I always knew I would love Pinkberry. I love yogurt. And I’m talking real yogurt here – not that stuff that has syrupy fruit on the bottom that tastes like pudding. I mean the thick, tangy Greek yogurt.
And now, I have tasted Pinkberry’s original yogurt, and I was right, I do love it. It’s downright addicting stuff – not vanilla – but original, like plain yogurt with all of that creamy tang.
And what led to my momentous first tasting of Pinkberry? The frozen yogurt chain has finally come to Florida. To Orlando, to be exact. Following a grand opening preview last night, Pinkberry officially opens for business today in the Dr. Phillips Marketplace, 7600 Dr. Phillips Boulevard in Orlando. If you are planning a visit to Orlando and you wonder where this is, it is near Universal Orlando and the Sand Lake / International Drive area.
I was lucky enough to be invited inside for a preview while workers were putting the finishing touches on the new store.
I met Suzanne Ginestro, Pinkberry’s vice president of brand marketing, and she showed me around while these folks lined up outside waiting for a taste of the swirly goodness.
Pinkberry started in West Hollywood in 2005 and has expanded around the world since then. This week, Pinkberry is opening five new stores — in Orlando, New Orleans, Boston and airports in Honolulu and Dubai.
Suzanne told me that Pinkberry uses only nonfat milk and nonfat yogurt, and their frozen yogurt is nonfat and gluten free. There are six flavors, including one that rotates on a seasonal basis. The flavors include original, chocolate, mango and pomegranate.
You choose a size and flavor, and a Pinkberry employee swirls it for you. Now, they are serious about their swirls. Suzanne pointed out an employee who had been flown in from California to show the Orlando employees exactly how to do it. You are also allowed to swirl two flavors together if you choose.
And then there are the toppings.
There are 30 toppings for the yogurt, and you can have many as you want for one price – as long as they all “comfortably” fit in your cup. Pinkberry is concerned with making sure the toppings are healthier than some of their competitors, and they try to stay away from hydrogenated oils and trans fats. You won’t find crushed up candy bars, but you will find carob chips and almonds and granola. And that fruit up there? It is delivered and cut fresh in the store daily. There is no frozen fruit or fruit sitting in syrup here.
Plus, Pinkberry has organic gummy bears, and who doesn’t want those?
The prices at Pinkberry range from $1.95 for a mini cup or cone with no toppings to $7.95 for a large cup with toppings. If you don’t want yogurt, you can get a bowl of fresh-cut fruit.
There’s also a parfait with fruit, granola and frozen yogurt. I think that sounds like an amazing lunch. (Just don’t tell my daughter that.)
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