It’s that time for the tale of the tape, our annual froyo chain location count. We’ll reveal the largest froyo chains, how many locations they currently have and how much they shrank or grew compared to this time last year.
The top 10 largest frozen yogurt chains accounted for approximately 2,552 locations in 2020, down from 2,816 locations in 2019 and 3,020 locations in 2018. The number of frozen yogurt stores continues to decline, undoubtedly aided by the global pandemic, though a few chains managed to grow. Most of the growth has occurred outside the US, in countries like Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, and Malaysia.
The List of Largest Froyo Chains by Location Count
#1) Yogen Fruz: 539 locations (+39 locations vs. 2019)
We have a new #1 this year. Yogen Fruz actually managed to grow during the pandemic, thanks to its non-traditional locations and partnerships. While we had to click many times to find the locations, they are on the Yogen Fruz website. The most locations continue to be found in the Dominican Republic (150 locations), followed by the home country of Canada (107). Yogen Fruz has outlets in 23 countries.
#2) Menchie’s: 417 locations (-89 locations vs. 2019)
It’s been a tough year for Menchie’s, which was the largest froyo chain in the world. They closed more locations than anyone else on this list in 2020. There are 350 locations in the US, 48 in Canada, and 19 in other countries.
#3) Yogurtland: 280 locations (-20 locations vs. 2019)
Yogurtland remained #3 on this list, down 20 locations in 2020. In 2019, their location count declined by 20 as well. This year they launched a new concept, Holsom by Yogurtland. The expanded menu includes hot and cold beverages, toasts, acai bowls and grain bowls. Franchisees will have the option to add these to existing locations.
#4) sweetFrog: 255 locations (?)
We were unable to obtain a list of sweetFrog locations last year and we could not determine the number of locations from the sweetFrog website. A press release in January 2020 claims over 300 locations – we suspect it’s less than that. Let’s call it 255, based on the assumption that 15% closed. SweetFrog is a wholly owned subsidiary of MTY Food Group, based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
#5) llaollao: 230 locations (+3 locations vs. 2019)
Llaollao moved up a spot to #5 and was one of the few chains to increase in size this year. The website provided a clear list of locations. There are 108 in Spain and 122 outside of Spain. Their presence is particularly strong in Southeast Asia.
#6) Pinkberry: 219 locations (?)
Pinkberry recorded 22 new locations in 2019 but we’re not sure of how many locations there currently are. The US Pinkberry website does not provide a list of locations and the international Pinkberry website provides links to individual countries’ FB pages or websites. The last press release was in August 2020 and did not mention the number of locations. If we assume a closure rate of 15%, there are 219 locations left.
#7) TCBY: 182 locations (-38 locations vs. 2019)
While finding locations on the TCBY’s website was a bit cumbersome, we were able to access the locations. We counted 182 locations in the US. The TCBY site also had a link to TCBY International but that website doesn’t seem to exist. We have no idea how many international TCBY locations currently exist.
#8) Yogorino: 158 locations (-7 locations vs. 2019)
Yogorino’s website had a map of locations but that map made it easy to determine that there are currently 158 locations, 99 of these are in the home country, Italy.
#9) Yoyogurt: 150 locations
Another Italian chain, Yoyogurt, appears on our top 10 list for the first time. They celebrated reaching 150 locations in December 2020. Most of their branches are in Italy.
#10) Orange Leaf: 122 locations (-9 locations vs. 2019)
Orange Leaf had an easy to access list of locations on their website. All the locations are in the US. Temporary closures were even noted.
We dropped Tutti Frutti from our list because the number of locations was too difficult to determine or even to guestimate. The Tutti Frutti US website is no longer being supported and the Tutti Frutti US account hasn’t updated any social media account for over a year. Given its size in the past, it probably belongs on the top 10 list.
Our Methodology
Our store location counts are based on what’s listed on the chain’s website as of mid-December 2020. We also consider whether the information seemed current.
If we could not determine the store location counts from the chain’s website or the website appeared outdated, we looked at recent press releases. However, we placed less confidence in location counts that were not obtained from the chain’s up-to-date website with a list of current locations.
We also provided a few guestimates based on the last known reliable count.
