Menchie’s Valley Village, 2024
Time for your froyo history lesson. It’s hard to believe, but Pinkberry will turn 20 years old in 2025. Many froyo shops have opened since Pinkberry started the second wave of froyo. We decided to look at what happened to the first shops of Menchie’s, Pinkberry, Red Mango, Tutti Frutti/Orange Leaf, and Yogurtland. All five of these froyo chains were founded in Southern California in the mid-to-late 2000s. The only “first” shop that’s still open is Menchie’s in Valley Village.
Menchie’s, 4849 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607
Adam and Danna Caldwell opened the first Menchie’s was opened in Valley Village, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, in 2007. Their first date was at a froyo shop and they opened Menchie’s together days before their wedding. The name, Menchie, is Adam’s nickname for Danna. Menchie’s is now the largest froyo franchise in the world and the original shop is still open in Valley Village. Adam is Menchie’s Chief Operating Officer and Danna is the President of Menchie’s.
Pinkberry, 868 Huntley Dr West Hollywood, CA 90069
Pinkberry was the frozen yogurt brand that started the froyo craze when Shelly Hwang and Young Lee opened in West Hollywood, California, in January 2005. It inspired countless imitators. The imitators tried to come up with similar-tasting original tart yogurt, a similar look, and even similar-sounding names. The original shop was in an area with very difficult parking. It closed in April 2010 and became a Pinkberry support center. More recently, the location was a medical spa called Youth Haus, which opened in Fall 2019 and seems to have closed in 2022. However, according to Yelp, Youth Haus should reopen in May 2024.
Red Mango, 10942 Weyburn Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Red Mango was already well-established in South Korea when it opened the first US shop in Westwood Village, near UCLA, in July 2007. Red Mango was founded in South Korea in 2002 and opened its first shop in Seoul in 2003. Interestingly, Red Mango in Westwood Village replaced another froyo shop, Penguin’s. Red Mango emphasized how they served real yogurt with no preservatives, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. Pinkberry was the subject of a class action lawsuit in 2007 alleging that it misrepresented the product as frozen yogurt. The first Red Mango shop closed in 2011 and was replaced by Onkei Ramen. Onkei Ramen closed in 2022 and the space is available again.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, 17861 Colima Rd, Suite b, Rowland Heights, CA 91748
Founder Jay Kim opened the first Tutti Frutti in May 2008 at Puente Hills Town Center in Rowland Heights, California. Tutti Frutti’s first shop was in. Rowland Heights is in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County where 60% of the population is Asian. self-serve froyo was $0.35/oz. Tutti Frutti eventually opened nearly 700 locations in two dozen countries. The original Rowland Heights location added a bakery concept called O My Buns, which specialized in roti buns. The shop closed in 2022 and became a Korean dessert shop called Sobok Sobok. Sobok Sobok serves kopi roti (aka coffee buns), soft serve ice cream, bingsu, coffee, and tea.
Orange Leaf was founded by Tutti Frutti store owners after a disagreement with Tutti Frutti corporate. They went their separate ways. The store owners who separated from Tutti Frutti named their concept Orange Tree in 2008. The name was later changed to Orange Leaf.
Yogurtland, 501 N State College Blvd., Ste C, Fullerton, CA 92831
When Phillip Chang launched Yogurtland in February 2006, it shared a space with Chang’s other business, Boba Loca, and it was self-serve. The shopping center was near several high schools and colleges; Cal State Fullerton was across the street. Yogurtland offered 16 self-serve, non-fat fro-yo flavors a day and toppings for 30 cents/oz, just about the lowest price around at that time. The fro-yo machines were lined up but not behind a wall with cutouts. Though this location’s look would evolve over the years, the basic Yogurtland formula was already there: 16 self-serve fro-yo flavors a day and low-value pricing. The original shop closed in 2020 and became Nick the Greek, a Greek fast-casual restaurant that also happens to serve Greek froyo.
