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Total cost: 5 bucks and some change | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
In the earlier days of the frozen yogurt craze, Yogurtland sprung up in Fullerton in February 2006. It was a success and so more stores opened in Hollywood, Long Beach, Little Tokyo, Sherman Oaks and many other Southern California locations and one in Cupertino up north. They even opened a location in Greenwich Village in New York City with plans for Vegas, Hawaii and Texas.
There's a good reason for this multiplying franchise. It's hundreds of times better than Pinkberry and Yogurtland is the closest you'll get to frozen yogurt that actually tastes amazingly close to, well, yogurt. It's rich, creamy, tart when needed and the best part, the 16 rotating, some seasonal, flavors are self-serve along with 33 toppings. At 30 to 39-cents per ounce, $5 can easily feed two people to satisfaction. What stuck out was the insanely amazing Taro flavor and the sugared red bean toppings.
But there's one problem with Yogurtland. It's minimalist modern design is as cold, but more homely, as what it tries to mimic -- Pinkberry. Try to snap a photo and you'll get reprimanded by management. The fun friendly concept behind Menchies in Valley Village (also a self serve concept that feels more in line with ice cream) is ruined by a corporate policy and employees untrained on how to handle it nicely. In fact, when we informed them a public relations firm sent us to the Sherman Oaks location to check it out so this could be written, they denied having any such company spreading their good word.
When two frozen yogurt places with similar concepts and excellent products are nearby each other and a choice has to be made, we'll have to stick with Menchies where the environs are comfortable and the values are community, not the bottom line and self obsession over image.
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what is in that second cup of yogurt?
a whole mess of sugar: cheesecake, oreo, graham cracker, red beans, peanute butter cups, butterfinger all topped with white chocolate sauce. junk food heaven.
I think I just got diabetes from reading that description.
booo yogurtland. yay menchies.
I'm not sure if your cup of yogurt looks worse in a photo than it did in person... I still don't know how you ingested that.
I'll second everything Zach (er, Snack) says about Yogurtland... the Taro was kick ass, the vibe from the dude in charge not cool, and that Menchies is way better.
Finally! I've been saying this for months now. Yogurtland is one of the best frozen yogurt chain out there. Since I despise the Valley and will never go there, I am more than happy to enter the 'cold' vibe of Yogurtland anyday.
This is not the first time I've read about various establishments around town objecting to local writers(bloggers) taking photos of their establishments and products for write ups. Given the proliference of yoghurt shops and corner bakeries, how could the photos be proprietary information? Is this local culture now?
So weird how you can't take pics. Pinkberry in Venice has that no-photographs sticker, and we wondered why. Is it really to keep bloggers from taking pics for their stories? How strange.
My GF and I discovered Menchies through you, Zach (you joined us at the end of our dinner at Carnival with a mutual friend and then took us to Menchies) and although I didn't have anything, I was amazed at the 'top your own yogurt' thing. I can't eat yogurt but maybe some day I'll go back and try the lactose free options (I was full after dinner so I didn't that day - plus it was cold outside).
That's one serious snack you got there Zach...impressive!
Umm, I ate Yogurtland today, and there is NOTHING that would ever stop me from going. (I've already been to the Little Tokyo branch like four times!)
Cheaper than Pinkberry and so much more variety!
The New York cheesecake is delishhhhhhh!
Ali: I think it's the monkey brain, toe-cheese, banana combo.
I love Yogurtland but the one in Hollywood always has an overpowering stench of bleach / cleaner that hits you the minute you open the door. The first few times I thought it was just a fluke as I was going in there in the later part of the evening but I have smelled it every time. It's odd.
This is funny to me because I had the exact same experience you had with immediately being reprimanded for trying to take photos, but at Menchies! As soon as the girl behind the camera noticed me snapping a picture she ran in the back to get her manager (they're obviously trained to be on the lookout for rouge photographers), who came out immediately and told me that photographs were not allowed. When I asked why, she told me that was just their policy. The best part is that my intention for taking photos was to write a great review of the place for my blog, which I did end up doing (renegade photo and all). Too bad I had to mar my good review of their tasty dairy-free sorbet by also letting people know that they're kind of dicks if you want to take an innocent photo.
I don't understand why any of these places get so uptight about pictures... it's not like they're not already copying one another as it is. I just don't get why any business would want to shun free advertising.