Yogurtland is a casual, self-serve frozen yogurt chain based out of Irvine, California. Their main and proudest selling point is yogurt served all natural — the company promises “fresh, pure” California milk, active cultures, and a lack of antibiotics or hormones. All yogurt offered is kosher certified, gluten-free, and in the case of fruit yogurts, vitamin C fortified.

The company made its start in Fullerton, California in 2006. It claims that each flavor is carefully researched and cultivated by “flavorologists”, or scientists who study everything from shelf life to microbological makeup to “sensory evaluation of products.” There are more than 200 flavors ranging from the classic such as chocolate, to the exotic, such as dragonfruit.

History

Yogurtland was founded by Korean-born husband and wife team Phillip and Michelle Chang. The original location in Fullerton served mainly bubble tea, with self-serve yogurt offered on the side. Though the company was founded in 2006, it wasn’t until 2007 that Yogurtland in its current incarnation opened to the public. The concept was a hit, supposedly drawing in visitors from as far as 50 miles away.

The company would go on to employ more than 2,100. Although the franchise once held lofty goals of 500 franchises worldwide, they eventually scaled down to a more modest 320, consistent with Chang’s belief that a strong foundation was highly important. Even so, their locations now cover 17 states and five different countries.

Although Phillip Chang planned to step down to pursue missionary work, he returned in mid-2014, claiming to be unsatisfied with the company environment. He went on to say that “This is the most precious thing to me. This is my American dream. I made it. We came [to America] with $3,000.” He remains CEO to this day.

Review

Yogurtland offers up to 16 flavors of soft-serve yogurt at any time, including low-fat, sugar-free, and dairy-free. Customers are free to mix flavors. Toppings such as granola, fresh fruit, and various sauces are available. The chain also offers “featured flavors”; at the time of this writing, the flavors being offered include cake batter, pistachio, and Dulce de Leche cookies.

As the customer serves themselves, wait times are brief. Although sizes formally came in “large” and “extra large”, the cup of yogurt is now weighed at the counter and priced by the ounce, which usually runs between 30-49 cents. The ambiance straddles the line between cozy kitchen and nostalgic ice cream parlor, favoring soft green decor and colorful font.

While quite a few self-serve yogurt joints operate under similar models (ex. Yogen Früz, Pinkberry) this restaurant’s greatest point of pride is its freshness. The website is very adamant about using fresh milk and fresh fruit, promising seeds in the strawberry yogurt and seasonal fruits when possible. The servers are also consistently friendly and the restaurant is usually very clean.

Business hours generally run from 11 AM to 11 PM on weekdays and 11 AM to midnight on weekends. The restaurant is open seven days a week, but closes on New Year’s day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving Day. This is a company that’s firmly committed to its own values.