Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Yogurtland Chief Steps Down
Photo by ajcreencia via Flickr
Having vanquished all his competitors, Yogurtland's founder is stepping down as president and CEO.
Phillip Chang, 50, will stay on as the Irvine-based company's chairman, but will focus his life on Christian missionary work, the O.C. Register reports. Yogurtland, which is privately owned, professes to be more profitable than ever.
The Yogurtland stores, with their signature Papyrus-font wall displays extolling the health benefits of soft-serve ice cream, are truly the last-man standing after the take-no-prisoners frozen yogurt wars of the mid-aughts. Yogurtland dashed progenitor Pinkberry's concept of trendy slightly-tart flavors and carefully hand-topped treats in favor of a serve-yourself model that relies on a wide variety of flavors with more saccharine leanings.
Ultimately, Yogurtland's scorched-earth expansion laid waste to the equally rapidly expanding Pinkberry, Red Mango, Céfiore and more; while a handful of stores from those other chains still exist, they hardly dominate the landscape like Yogurtland does.
The company "continues to experiment with new flavors and concepts at its research and development lab in Irvine," the Register reports.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
