Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt – Is It Worth All The Hype?

Surely you’ve heard about Pinkberry. Everyone is talking about it. It’s known as the “real” frozen yogurt, and it’s all the rage in Hollywood. With US franchises only in New York and California, Pinkberry is definitely setting the trend for frozen yogurt. You gotta give props to the Pinkberry marketing team though…. Load all your franchises in the two most celebrity infested states, get it into celebrity hands, get a picture of that and voila – you’re business explodes. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about…I found this photo of Kirsten Dunst getting’ her Pinkberry on in LA. I’m sure the Pinkberry marketing execs were just loving this.

After hearing everyone go on and on about the almighty Pinkberry, I knew I had to give this stuff a try and satisfy my own curiosity, at the least. Even if it is another overrated trend (complete with celebrity endorsements), I’d still like to try it for myself. So I kicked it on over to the Pinkberry on Ventura Blvd in Studio City and dragged my trend hating fiancé along with me. Much to our dismay, there is a line out the door and halfway down the sidewalk. And it was cold outside! Granted, to us Southern Californians, anything below 70 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, but nonetheless, I was praying all the hassle would be worth it.

So how was it you ask? First of all, Pinkberry only comes in two flavors: original and green tea. Now I was excited about this because A.) I often get overwhelmed by too many choices and B.) I LOVE anything Green Tea flavored, so I was psyched. Fortunately, the line moved quickly, and after about 20 min, I was getting close to the front of the line. I caught an eyful of all the toppings and they looked so pretty and healthy – a colorful display of fresh, healthy looking fruit, granola, and coconut shreds! I was starting to get pretty excited now…green tea frozen yogurt and beautiful, yummy looking fruit – I’m thinking, “Pinkberry RULES”!!! So, I ordered the medium Green Tea with 3 toppings – kiwi, raspberries and pomegranate seeds. My fiancé got the original flavor with mango, strawberries and coconut shreds – we had a good array of flavors covered. We scored a table in the uber trendy, fluorescent modern looking space age café and dug in. My first reaction? “AHHHHHH!!! What the HELL is this!?!??!?” I felt like a baby who was given a pickle for the first time. It was pretty darn sour. I tried a few more painfully sour bites. Bleh. Then I tried my fiancés….bleh again. A little sweeter than mine, but still, the sour prevailed. Thank GOD there was yummy fruit to help mask this super tangy yogurt delicacy. I honestly don’t know how anyone could muscle down the Pinkberry without the fruit. Ugh. I was so disappointed.

My friend told me that Pinkberry is an acquired taste, and that the second time around you’ll love it. I was doubtful, but I mustered up the courage to give it another go. Not good. It was NOT GOOD.

I guess that if it’s that healthy for you it’s worth the not so pleasant taste, right? WELL…it turns out that Pinkberry may not even be real yogurt!! A dairy disillusionment. It turns out that Pinkberry is being sued for allegedly passing off instant powder as yogurt. The following is from a press release issued by the plaintiff’s lawyers: “The suit alleges that Pinkberry has unlawfully capitalized on the health-consciousness of the California public by falsely calling its product “frozen yogurt.” Plaintiff contends that, in direct violation of California law, Pinkberry’s product is made from a powder base, mixed with water and/or milk on site, and then sold without notice to consumers of its ingredients. The plaintiff contends Pinkberry’s dry powder mix lacks the bacteria or bacterial cultures that define yogurt and create its health benefits.”

Wow.

If the Plaintiff’s claims turn out to be true, I have a feeling that Hollywood’s hot affair with the Pinkberry trend will come to fast, cold end.

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This entry was posted by LaaLoosh on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 11:37 pm and is filed under Health and Food Product Reviews, New Health and Food Products & Services, Restaurants and Eating Out.