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Pinkberry, Red Mango engage in Pomegranate wars
November 30th, 2008, 6:14 am · 13 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
One of my biggest gripes about Pinkberry and Red Mango is that they lack variety when it comes to flavors. How can they survive with a menu that offers only plain tart and green tea yogurts?
But, finally, the chains expanded their menu this month. And, by no coincidence, both are now offering the same type of froyo flavor: Pomegranate.
Let the Pomegranate wars begin.
On Nov. 14, Red Mango introduced Pomegranate by POM Wonderful. Around the same time, Pinkberry replaced its limited time coffee flavor with Pomegranate. (Read my flavor review here)
But, whose flavor came first?
Red Mango President Dan Kim insists his product launch was conceived first: “It’s one of those things, where you sit back and say, ‘Another me-too copycat approach they are using there.’”
No comment, so far, from Pinkberry.
Regardless, Kim agreed that consumers enjoy new flavors, prompting Red Mango’s partnership with POM. But, he cautioned that Red Mango would not crank out too many flavors at one time. In fact, the plan is to rotate the chain’s “third” flavor every so often.
“We just don’t make them for the sake of making them,” Kim said in a phone interview this week. “For us, we have to do the Red Mango way: fresh and flavorful.”
He said consumers can expect a “pipeline” of original new flavors to rotate on the menu. Red Mango has four locations in Orange County: Fullerton, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach and Irvine.
My take: I don’t like green tea froyo, so I’m forced to eat the plain tart when I’m at Pinkberry and Red Mango. I love plain tart, but every once and awhile it’s nice to have a few options.
And, I’m not talking about ice cream flavors such as cookies and cream. I want froyo fruit concoctions such as acai, mango and peach. While I prefer the froyo quality at Pinkberry and Red Mango, I give props to chains such as Yogurberry, Cefiore and Yogurtland for offering more fruit-flavored options.
On the independent front, I enjoy Bliss Natural Frozen Yogurt in Orange, which offers some high-quality fruit flavors.
Bottom line: more, in this case, is always better. For my review of the Pinknberry Pom vs. the Red Mango Pom, go here.
Related stories:
- Self-serve froyo chains invading O.C.
- Cold Stone Creamery tweaking 2009 menu, closing stores
- Pinkberry to debut new drink on Friday in six locations, including Newport Beach
- Starbucks debuts Pinkberry-inspired drink
- Juice it Up smoothie chain testing frozen yogurt
- Forget froyo. We still scream for ice cream, new survey says
- New Pinkberry CEO has ties to Starbucks
- O.C. is ground zero for froyo wars
- Golden Spoon tests tart froyo to compete with Pinkberry, others
- Cefiore beats Pinkberry with 6th O.C. froyo shop opening
- Cold Stone Creamery testing Pinkberry knock-offs
- Red Mango to Pinkberry: I’m real yogurt
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You complain about the lack of choices at pinkberry and red mango, but look at a chain like In-N-Out, they have the simplest menu and its always crowded. If you do something well, why do you have to have such a variety of items?
I think this is all much ado about nothing — Pinkberry, Red Mango and the rest are just the next evolution from Penguin’s, Heidi’s, TCBY and the other yogurt shops that you don’t see any longer. Just another flash in the pan that will soon be replaced by something else.
I happen to like the green tea and tart flavors offered. Go elsewhere if it is variety you are looking for because there are plenty of options out there.
Carrey, besides plain tart, what other tart flavors are you referring to at Pinkberry and Red Mango. ??
Jamba Juice still has the best 2 pomegranite items I have had. They over both a all fruit low calerie smoothie and one that includes a heart happy boost. If you do not like these 2 choices there are about 30 other items to choose from if you want variety.
Plain tart and green tea are the only palatable flavors anyway. Anything else tastes horribly fake and wrong. I’ve tried pomegranate at Yoyumyum and it was just as bad.
I agree! I avoid Pinkberry because of its lack of flavors. I don’t like green tea so that only leaves plain. I think that yogurt is meant to have many flavors. Cherry on Top is my favorite. I’m intrigued by the pomegranate flavor and will be trying it soon.
can’t wait to try the pomegranite-i am not crazy about the green tea at pinkberry but love the tart original-there was a coffee flavor at pinkberry last year…tried it once and went back to the tart. thanks for the info maven!
do yourselves all a “flavor” and go to cantaloop on 17th and tustin… fantastic. They have a pom-berry flavor that is PHENOMENAL. check out my post on yelp.com regarding this fantastic place. i hate pinkberry w/a passion bc of the boring flavor options. just my 2 cents…
i tried the pomegranite at pinkberry today and have to declare it a winner! it’s great with mango and strawberries - still has the tartiness of the original pinkberry but with a fruity edge. delicious!
Penguin Froyo in San Jose introduced POM tart a while back since their opening on Aug 6th 2009 and they have it all time on their menu way before Pinkberry or Red Mango.
Penguin Froyo in San Jose introduced POM tart a while back since their opening on Aug 6th 2008 and they have it all time on their menu way before Pinkberry or Red Mango.
There is no question in anyone’s mind that YogurBerry is far better in terms of flavor, variety, and pricing.
Watch a video of YogurBerry http://www.jippidy.com/watch/viewkey/79e2c279fd162df0205c/YogurBerry