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Pinkberry adds chocolate & tweaks toppings policy
November 23rd, 2009, 3:35 am · 49 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
As the frozen yogurt fad appears to implode in Orange County, industry leader Pinkberry continues to adapt to keep froyo fans happy.
On Friday, the 77-unit chain will embark on a major strategy change when it introduces its first traditional “ice cream” flavor: chocolate. The more indulgent froyo flavor will join Pinkberrys better known tart and green tea flavors on the menu.
I have to wonder: Has Pinkberry caved, joining the ranks of Yogurtland and Cherry on Top — whose self-serve machines pour loads more ice cream-flavored froyo?
Pinkberry Chief executive Ron Graves said the new flavor was created to meet consumer demand — but it remains a very healthy product.
“It’s difficult to make a great chocolate frozen yogurt without compromising taste or quality,” Graves said. “Some taste good, but they are unhealthy and/or are heavy. Some are healthier, but aren’t appealing.”
Graves addressed the chocolate experiment, and other menu changes at Pinkberry in a recent interview. Here’s what he had to say:
The Chocolate Experiment
Pinberry CEO Ron Graves used to be an executive at a venture capital firm co-founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
After working on the formula for more than a year, Graves said Pinkberry’s new flavor should wow fans with its “rich yet light and delicate” taste.
“It’s the perfect combination of high quality, dark chocolate and a low fat, healthier treat - one you crave and can feel good about eating,” he said.
Chocolate will replace Passionfruit on the menu come Friday, Nov. 27.
Endless toppings, sort of
Another menu shift for Pinkberry came last month when the chain changed its toppings policy.
In the past, customers were limited to the amount of toppings they could put on certain froyo sizes.
In October, Pinkberry revamped its menu so that customers can top swirls with as many toppings as will “comfortably fill” a cup. Prices have not changed.
For example, I recently got a medium Passionfruit for $5.95 with about five fruit toppings. (That same size & flavor used to be limited to 3 toppings.)
Once again, consumer demand dictated the menu change, Graves said.
“We have so many new, exciting and high quality toppings that represent thousands of combinations and we want our customers to be able to experience as much as they desire – all for the same price,” he said.
Fading froyo fad
Isn’t the froyo market over saturated?
“No,” Graves said.
Well, then why are shops closing?
Graves agreed that many “shops” have flooded the Southern California market since Pinkberry first opened in 2005. “You are already seeing fall out by those that did not invest in the proper infrastructure to grow or make short term decisions around quality of product, service or real estate.”
So, there’s room to grow for smart brands like Pinkberry?
“No question,” Graves said. “It is a huge market and Pinkberry has barely scratched the surface.”
Tell us: Are you disappointed or excited about Pinkberry’s chocolate flavor? What do you think about the new toppings policy?And, do you think Graves is wrong when he says the market is not over-saturated?
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The bottom line is that Pinkberry is WAYYYYYYYY too expensive. With tightening budgets people are much more self-conscious about spending so much while getting so little.
I visit my friends in Belmont Shore every weekend and have noticed the major decline in business for the 2nd Street Pinkberry. On Saturday night there was no one in the store for about 15 minutes. Unfathomable just 12 months ago. At Yogurtland, about 6 blocks down 2nd Street it was very busy. Why? Much cheaper prices and bigger portions. For a majority of people right now it’s about affordability and value.
Wake up Pinkberry or you may go the way of Boston Chicken and Krispy Kreme!!!!
Hey Boston Market was/is great!! The problem with PB is their yogurt is disgustingly sour,they’re stingy with the toppings(probably because they don’t want you to use too much toppings,where they would then have to replace over and over because people want to cover up the taste. It would cost them more money to replenish their toppings)…Also Golden spoon is cheaper and they always have a line when I drive by!
I guess some people like PB. I received a giftcard for my birthday. Used it once. Eck. There is about $20 left on the card and I can’t even give it away!
Haha, if you really can’t give it away, please give it to me! It would be my pleasure to take it off your hands. With that said, I’ve only had PB once and it wasn’t bad.
Try Craigslist. I’m sure there’s at least one person who will buy it off you for $10. Personally, I like PB, but their prices are ridiculous.
I agree here. I like the tart flavor but I don’t like the prices. I think Golden Spoon tastes the best but I just can’t pass up the chance to add my own toppings, whatever I want and however much I want too.
If you don’t want the GC, I’d be glad to take it off your hands!
Pink Berry is overrated… They dont even give you enough fruit with your yogurt. I suggest anyone go to Cherry on top or any other yogurt shop that allows you to put your own toppings and yogurt.
We have yet to try Pinkberry for the very reason that my wife can’t stand non traditional flavors of the stuff. Now that they have chocolate there is actually a reason for us to go there.
There is one walking distance from my house which opened recently. I took my kids there and when we discovered that there was no chocolate, we left and headed for the cold stone across the street. I think this is a good move on their part, I can’t figure out why they didn’t do it sooner.
I’ve had Pinkberry one time and I haven’t gone back. Why should I have to pay for each topping. Sometimes I want a little bit of this topping and a little bit of another topping. Plus I’d rather self serve!
$6 for medium???? nice knowing ya Pinkberry. hope you had a fun time during your run. hey maybe a few top execs got rich. maybe a few people will get some funky furnishings for their home den or bar area when all is said an done.
from a business perspective, these guys are the Koo Koo Roo chicken & Krispy Kreme donuts of yogurt. not to mention, I found their yogurt completely unpalatable.
You forgot to mention Cold Stone. Prices are so inflated.
Cold Stone, even though some of their stores are struggling, is slightly cheaper than Pinkberry and they’re actually customizing it for you by having someone mix the ice cream and all the toppings together. plus their sizes are enormous (a medium is easily enough for two people).
Pinkberry is just your standard machine and a tiny bit of fruit on top of some nasty yogurt.
Very true! When I go to cold stone it is because I have a buy one medium get one free coupon. My husband and I always end up putting most of it in the freezer for later.
Of course the CEO of Pinkberry is going to say: “No, the fad is not over.” But I’ve got news for him. It’s fading out! And there were PLENTY of frozen yogurt shops here in OC wayyyyyyy before they entered the market (in OC) which was in the last 2 years at Spectrum, right? Remember Heidi’s (sp) back in the early 90’s? America’s Cup? As for adding chocolate to the menu, of course you have to do that to appeal to a wide customer base. Why limit yourself in risk of sales going down?
Come on Rob, it’s all about Penguins Frozen Yogurt!
Pinkberry sucks. As soon as I saw yogurtland, i knew it was over for them. With the workers counting the ammount of toppings you get… really. 5 blackberries? Thanks…
Go to yogurtland, get a big cup, pour it in with some NY Cheesecake, non fat, put some peanuts, bananas, capn crunch, cinnamon toast crunch, strawberries, gummie bears and some fruity pebbles. All for $4.50. At pink berry? Get 5 strawberry pieces and 3 blueberries for $5.45. Dumb.
YOGURTLAND!!!!
Self-serve, tons of flavors, and you pay by the ounce! 30 cents an ounce! You make your own creation and load it with toppings and its still cheaper and a better value than Pinkberry will ever be!!!!
great post undertaker. couldn’t agree more!
Too late for me. I’ve tried PInkberry twice: once to see what the hype was about, and the 2nd to verify that I don’t really like their tart version of froyo. The chocolate is something they should’ve had 2-3 years ago, but it’s too late for them to play catch-up. I’ll pass.
Oh so it really tastes just as bad the second time you eat it? I actually thought I’d just got a bad batch or something.
Over priced is right!
I feel sorry for all of the yogurt shop owners that will be going out of business this coming year. There are too many of them and the demand isn’t there.
I actually still rate Pinkberry higher than Yogurtland (haven’t tried Red Mango and other locations) in terms of taste. To me, PInkberry does taste a little creamier and less “icy”. That being said though, this difference in taste certainly doesn’t make me want to pay almost DOUBLE compared to Yogurtland’s price.
The froyo market is over-saturated and it won’t be long until we see some large scale closings ala Starbucks.
Nancy
I thought you were on vacation. You should be blogging about the food at Epcot and not the overpriced (according to the other posters) stuff at Pinkberry. Enjoy Florida. Great time of the year to visit. No humidity, temperatures like Southern California.
There should be a contest for goofiest yogurt shop name that is now closed.
another one bites the dust.
Pinkberry is overpriced for what you are getting. The problem with the whole concept is that there are now a ton of duplicate chains selling a product that is almost identical to Pinkberry. Many of the new chains are selling their product at cheaper prices, or giving you more for your money.
Nothing unique about Pinkberry, just another name lost in the crowd.
i guess pinkberry overestimated how many people actually wanted to eat something very healthy.
Pinkberry is a premium brand. Ive rather eat elsewhere. Yoplay cost 99cents at the local market. I prefer to eat those
may give it a try as long as you swear that it tastes nothing like their regular flavors.The attraction to Pukeberry is completely lost on me&my tastebuds..Golden Spoon forever!!!!!!!!!
+1 to Oh Joy on the name and Golden Spoon- the best.
doesn’t anyone eat plain yogurt? the yogurt you buy in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. pinkberry’s yogurt taste exactly like what it’s supposed to taste like, which is plain yogurt. tastes the same as the non frozen stuff in the grocery store. it sounds like what people really want is ice cream and not yogurt. if so, pinkberry isn’t for you.
these places are selling themselves as a healthier (lower calorie, lower fat) alternative to ice cream just as they did when the first frozen yogurt shops popped up 20 years ago. the only difference now is you’re allowed to decide exactly how much you want of any given flavor and topping, and only pay for that amount. and there are more choices of toppings now.
if Pinkberry is selling themselves as a fresher, frozen version of the 99c supermarket yogurt in a can, they’re doing it all wrong and have vastly overestimated their market.
i don’t think pinkberry is selling themselves as either of those things. they have, to my knowledge, never claimed to be an alternative to ice cream. nor a frozen version of supermarket yogurt (i said that because to me its odd people are expecting pinkberry to be like soft serve ice cream in fact they are frozen yogurt. real yogurt, not the pseudo ice cream kind sold at other “frozen yogurt” shops). i think the problem for pinkberry is they overestimated the desire for a very healthy snack. people thought they were going to get the fake ice cream version of frozen yogurt and what they got was the real version of frozen yogurt. unfortunately for pinkberry that doesn’t translate well around here.
what you just described was what I was saying above, though yes there was a sarcastic bent.
answer “B” - frozen Yoplait.
yeah, and I’ve had Yoplait yogurt cups dozens of times and I’d rather eat a 32oz tub of that in one sitting,than eat anything PB squeezes out!
some people get what pinkberry is serving and others don’t. it’s more along the lines of greek plain yogurt. unfortunately for pinkberry it isn’t something enough people are interested in. so i guess they are going to try and adapt to what people want, which appears to be more like fake ice cream than real yogurt.
So what are you saying? Golden spoon is basically “fake ice cream” because it acutally tastes good? Well call it whatever,but if it eating it prevents me from getting another double chin(as consuming ‘real ice cream” definitely would not) it’s all good! Also the GS yogurt is nonfat except the peanut butter kind and you can put toppings as needed, but unlike PB, you don’t want to cover up the taste.
Pinkberry was sued by the feds because their yogurt is made from a powder and mixed with water. It isn’t or at least wasn’t a “true” yogurt, hence the lawsuit. They paid a fine and modified their advertising etc.
Yogurtland is very good since it is self serve and you can build your own, but their yogurt is also made from a powder.
Golden Spoon still is the best for flavor and is a true yogurt.
Within the next 18 months there will be a shake out of yogurt places. This same thing occurred in the early 90s. There were several chans back then that no long exist today. Same is true for bagels and “smoothie” places.
At least get your facts straight.
It wasn’t the feds it was a suit brought up in LA.. It was a class action lawsuit, and it pertained to the claim of the yogurt being real “frozen yogurt” and that is was claimed to be “all natural”. Neither was the case because of the way it was mixed in the stores, and that there were some not completely natural ingredients.
PB put froyo back on the map, and for that they all deserve all due credit. The original flavor with the fresh fruit was something totally new and got people excited. The chocolate intro and toppings changes looks like they are struggling to come to terms with lower volumes as the hype fades and their customers get bored, and it may help. But, growth is not with the premium-priced brands right now, and turning a blind eye to the over-saturated market will not help their situation, and undoubtably result in more closures. PB will forever be linked to the plain tart wave they created, and they will continue to be the leader of this niche, but I don’t see this playing out into a Starbucks-like takeover of the entire category as some predicted.
starbucks is a major investor in pinkberry. $27.5 million. not because starbucks believes in the brand, but because they wanted pinkberry to over saturate. they wanted people to get sick of the froyo craze. it was a way of insuring that pinkberry was not the next starbucks.
starbucks invested heavily in pinkberry. to the tune of about $30 million. not because they believe in the concept or the product but because they wanted pinkberry to over saturate the concept and make people sick of yogurt much quicker than they might have. starbucks didn’t want pinkberry to become the “next starbucks”
are there any sugar free chocolate flavored frozen yogurts out there
I believe I’ve seen some sugar free ones. can’t recall if Golden Spoon has this.
arbuz in brooklyn ny. they recently introduced “no sugar added chocolate”
check out yogen fruz, they have kind of the best of both worlds, ss like pb and rm, but they have low fat, no fat, no sugar added, and no fat no sugar added bars in different flavors, plain, decadent chocolate, key lime pie, etc. plus you can add in your own fruit to make a unique blend, pretty big probiotic counts and the price is reasonable for full service…worth a look. the products have a unique and smooth taste unlike the others i’ve had
i hate the troff mentality at the self servs, its gross, all the toppings get hammered and mixed up, its on the floor, nasty. did they wash their hands before they started scooping? then, who knows what you are really getting for .30cents an ounce? 95% of all of the yogurt comes from one supplier…YOCREAM…its all the same.
pb I can presume is pinkberry. I’ve never even heard of or seen rm.
I do agree all the yogurts are basically the same with rare exception (already knew this but the quality once its made can vary wildly). the really good places I’ve been are very clean and those are the ones I’ll go back to.
the only yogurts I’ve come across that come from unique suppliers are basically pinkberry (yuk), Dreyer’s (they have at Souplantation… it’s crazy good, but just vanilla and chocolate), Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s and possibly Golden Spoon. note none of these are “nouveau” yogurts so you don’t get to weigh them yourself or do the toppings. there’s also Hans’ by South Coast Metro which is homemade onsite.
Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Pinkberry Coupon :http://www.restaurantcouponsanddeals.com/2009/11/pinkberry-frozen-yogurt-buy-1-get-1.html