2023 California Froyo Shop Openings & Closings

iCream showroom, Los Angeles 

Yogurt Stop, West Hollywood

Fro-yo girl here. I thought there would be more froyo shop openings this year, since COVID-19 isn't as much of a concern. However, there were fewer new froyo shops this year than in 2022 and 2021. Also, I think it's the first time that the number of new non-froyo shops serving froyo exceeded the number of new froyo shops, driven by the explosive growth of Nick the Greek.

In 2023, I found 42 new places that serve soft-serve froyo: 15 new froyo shops, 1 froyo truck, 20 non-froyo shops that serve froyo, and 4 froyo vending machine installations. In 2022, I found 46 new places that serve froyo: 18 new froyo shops (including two froyo trucks), 20 non-froyo shops, and 8 froyo vending machines. There were even more new froyo shops in 2021, fifteen, compared to 2023.

Six of the 2023 new froyo shop and truck openings were part of national froyo chains. Eight of twelve new froyo shop and truck openings were in Southern California, and four in Northern California.  

My goal is to track any new venue that serves froyo in soft serve form, including restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, froyo trucks, froyo trailers, vending machines, amusement parks, stadiums, etc. It's easier to track openings, since they're usually announced, but many places close quietly.

Businesses are listed in alphabetical order with the location.

New Froyo Shops and Trucks

• Beary Bliss, Big Bear Lake
• Frosty Peaks, Ridgecrest
• Froyology, Montebello
• The Frozone, Roseville
• Golden Spoon, Newport Beach
• LOL Yogurt, Atascadero
• Menchie’s, Burbank (moved)
• Menchie’s, Natomas, Sacramento
• Moxie's, Windsor (froyo truck)
• Pinkberry, Sacramento
• Prive La Yogurt, Roseville
• YOBA, Ontario
• The Yogurt Shoppe, Santa Monica (took over Menchie’s)
• Yogurt Bear, Santa Ana
• Yogurtland, Hastings Ranch, East Pasadena
• Yogurtland, Riverside
• Yogurtland, Palmdale (East)

Not a Froyo Shop but Serves Froyo

• The Froyo Bar, UC Riverside dining
• IKEA, San Francisco
• Kalamaki Greek, Los Angeles (not new but added Greek froyo in November)
• Moo & Brew, Placerville
• Mrs. Chips Cookies, Sherman Oaks
• Nick the Greek, Hayward
• Nick the Greek, San Leandro
• Nick the Greek, Riverbank
• Nick the Greek, Belmont Shore, Long Beach
• Nick the Greek, San Luis Obispo
• Nick the Greek, West Hollywood
• Nick the Greek, Visalia
• Nick the Greek, San Dimas
• Nick the Greek, La Mirada
• Nick the Greek, Marina Del Rey
• Nick the Greek, Danville
• Nick the Greek, Monterey
• Pita GR, Brea
• Souvla, Larkspur
• Wafflecomb, Santa Clarita (not new but added self-serve froyo)
• Valley Swirl, Los Angeles

Froyo Vending Machines

• iCream showroom, Pinkberry, Los Angeles
• iCream, Pinkberry, Kidtopia, Fremont
• iCream, Pinkberry, San Francisco
• iCream, Pinkberry, Koreatown, Los Angeles

I didn't count rebranded froyo businesses or ones that changed ownership as new froyo businesses, but I tried to track both.

New Ownership of Froyo Shop

• Honeymoon Frozen Yogurt, Sebastopol
• Menchie’s, Pico Rivera
• Pinkberry, Marina Del Rey
• Pinkberry, Beverly Hills
• Yogurtland, Claremont

Froyo Shop Name Change

• Orange Tree, San Bruno, new name: San Froyo
• Sweetfrog, Lancaster, new name: Sweet Bunnies
• Tutti Frutti, San Carlos, new name: Toot Sweet Frozen Yogurt
• Tutti Frutti, Long Beach, new name: Frozen Oasis
• Tutti Frutti, Artesia, new name: Go-Go Froyo
• Tutti Frutti Hayward, new name: Fruity Froyo
• Tutti Frutti San Jose (Eastridge), new name: Fruity Froyo
• Yum Yum Yogurt, Kingsburg, new name: The Froyo Co.

As for froyo shop closings, I found 22 this year or nineteen if you consider the non-froyo shops that served froyo and closed. Last year, I found twenty-one froyo shop and non-froyo shop closings. Three Menchie's locations closed and eight Yogurtland locations closed in 2023. Most of the froyo shops that closed were older (over 10 years old) shops. Ace Frozen Yogurt in Arcadia was over 30 years old. Two of the froyo shops that closed were replaced by other froyo shops.

Froyo Shop Closings

• Ace Frozen Yogurt, Arcadia
• Chill, Studio City
• Dolci Mango, Chula Vista
• Joghurt, Chino
• Joy Sedona, Lake Balboa
• Loving Cup, Russian Hill, San Francisco
• Menchie’s, Ocean Park, Santa Monica (now The Yogurt Shoppe)
• Menchie’s, Montana Ave, Santa Monica
• Menchie’s, Newport Beach (now Golden Spoon)
• Spoonful Yogurt Café, Riverside
• Sweetfrog, Palmdale
• Yogurtland, Brentwood, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Hollywood, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Pinole
• Yogurtland, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Ladera Heights, Los Angeles
• Yogurtland, Northwood, Irvine
• Yogurtland, Oceanside
• Yogurtland, Costa Mesa, 17th St.
• Yogurt Shack, Concord
• Yogurt Stop, West Hollywood
• Yummy Spoon Yogurt, Chula Vista

Closings, Not a Froyo Shop 

• Health Habit, Valley Springs
• Mrs. Chips Cookies, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles
• Sweet Retreat, Morgan Hill

Not Closed, No Longer Serving Froyo

• The Kona Ice Shop, Winters

More froyo is on the way. I found 28 places listed as opening soon, with Nick the Greek accounting for 23 of these future locations.

Future Places Serving Froyo

• Easy Breezy, Walnut Creek
• Cuppa Yo, Dublin
• Menchie’s, Cameron Park
• Menchie's, Clovis
• Nick the Greek, Berkeley
• Nick the Greek, Hollister
• Nick the Greek, Tracy
• Nick the Greek, Oakland
• Nick the Greek, Sonoma
• Nick the Greek, Stockton
• Nick the Greek, Palo Alto
• Nick the Greek, Folsom
• Nick the Greek, Mountain View
• Nick the Greek, Marin
• Nick the Greek, Salinas
• Nick the Greek, Natomas
• Nick the Greek, Sacramento
• Nick the Greek, San Francisco, 4 locations
• Nick the Greek, Santa Barbara
• Nick the Greek, Pinole
• Nick the Greek, Mill Valley
• Nick the Greek, Petaluma
• Nick the Greek, Natomas
• Nick the Greek, Stockton
• Pinkberry, Natomas
• Pinkberry, Manteca
• Pinkberry, John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana
• Pinkberry, Fremont
• Yoga-urt, Granada Hills, Los Angeles

I’ll keep updating this post if I find out about other 2023 froyo shop openings and closings. Did I miss any openings or closings? 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.

NEW Jeni’s Frozen Dessert Sandwiches, Exclusively at Whole Foods

Fro-yo girl here. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams recently released three new frozen dessert sandwiches, and they’re available exclusively at Whole Foods. Two of the three sandwiches feature froyo!

The sandwiches are:

• Mint Chocolate Truffle: Palate-cooling peppermint cream with dark chocolate cookies
• Key Lime Pie: Tropical, tart, and uber creamy key lime with graham cracker cookies (contains yogurt)
• Triple Berry Tart: Sweet-tart and ultra-lush purple berry cream with chocolate cookies (contains yogurt)

One box contains three individually wrapped sandwiches. The MRSP is $7.99. Each sandwich is 3.5 fl oz. I found all three sandwich varieties at Whole Foods in Pasadena, CA. They were on sale for $7.19/box.

Key Lime Pie: This was my favorite sandwich. Key lime pie is one of my favorite flavors and this one delivered on the tart key lime flavor that I love. In fact, I’d say that the flavor was very tangy and you could really taste the lime. The texture of the froyo was creamy and not too soft or too hard. The graham cracker cookies were soft and tasty. The combination of the cookies with the tart key lime froyo also really worked. And I liked the size – not too tiny but not huge. One sandwich is 210 calories, 8g total fat, 34 total carbs, 19g total sugars, and 3g protein. 5 out of 5 stars.

Triple Berry Tart: This sandwich was good but I didn’t enjoy the cookie/froyo combination as much and the froyo wasn’t as tangy, even though there was less sugar than the key lime pie sandwich. The froyo is made with blackberries, blueberries, and red raspberries and the chocolate cookie was soft. The tartness was mild but the berry ice cream was creamy, rich, and fruit-forward. One sandwich was 210 calories, 9g total fat, 32g total carbs, 17g total sugars, and 4g protein. 4 out of 5 stars.

I remember when Jeni’s used to have macaroon and cookie ice cream sandwiches. Haven’t seen any of those for years, unfortunately. They were so good! I'm thrilled to see that Jeni's has new froyo sandwiches.

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.

Save the Date for Yogurtland’s Giant Spoon Exclusive Access Event

 

Fro-yo girl here. Remember how Yogurtland had the mystery giant spoon day giveaway on November 18? Hope you picked up a giant spoon then or before then because you can use that giant spoon to get an exclusive offer. On December 21, enjoy 21% off your Yogurtland purchase when you show your Yogurtland giant spoon (any color) at the register. This is the first time Yogurtland has had a discount for giant spoon owners. I like the idea though I do think Platinum spoon owners should get an extra special offer.

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.

Menchie’s Free Froyo Candy Cane Lane Event & New Holiday Cup

 

Fro-yo girl here. Thank you, Candy Cane Lane, for sponsoring Menchie’s froyo giveaway on Friday, December 8. The first 50 guests at participating Menchie’s received 5 oz of free froyo.

Candy Cane Lane is a new holiday movie starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross that’s now streaming on Prime Video. Eddie Murphy plays Chris, a man on a mission to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest.

I also picked up the new Menchie’s holiday cups. The cups are red and feature Menchie, Chip, Mookie, and Sprinkle. It says Happy Holidays on one side and on the other, there’s a holiday to-do list. The to-do list doesn’t mention froyo. There are no new Menchie’s holiday spoons this year.

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.

Menchie’s December Featured Flavors and Promotions

Fro-yo girl here. Happy December! It’s a busy, festive month at Menchie’s. I think there are new red Menchie’s holiday cups but I didn’t see any during my visit this week.

The new froyo flavor, Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate Fudge is made with Reese’s peanut butter. Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate Fudge froyo is nonfat and contains no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? Anyway, I enjoyed the flavor, which reminded me of Menchie’s Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cup froyo. The peanut butter flavor is much stronger than the chocolate fudge flavor, so that’s a plus for pb lovers. And it was creamy and smooth. Recommended toppings: Nutter Buter, Special Dark chocolate chips, and Butterfinger.

Menchie’s Holiday Eggnog froyo flavor returns this month but it’s called Holiday Elfnog, in honor of the new holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane. Holiday Elfnog is gluten-free, lowfat, and made without any artificial colors, artificial flavors, or high fructose corn syrup. It wasn’t there on my last visit to Menchie’s.

On December 8, Candy Cane Lane is sponsoring a free froyo giveaway at Menchie’s. On December 8, the first 50 people at 3 PM will receive 5 oz of free froyo. Candy Cane Lane is a new holiday movie starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross that’s now streaming on Prime Video. Eddie Murphy plays Chris, a man on a mission to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest.

Also, enjoy $3 off your $20 or more Menchie’s delivery from Grubhub every Friday in December. Limit one per person. Terms and conditions apply.

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.

Halo Top Frozen Yogurt Pops Made with Skyr Review

Fro-yo girl here. I first heard about Halo Top’s Frozen Yogurt pops in March 2023, when they were launched. After checking many grocery stores, I concluded that the pops were not available in my area. Well, I finally found some at the newly relaunched Amazon Fresh in Pasadena, California. They had both flavors, Triple Berry and Strawberry. A box of four pops was $5.34, slightly less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $5.49. These pops are supposed to be better for you, an on-the-go nutritious snack.

I haven’t seen frozen skyr popsicles for sale in US grocery stores before. I’ve seen them for sale in other countries though. Halo Top’s frozen yogurt pops are made with creamy Icelandic skyr-style yogurt, crunchy granola, and real fruit. Each pop is 110 calories with 4g of protein. Available flavors: Triple Berry, Strawberry.

Triple Berry: The pop was creamy and not as dense and hard as other yogurt pops. The flavor was okay. It was very sweet. The berries were blended with the yogurt. There wasn’t much granola. The berry bits had some tang. There was a bitter aftertaste. One 64g pop is 110 calories, 3g total fat, 10mg cholesterol, 16g total carbohydrates, 15g total sugars, and 4g proteins. The pops are made with ultrafiltered milk, and sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, and molasses. Yasso pops taste better for sure.

3 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.

Jeni’s Grand Opening in Highland Park, Los Angeles on November 30

 

Fro-yo girl here. Jeni’s Ice Cream’s scoop shop soft opened in Highland Park, Los Angeles on November 16 and the grand opening is set for 7 PM – 11 PM on Thursday, November 30. I won’t be able to attend but if you’re free, it’s worth waiting. The first 50 customers will get exclusive Jeni’s gifts (and they’ve been very generous at previous grand opening events). Everyone who attends will receive free scoops. The holiday flavors have arrived, including White Chocolate Peppermint, Rum Ball, Merry Berry, and Boozy Eggnog.

I visited the shop today. It’s in an older building on the corner of Avenue 56 and Figueroa. They had almost dozen flavors, including several dairy-free options and one froyo. Look for the gluten-free symbol if you're avoiding gluten. A standard size (up to 2 flavors) is $6.95 and comes with a buttercrisp waffle wedge. Flights and pints are available. Choose from a bowl or cone. You can also opt for the affogato.

The ice cream is made with the best ingredients, including grass fed milk from Ohio. The flavors are generally amazing but not crazy or super exotic. 

There’s also some cute Jeni’s merch for sale: cookbooks, t-shirts, sprinkles, bandanas, tasting spoons, sauces, etc.

Yes, it is an ice cream shop but Jeni’s has the best buttermilk frozen yogurt! You should get the Rainbow Buttermilk froyo and the Merry Berry. Here’s the description of Merry Berry: “But then — like a sweet-tart little beacon in all the richness — there are the jam-filled cookies. The bright spots on the table that liven up our palates with preserved fruits. Merry Berry is a celebration of those cookies, wrapped into ice cream. Fragrant brambleberry cream, light on its feet with a little tart buttermilk and lush yogurt folded in. A made-from-scratch raspberry coulis for satisfying jamminess in every bite. And crushed amaretti cookies that sandwiches the whole thing together, like a Linzer cookie.” Merry Berry has yogurt! And it’s tart and berry forward. Rainbow Buttermilk Frozen Yogurt features raspberry, key lime, and passion fruit froyo. It's extra tangy and rich. 

Get some froyo and enjoy! Also, if you are a fan, join the rewards program.

* JENI’S: 5601 N Figueroa St Suite #110, Los Angeles, CA 90042

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.