Frozen Yogurt Bye
Froyo bubble bursts with Dallas closures of once-hyped chain
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.
