Frozen Yogurt Bye

Froyo bubble bursts with Dallas closures of once-hyped chain

If this treat appeals to you, then there are only two locations left in Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Pinkberry

The frozen yogurt bubble deflated slightly with the demise of the Uptown Dallas branch of Pinkberry, which closed on October 4. That closure follows the plight of the branch on Greenville Avenue, which closed in March.

That leaves two Pinkberry branches in slightly less hip neighborhoods in the DFW area: Preston Royal and Arlington. Two places for you to get your rather meagerly portioned cup of slightly tart frozen yogurt doled out to you by a controlling server, for a mere $5.36 for a plain medium, or $6.98 if you want toppings.

A staffer at the Arlington store said that his store and the Preston-Royal share the same owner, and that there was no indication they'd be closing. But within the past year, Pinkberry franchisers have been shutting down all over the country, from Connecticut to Florida to New York to Washington, D.C.

Most shockingly is Pinkberry's national map showing the remaining locations of this once pervasive chain. But Pinkberry still has a stand in Texas: Aside from the two still remaining in Dallas, there are two Pinkberry stores in Austin and four in Houston, including one that just opened in November. Houston is still loving its fro-yo.

Dallas has its own homegrown frozen-yogurt concept in Yumilicious, which is full steam ahead, with a dozen branches spread across the Metroplex, and openings internationally including one the company just opened outside Mexico City.

Yumilicious allows customers to serve themselves and mix flavors, and has also diversified its offerings: In 2014, it added bubble tea to the menu, and in 2015, it introduced a new line of gelato, in flavors such as chocolate, hazelnut, and pistachio, which is also self-serve, side-by-side with the frozen yogurt.

Remember in the 2000s when this new kind of "tart" frozen yogurt was cool? Remember when there were so many froyo chains opening that you couldn't keep track of their names? Those were the days. And Dallas, home to '80s first-generation chain I Can't Believe It's Yogurt, has always had a special relationship with frozen yogurt.

Red Mango, Pinkberry's major competitor, still has dozens of shops around the country, but only one right now in North Texas, at DFW Airport. However, there is a branch slated to open at the CityLine complex in Richardson. Froyo hope springs eternal.

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Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

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