A Refreshingly Frozen Treat Harbors Potential to Become the New Frappucino

The number of frozen yogurt enthusiasts has recently been steadily increasing, due to the onslaught of frozen yogurt establishments across the nation. People have been veering away from the cloying and artificial tastes of places such Cold Stone Creamery, in favor of something easier on the waistline.

College students, who are constantly looking for “chill” places to relax and get a quick afternoon pick-me-up, seem to have found the answer in Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt shop. They are enticed by the late hours and chic atmosphere just as bees are enticed by the fragrant aroma of honeysuckles.

Pinkberry, which originated as 33-year-old Hyekyung “Sherry” Hwang’s attempt to open a tea parlor in West Hollywood, is now the rising star of the franchise world. According to Matthew Boyle of Fortune Magazine, 21 locations have been established in Los Angeles and New York, with incentives to reach 50 by the end of 2007.

As a frozen yogurt shop, Pinkberry provides two flavors: plain and green tea. Plain yogurt is undeniably the more popular of the two, with green tea making less than 40% of the sales, but the plethora of toppings more than compensates for this. They offer an array of fresh fruit, sweetened cereals, nuts, and Oreo cookies. Mochi, Japanese sticky rice balls, is an off-menu item also available for those in the know, and a medium cup of yogurt with three toppings will cost about $5.50

“It doesn’t immediately grab you,” says Santa Monica yoga instructor David Kim, “but there is something about the flavor that draws you in, and each time you go back you taste something a little bit different. The next thing you know, it's like crack.''

A recipe that Hwang devised herself, Pinkberry’s frozen yogurt is made with real milk and boasts a mere 25 calories per ounce. The yogurt asserts a refreshing tanginess and a creamy texture, but certainly not creamy enough to be guilt inducing. “My teeth didn’t feel violated by the sugar the way they do after a Haagen Daz frozen yogurt or premium ice cream,” says food blogger Nikonice. They also offer fruit or green tea shaved ice and smoothies.

The question asked by regulators, however, is “But is Pinkberry really frozen yogurt?” The answer is: no.

"You can't call a product frozen yogurt unless it's mixed off-site and delivered to the site as frozen yogurt," said Steve Lyle, a department spokesman.

According to Kimi Yoshino of the Los Angeles Times, the executives of Pinkberry have admitted that their yogurt is made from a powder and mixed in-store. They insist that it contains plain yogurt, but the recipe was not divulged for copyright reasons. Nevertheless, written references to frozen yogurt have been removed from their website.

Fortunately, others are not as concerned with the health issues of their dessert. This issue has not impeded Pinkberry’s success, and plans of expansion are currently being made.

"It just tastes good, and I'm not a frozen yogurt connoisseur by any means," said 19-year-old USC student Andrew Wilson.