fbpx
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram RSS Feed

Behind the Scenes at Yogurtland

If you love frozen yogurt, you probably know Yogurtland, one of the country’s most popular frozen yogurt chains. Many fans know and love Yogurtland for its wide variety of handcrafted flavors and fresh toppings. You walk in, choose from up to 16 flavors, and then add your own toppings ranging from fresh strawberries to mochi to Cap’n Crunch.

YogurtlandWe recently had a chance to go behind the scenes at the Santa Monica Yogurtland at Pico and Lincoln, to learn about the yogurt’s journey from dairy delivery to your cup. Owner Chris Hong generously took the time to give us the “inside scoop” on the process.

Behind the Scenes at Yogurtland

Yogurtland receives yogurt deliveries – in gallon jugs – twice per week. These jugs then go straight into Yogurtland’s giant walk-in refrigerator. Each store’s owner has to calculate exactly how much to order of each flavor for their specific location because they have to use the yogurt within days (not because the yogurt would go bad, but because of Yogurtland’s strict freshness standards). At any given time, each store will offer at least one tart flavor and one dairy-free flavor.

Yogurtland

Next it’s off to the specialized mixing machines that slowly churn and freeze the yogurt. Below, here is Cookies and Cream beginning its transition from yogurt to frozen yogurt.

Yogurtland

After that, it becomes the frozen yogurt that you know and love – and it’s ready for you to squeeze out from the other size of the wall from where it’s been churning. “There’s nothing else that we will prep other than fruit. All of the yogurt comes pre-made for us,” says Hong.

Yogurtland

Yogurtland owner Chris Hong jokingly offers to give away the store’s M&M stash.

Back in the pantry area is every imaginable yogurt topping, including chocolates, cereals, and sprinkles. (One loyal customer comes to the Santa Monica location every week and buys only a container of sprinkles.) Other toppings, like cheesecake bites, cookie dough, fruit, and brownies, stay in the fridge. The toppings vary by location due to regional tastes, but Hong tells us that strawberries are a consistent top seller.

Yogurtland

Make Your Own Combination

And with that, you can now make your own unique combination of yogurt and toppings. Pictured below is our kid loading up on toppings, but (true story) personally we love the plain tart yogurt so much we rarely put on anything on top.

Yogurtland

About Yogurtland: Phillip Chang started Yogurtland in 2006. It now has more than 330 locations worldwide. If you haven’t been to Yogurtland yet, find one near you and put it on your summer to-do list. And if you happen to be near the Santa Monica Yogurtland at Pico and Lincoln, be sure to pop in and say “hi” to Chris Hong.

Blogger disclosure: I attended the tour with a school group unrelated to this blog. I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

, , , , ,

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply