Long before chains like Pinkberry, Red Mango, Menchie’s, Yogurtland, Orange Leaf, and sweetFrog were founded in the 2000s, there were other large frozen yogurt franchises. We take a look back at some of these chains, including what happened to each.
Frozen Yogurt Franchises Founded in the 1970s
- Everything Yogurt was the oldest and second-largest frozen yogurt chain in the US in the early 1990s. The first Everything Yogurt opened in 1976 in New York. By 1991, there were 227 franchises and 44 under construction. The Everything Yogurt concept became part of the Bananas Smoothies and Frozen Yogurt franchise. Bananas still has locations across the country.
- I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt started in Dallas, Texas in 1977 and was acquired by Yogen Fruz in 1996. The acquisition increased the size of Yogen Fruz from 1,002 outlets to 2,509 outlets, making it the second largest frozen yogurt chain in the US, after TCBY. ICBIY is famous for suing TCBY and for the unsolved murder that occurred at the Austin, TX location in 1991. This led to TCBY’s name change from This Can’t Be Yogurt to The Country’s Best Yogurt.
Frozen Yogurt Franchises Founded in the 1980s
- TCBY was the world’s largest frozen yogurt chain for years. The first location opened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1981. The first franchise location was sold in 1984. When Capricorn Enterprises, the parent company of Mrs. Fields Cookies, acquired TCBY Enterprises in 2000, there were 3,000 TCBY locations in 70 countries. The combined company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008. By 2011, there were only 405 locations left. According to the TCBY website, there are 360 locations in the US today.
- Yogen Fruz opened its first location at the Promenade Mall in Toronto, Canada in 1986, the same year the Promenade Mall opened. The first franchise location opened in 1987. By 2012, Yogen Fruz had 1,300 locations around the world. Yogen Fruz acquired several frozen yogurt chains, including Yogurty’s, Golden Swirl, and I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt. When Golden Swirl was acquired by Yogen Fruz in 1997, it had 71 locations in Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico, and Arizona. The owners of Yogen Fruz purchased the Promenade Mall in 2016 and renovated the original location.
- Freshëns was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Atlanta. While it started as a frozen yogurt concept, they added smoothies, healthy rice bowls, salads, and crepes. It doesn’t offer franchises and it focuses on non-traditional locations. Freshens’ licensees do not pay franchise, royalty or marketing fees. The company currently has 500 locations on college campuses and airports across the US.
California-Based Frozen Yogurt Franchises
- Penguin’s was a California-based frozen yogurt chain founded in the 1980s. Penguin’s was acquired by Zausner Foods Corp. in 1988 and problems with franchisees emerged. Franchisees claimed that they were forced to buy yogurt mix from a Zausner Foods subsidiary, Alta Dena Dairy, at a high markup. In 1991, Penguin’s Place filed for bankruptcy reorganization. At the time, there were 123 locations, mostly in California. A few locations still remain open, including ones in South Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge and West Los Angeles.
- Golden Spoon started in 1981 as an outgrowth of Yogurt and Things, a health food store in Tustin, CA. Calling itself the ice cream lover’s yogurt, the chain focused on flavor. By 1986, Golden Spoon began to manufacture many of its top-selling flavors, and by 2002 had more than 50 custom flavors to its name, which grew to more than 80 flavors by 2008. While the chain is much smaller today, it still has locations in the Western US and abroad in Japan and the Philippines.
- Heidi’s Frogen Yozurt was founded by a competitive bodybuilder, Heidi Miller, in 1982, in Laguna Hills, CA. It was acquired by Steve’s Homemade Ice Cream in 1989. Heidi’s had 90 locations at the time. None remain open, though the trademark is still registered.
