft and chewy. However, it was also crazy sweet. The ice cream part didn’t have much vanilla flavor and had an icy edge.

Strawberry: The shell looked unnaturally pink. The shell was soft, chewy and way too sweet. The ice cream had an unpleasant aftertaste.

The mochi ice cream are flatter but bigger than the leading brand, Mikawaya. Mikawaya’s mochi ice cream is far tastier than 85C’s version.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

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

85C Bakery Café: 300 W Main St., Ste. 100, Alhambra, CA 91801

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.

Time Is Running Out to Take the National Froyo Consumer Survey, Take the Survey for a Chance to Win Free Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. If you’ve ever visited a froyo shop and you’re over 13 in the US, you're eligible to take the National Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey. The short survey, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association, asks about your current froyo consumption, and your frozen yogurt attitudes and preferences.

All eligible survey participants will be entered into a random drawing to win one of four $30 froyo shop gift cards to any US shop that offers online gift cards. The survey is open to anyone over 13 who lives in the US. The four winners will be selected through a random drawing. One entry per person.

Take the 6 minute survey at https://tinyurl.com/froyoconsumer

The survey closes at midnight PST on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

Survey Purpose

The annual National Frozen Yogurt Survey, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association, captures trends in the frozen yogurt market from the perspective of the consumer and the shop owner. This year's consumer survey has been modified with new questions about the impact of COVID-19 on frozen yogurt consumption and attitudes. The IFYA will also compare this year's results with last year's to uncover interesting market trends. The results will be shared with frozen yogurt shops and others in the frozen yogurt industry.

The National Frozen Yogurt Shop Owner Survey launches in early October. You'll be hearing more about the shop owner survey 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.

Cocojune Organic Cultured Coconut Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. The new coconut-based yogurt products keep coming. I recently found Cocojune on sale at Sprouts for $1.99 (regular price, $2.29). The shelf tag also said it was new. Cocojune’s line of organic cultured coconut yogurt is plant-based, vegan, probiotic (with billions of probiotics), non-GMO, pesticide free. The flavors also sounded interesting and appealing. One container is 4 oz (smaller than usual).

The paper cup is eco-friendly. They also claim to have better probiotics. “Our probiotics are science-backed. We’ve teamed up with a leading Danish culture bank to develop our probiotic blend. Each serving of cocojune comes with 30 billion CFU, and includes some of the world’s most researched probiotic strains, such as “BB-12” and “LA-5”. We believe in using cultures with proven potency, as not all strains are created equal.”

Available flavors: Pure Coconut, Vanilla Chamomile, Strawberry Rhubarb, Lemon Elderflower

Strawberry Rhubarb: The consistency was not as thick as Greek yogurt but the yogurt was pretty smooth after stirring. Flavorwise, I really liked how it tasted natural and tangy, and it wasn’t too sweet. The luxurious coconut cream flavor dominated but I could taste the strawberries too. The finish was clean and the berry/rhubarb flavor lingered. Wish it were thicker though. One serving is 15g total fat, 11g total carbs, 7g total sugars and 1g protein.

Lemon Elderfower: The Lemon Elderflower yogurt was a little clumpy because the cream seems to rise to the top. I recommend stirring. The consistency seemed a little thicker than the Strawberry Rhubarb. Lemon Elderflower was quite tangy and sourer than Strawberry Rhubarb. The floral hint of elderflower was pleasant and lingered. The lemon was lost in the sourness and the strong flavor of the coconut cream. One serving is 16g total fat, 10g total carbs, 7g total sugars and 1g protein. Ingredients: organic coconuts, spring water, organic elderflower, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice, vitamin C, organic cassava root, organic carob bean gum, vegan probiotic cultures.

The verdict: Cocojune is one of the better coconut based yogurts available, second only to Culina.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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.

What Happened to Orange Leaf’s Orange Unicorn? He Must Have Retired

Fro-yo girl here. Remember Orange Unicorn? He was hired to be Orange Leaf’s “spokes-thingie” in April 2016. His first task was to promote "You Be You Day" on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. On You Be You Day, which was a cute promotion where Orange Leaf guests were encouraged to celebrate their uniqueness and be rewarded with free froyo. He represented being unique and original.

Sadly, there was only one You Be You Day. Orange Unicorn was featured in an augmented reality coloring page, YouTube videos, on Orange Leaf cups, plush toys, and in-store signage. He liked to say things like #beweird, #beorange, be yourself, it’s the only thing you’re super good at, don’t be afraid of being different, be afraid of spiders, and why not is more fun than why.

There is no sign of Orange Unicorn on the current Orange Leaf website. The last Instagram post by Orange Leaf that mentions Orange Unicorn was in February 2018. The cups no longer feature Orange Unicorn. But his trademark is still active.

Orange Leaf no longer has a spokes-thingie but it has a slogan, Flavor Freedom. “Orange Leaf offers freedom from average every day options. From flavors, cups, and cones, to smoothies, shakes, and cakes, we give our guest the freedom to create whatever sweet treat they can come up with next. Our froyo flavors are the best, because we make them that way. No really, we do. Each flavor recipe is uniquely ours and you can’t get it anywhere else!”

Orange Unicorn was cute but the slogan is more mature. I hope Orange Unicorn is doing well in his froyo forest.

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.