So maybe frozen yogurt doesn’t have much street cred, but I think this recent phenomenon is worth

observing. For the last several years, the plain tart frozen yogurt has had more and more people lining up out the door. From what I’ve heard, this trend has only really hit Southern California and NYC, but I have no doubt in my mind that this will soon catch on in other areas (hopefully Boston).

It all started with Pinkberry. All of you who haven’t been blessed with the opening of a Pinkberry near you, I’m sorry, but maybe you have at least heard of it from the American Express ads for the Plum card. Basically, Pinkberry sells only three flavors: plain, green tea, and coffee (just introduced this year). The original is what keeps bringing people in, it’s tart and sweet, so it is basically a frozen form of plain yogurt with a little sweetener in it. The tart takes some getting used to, but you can sweeten up the concoction with a variety of toppings that range from fresh fruit (strawberries, mango, etc.) to cereal to traditional chocolate chips and oreo. This stuff is highly addictive, and in reality not that bad for you.

Image by elmomonster

The American Express commercials were right in saying that the owners of Pinkberry “created a cultural
phenomenon.” Within three years, the demand for plain frozen yogurt has only increased exponentially, with more and more business owners have been setting up shop. Within a ten minute radius, I can go to Yogurtland, Pinkberry, Red Mango, or a random Korean bakery to get plain fro yo. At the really successful places, people will wait 20-30 minutes to get a little cup of this good stuff. It seems crazy, but I have definitely been one of those fanatics and stood in line for 30+ minutes at the self-serve Yogurtland. These trendy little yogurt places have become a great new hangout for families and friends. Instead of meeting up at Starbucks, friends will meet up at Red Mango or any of the aforementioned yogurt places. Its after 10PM, and there’s nothing to do. Hey, let’s go get yogurt and hang out. Wow, who would have thought that a yogurt place with only 2 flavors (and in my opinion only 1 good one) could have made such a cultural impact?

Fun Fact: Red Mango actually started the craze in Asia, then Pinkberry took the idea to the U.S. I still think Red Mango reigns supreme, but everyone has their favorites. The Pinkberry owners may have ripped off the idea, but they are VERY smart.