Departed Business
 This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only. |
A 'rare' Davis frozen yogurt shop
| Location |
| 500 1st St. #5 (in Davis Commons) |
| Hours |
| Mon-Sun: 11am until 11pm |
| Phone |
| (530) 297-1700 |
| Price |
| Set price for each size(w/ toppings, and w/o), please refer to the menu in the shop. |
| Established in Davis |
| 2010-07-30 |
| Closed |
| 2015-07-27 |
| Corporate website |
| http://www.pinkberry.com |
Pinkberry is a California-based chain of full-serve frozen yogurt dessert outlets. Pinkberry is a franchise. A local owner owns the store. The owner pays Pinkberry to use the Pinkberry name and pays a percentage of the profits. The chain was founded by Hye-kyung “Shelly” Hwang and Young Lee and they opened their first store around 2005 in West Hollywood, California. The store developed a "fanatical" following, much to the annoyance of neighbors. (The parking tickets were said to be a huge windfall for the city of Santa Monica.) As of mid 2010 there are five stores in the greater Sacramento region and over 70 stores worldwide. It can be argued the store helped launch the current Asian-inspired semi-tart frozen yogurt craze that is popular in certain urban areas around the nation.
They use only non-rBST nonfat milk and nonfat yogurt to make their product; they do not use a powdered mix. Their yogurt has "live and active cultures". Neither do they add water nor corn syrup. Their fruit is all fresh, not canned, and kept less than 24 hours. They have over 30 toppings [needs verification], of which 90% have no trans fats. The ingredient list for the Original Flavor is: nonfat milk, sugar, cultured pasteurized nonfat milk with live and active cultures, contains less than 2%: cultured nonfat milk powder, fructose, dextrose, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, guar gum, maltodextrin, mono-and diglycerides, lactoglycerides, propylene glycol esters, rice starch. Information for the rest of the flavors is here: http://www.pinkberry.com/nutrition/nutrition-frozen-yogurt.html
They have six flavors: Original Tart, Chocolate, Mango, Green Tea, Pomegranate, and a monthly "featured flavor" (Passion Fruit, Watermelon, Lychee, Blood Orange, Pumpkin, Coconut), but not the mysterious pinkberry.
They also have smoothies (a Berry flavor & a Green Tea flavor), a Fruit Parfait, and cones.
Weekly Entertainment:
- Monday Night: Family Game Night 6-8pm
- Tuesday Trivia Nights 7-9pm
Approx. prices:
| Mini - 3oz. |
| Small - 5oz. |
| Medium - 8oz. |
| Large - 13oz. |
| Original-Flavor |
| $1.95-2.45 |
| $2.50-3.50 |
| $3.50-4.50 |
| $5.50-6.50 |
| +toppings |
| $2.45-2.95 |
| $3.95-4.95 |
| $4.95-5.95 |
| $6.95-7.95 |
The +topping option gives you as many toppings that will fit comfortably in your cup (no weighing at all!). Aggie Cash is accepted here. Be sure to download the "Pinkberry" app on iPhone or Android, they no longer use stamp cards.
Pinkberry's glassy interior
Taking over the former location of Papyrus, the franchise adds to the already saturated market of frozen yogurt shops in Davis. Along with Thai restaurants and sushi buffets, add frozen yogurt to the list of businesses of which Davis has a plethora. According to the Davis Enterprise, Swirl was forced to change its name in 2008 to Cultivé due to Pinkberry's claim that the "Swirl" name was too similar to their trademarked phrase, "swirly goodness." Pinkberry also claimed that the leaf used in Swirl's logo was too similar to the leaves used in Pinkberry's logo. It may also have brought the tiny town of Davis to their attention.
On 2010-07-29, the evening before their store officially opened, they gave away free small (5 oz.) frozen yogurt cups with toppings to those who stood in line for three full hours. Mayor Don Saylor also attended, though after introducing himself he was welcomed into the VIP tent and did not wait in line.
rfrazier
2010-02-05 20:42:44 OMG Yes! —GregWebb
2010-02-06 10:18:42 Another FroYo place? Are you serious? Yogurt Shack is just up the street, Ben and Jerry's right next door, Cultive not much farther downtown, then YoloBerry, Sugar Plum, Tutti-Frutty - overkill. —ChristyMarsden
-
Pinkberry isn't just any other froyo place; it's pretty much the froyo place in SoCal, the template so to speak. they must've had their eyes on Davis for a while, which may explain why the company forced Cultive to change their name from Swirl (a term they claim is theirs alone). it'll be interesting to see how their full-serve model flies in town. cultive saw a need to make the switch to self-serve for a reason. i guess we'll see how much branding and name recognition (as well as location) prevails over perceived value.
- 2010-08-02 00:37:20 Sure enough, Pinkberry is anything but "the" froyo place in Davis.
2010-02-06 11:33:28 I'm sticking with the local joints, personally. —CovertProfessor
2010-03-18 22:07:59 I'll give them a try at least once, but I'll be slightly biased because they made Swirl change their name. It's going to be Swirl for me, always >:( —AlexanderHo
2010-03-18 22:37:39 Well, it's definitely good that they are coming here. This has been a town as completely devoid of yogurt shops as it is devoid of places to get sushi, thai, pizza, burgers, or bicycles. And according to the Sacramento Bee article, they mainly differentiate themselves by being...more expensive?! Seems like an unusual strategy to me... —IDoNotExist
2010-03-18 23:28:23 this is right down the street from Yogurt Shack & Cultive. Gosh, nothing wrong with a variety, but dang, too much variety in this case... rather than allowing a business to do well because of it's uniqueness, this is just starting up a trend that will cause all of the other yogurt shops to have mediocre business, neither of them can really prosper like this... —ThUn
2010-03-24 18:57:31 It looks like it's not just Davis, they're expanding the market to the entire Sacramento area. I'd be surprised if don't try and get into Davis, with its large college student population. Unfortunately large chains like that cares nothing of the "already saturated" market of frozen yogurt shop anywhere - they have the capital to come, and go as they please. —LeeY
2010-05-02 02:58:02 it's going to be the best froyo place in town. —film
2010-05-18 10:24:24 I agree with CovertProfessor, I will be giving my business to the local shops. —DagonJones
I would concur wholeheartedly with the previous statement —Daubert
I don't really understand why this city needs yet another frozen yogurt place. I've been to pinkberry and while they are better than some of the places we have, Cultive has been my personal local favorite. —AlvinTsao
2010-06-18 14:14:35 This is my hands-down favorite fro yo place in the world. My hometown is an hour north of Santa Barbara, Ca and while visiting home I make a point to drive to SB just for this delicious treat. I can't wait for it to open, huzzah! —Jeserah
2010-07-30 09:39:00 Went last night, saw the line, turned around, went to SugarPlum instead. —BrianPakpour
2010-07-30 10:35:01 How does this place compare to the other froyo places in town? I've never been to one, so what gives it the "fanatical" following? —TomGarberson
Maybe there are so many other branches, that alot of them are in places where there are no other choices for frozen yogurt. -NickSchmalenberger
2010-07-30 17:19:25 the economic sense of college students amazes me. I would pay $3 to not wait in line for three hours. I would probably pay twenty dollars for such a privilege. This privilege was available free to everyone who waited in line. —tombrokaw
2010-07-30 19:00:03 Stood in line for 3 hours along with a couple of friends on opening day. The lighting, colors, and decor are really relaxing. The employees were super nice and energetic even though they had to take froyo orders like crazy. They were also very generous with the yogurt portions and toppings. This was our first taste of Pinkberry and I must say that we were pleasantly surprised. The passionfruit/mango mix was just awesome but the original tart was not very tart, and the pomegranate flavor didn't really taste like pomegranate. In my opinion, Cultive has the best tart if you're into that, SugarPlum's tart fruit flavors are comparable to Pinkberry's, and Yoloberry still has the best selection of toppings. But I give them points for being the first froyo place to be able to have yogurt that I finished without having to see a pool of liquid at the bottom. All in all, it's just another froyo place to go to if you're near Borders and don't want to walk a block away to get to another froyo place. But I would definitely go back just because their yogurt's texture is just so perfect, it is nicely creamy and soft and yet it does not melt in your bowl while you pay for it. —DavisFoodie
2010-07-30 23:44:12 What a strange sort of business. Davis needs more used bookstores and fewer overpriced frozen yogurt stores. —BarnabasTruman
Yes! Yes! Yes! I miss Bogey's. Sweet Briar is still awesome though. -NickSchmalenberger
2010-08-02 00:42:48 I'll admit that I have an aversion to southern California for some reason. That said, I nearly gagged at how hard Pinkberry was trying to be just that. The yogurt was tasty, just like all the other places in downtown Davis and beyond, but was more expensive. It seemed unnecessary that they needed six staff and a manager when Yolo Berry does with a single employee at the register. I did like what seemed to be a mini Captain Crunch, though! —MichaelAWoods
- Actually the proper spelling is "Cap'n Crunch". Yoloberry has miss spelled this fine cereal as well, I informed them of their error but apparently I am the only one who cares about the Cap'n. —DagonJones
2010-08-02 02:51:34 I'll give this place a try, but I hope it's worth the high price and not overhyped by these "fanatical" fans. It'll be hard to beat Yoloberry. —TheShah
2010-08-02 20:35:00 Though I really wanted to hate Pinkberry, I gave it a shot the other night, and it was quite delicious. I never even liked tart yogurt, and their original tart with mango was really good. Their chocolate with caramely, chocolately rice krispy sauce was delicious as well. Cons: the staff was borderline obnoxious. Too many girls behind the counter. I felt like I was being pecked by chickens the way each was asking or telling me something different. It was also pretty expensive. My husband and I both got smalls with one topping and it came to $8 something. I'll save it for a once-in-awhile treat. —AmLin
2010-08-16 19:23:56 I don't like it. Tried two samples and threw away my discount cards. Yoloberry rules. —JimStewart
2010-08-20 01:15:19 The portion of froyo they give you is not the usual amount that I get at the pinkberry in Sacramento. I was unhappy with the service also, I felt very rushed and the workers were slow at getting the orders. Also, they should really get a scale the small yogurts because it is definitely not what their "average" estimate is in the cup for $4+. Also, the workers looked miserable working here; it was almost if they forced themselves to be happy serving you. Not genuine whatsoever. —MissAmyQ
- putting up with everything any food service industry worker has to, a forced smile for minimum wage is a blessing. Me, I tell people right away, don't bother with a fake smile, be real with me. 90% of the time people appreciate it and I usually get better service than the average Joe. You go out and smile for minimum wage in Davis with the high cost of living, that's the last thing anyone should complain about with any food joint. — Wes-P
2010-08-26 09:12:45 In all honesty, PinkBerry's yogurt is quite good compared to your run-of-the-mill frozen yogurt joint. Despite it's taste it is quite pricey, perhaps a bit too pricey for most. Personally the yogurt doesn't justify the steep price because honestly the difference in taste isn't dramatic.
Anyways, my heart will always be with Yoloberry. —blastoff
2010-08-27 06:06:51 Went here the other day and I thought it was delicious. I had been wanting to try Pinkberry for a while, I'm glad it came to Davis. And their toppings are super good too. My favorite is the chocolate/original swirl with chocolate crips, mochi & cheesecake. Friendly empolyees and a really cool look to the store! Probably the best fro yo place I've been to in all of Davis! —NorCalFoodLover
2010-09-07 14:15:38 The full-serve model seems to be a bad idea. I had to wait for 5 minutes without even being acknowledged while a party of 5+ people sampled every flavor *individually* and were being served by all of the employees on staff despite my vocalization that I was not with them. At the very least one should break away to handle other customers as they come in when dealing with a large party. I can't complain too much because when someone (an employee just starting her shift who saw me waving for attention) finally got to me and I told her what I observed she gave me my froyo free. The yogurt itself is pretty much on par with cultive I think. Still there are so many places in town...I wonder if this place will get all the socal loyal students. —OliviaY
2010-09-14 21:01:49 It;s not that good the inside is very pretty, yet it's not self served so you don't get that feeling you get at places sch as yolo berry —AlexKiani
2010-09-17 00:47:57 i think this is all hype.. i prefer yolo berry and cultive personally —sallythatgirl
2010-10-05 21:56:08 I went in today and I saw that they now offer discounts to Davis Students, which is great! They're offering a 20% discount to UCD students that bring in their ID, and they're offering a happy hour discount: 50% off on a Medium yogurt with toppings for Davis Students everyday from 7-9pm. That's great that they're supporting the Aggie's like a lot of other places in town! :) —NorCalFoodLover
2010-10-07 22:37:22 I was skeptical trying Davis' 6th yogurt shop.. But the yogurt is quite unique and good. I really do not like the full serve idea, and how they pile the yogurt high so you barely get any toppings. Also, it is quite expensive even with the student discounts. I'll definitely keep my money with the local shops.. Where I really get to pick what I want. PLUS Pinkberry doesn't have vanilla! —redbike
2010-10-12 13:30:15 The staff were attentive, understanding and helpful. Went in with a large group and many wished to have samples of a few things prior to ordering. In the end, only two of the group actually ordered anything and the rest went elsewhere.
The yogurt didn't taste much better than standard store bought Yoplait and I personally found that the inability to place your own toppings on the purchase was a bit annoying. I personally like very little of the toppings and add just a small amount for flavor but they apparently place a portion size similar on all orders regardless and I found the toppings too sweet for my tastes.
As for cost, I find that the sizes don't really mean much to me. Why have a set cost per cup at all? I think people should be charged for what they use regardless of what cup it comes in. Personally I just want a little yogurt, not even a full cup so it makes no sense to me.
2010-10-30 16:12:59 I'm from LA (where there is Pinkberry on practically every corner) and I was very excited to see one opening here. Then I went in and I guess it's not as good as I remember. There original is not nearly as tart as I remember it being. Sorry, Cultive has got you beat. —elgreen
2010-11-30 01:10:14 There is now Weekly Entertainment at Pinkberry, please contact the store for details if you would like to be involved: -Monday Night: Family Game Night 6-8pm, -Tuesday Trivia Night 7-9pm, -Wednesday Night: Open Mic Night 7-9pm —SaherR
2011-01-11 10:52:16 They skimp on toppings, and it's expensive! $14 for 3 small yogurts. I won't go back. —JasperD
2011-03-01 21:52:18 never going back - because of victoria. —marcuscamby
2011-05-21 13:47:57 I had a good experience here. The staff were pleasant and my coconut yogurt with mochi was delicious. The mochi toppings were really fresh, unlike some of the other places I've been to in Davis, where they were kinda hard and dry. I've never been to a Pinkberry before so I can't really compare to other locations. The smallest size is usually enough for me, and I also had a BOGO free coupon. Under other conditions, I guess it might be a bit pricey. —blee
2011-07-11 14:51:26 At first I was not going to give my business to some SoCal company who was bossing around a small town yogurt shop (referring to the cultive swirl incident). One day I made the mistake of trying the yogurt here. I find it to be very very tasty, I like it better than other yogurts, the plain and mango are very good. I feel guilty but it is true. If you do the math there is no question it is more expensive than other places —DagonJones
2011-09-02 12:54:12 I've never felt so ripped off. I just paid $4.50 for half a cup of yogurt. I'm never going there again. —kevinhawkins
2013-06-03 14:16:53 I finally had reason to go here recently, but never again, for the same reasons that others have given. The yogurt and toppings taste fine, but they are not amazing, and they are certainly no better than you can get at the independent yogurt shops in Davis. Plus Pinkberry is more expensive ($5 for a small yogurt with toppings!) and it is annoying to have to explain what you want, item-by-item, to the person behind the counter (who was overly perky at my visit) rather than just taking what you want and how much of it you want. —CovertProfessor
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