Update: April 2013 – Pinkberry is now open in Austin

Pinkberry, the yogurt shop that pretty much started the froyo craze in America 6-7 years ago, is finally coming to Austin. The first location will open at the Westbank Market (3300 Bee Caves Road, Suite 640) in spring 2013.

Why should we care?

We’ve seen many different generic froyo shops come and go in the ATX and even though it feels like the craze has died down, I think there’s still a pent up demand for Pinkberry. Many people say that Pinkberry’s yogurt is the best (myself included), and that the current batch of Austin yogurt shops aren’t up to par.

In fact, in our 2009 Austin Froyo comparison test, we crowned Mambo Berry the best Froyo in Austin because it tasted the most like Pinkberry.

The franchisee that is opening Pinkberry in ATX, Lone Star Swirls, is bullish on Pinkberry’s future in Central Texas. They plan to open between 3 to 13 Pinkberry locations over the next 6 years between Austin and San Antonio.

Will the arrival of Pinkberry in Austin raise the standards of froyo in the capital of Texas? Is there room for all of the smaller froyo shops and Pinkberry too? Only time will tell.

One thing is for sure – I’ll be at the Pinkberry in Austin soon after it opens to see if it’s as good as I remember.

Happy Tasting,
Peter

 
 
Full press release below:

PINKBERRY TO OPEN FIRST AUSTIN LOCATION
Pinkberry Westlake To Open This Spring

Austin, TX ­ February 26, 2013 ­ Pinkberry, the world¹s leading yogurt retailer, announced today that it would open its first ever location in Austin, Texas in the late Spring of 2013. The newest Pinkberry is located in Westlake at the Westbank Market (3300 Bee Caves Road, Suite 640).

Pinkberry takes pride in serving the perfect cup of yogurt with a dedication to quality and freshness the residents of Austin will taste. Pinkberry¹s handcrafted yogurt bar offers a variety of irresistible yogurts expertly crafted to complement its thoughtfully selected toppings to create one-of-a-kind taste experiences.

Pinkberry frozen yogurt is the perfect treat. It¹s made with non-fat RBST milk and non-fat yogurt, it is light, refreshing with a clean finish and offers the truest taste of the flavor itself ­ for example Strawberry Pinkberry tastes like biting into an actual fresh strawberry. Flavors include tart and fruity flavors like pomegranate, strawberry, mango and more indulgent flavors like peanut butter, salted caramel and chocolate hazelnut. There are over 15 different flavors that rotate based on the season.

Ron Graves, Pinkberry CEO, says, ³We¹re excited to introduce Pinkberry¹s high quality, unique yogurt experience to Austin and we couldn¹t have picked a better partner than Lone Star Swirls who are equally passionate about bringing the goodness of yogurt to their community and singularly focused on exceeding our customer expectations every day.²

Fortunate for the community of Austin, a foodie city, there will be no wait for what¹s new to come from Pinkberry. The Austin location will be one of the first markets to debut Pinkberry¹s new product line in the late Spring offering new yogurt choices. The brand opens in Austin with a revamped menu offering even more choices of yogurt with delicious and culinary inspired experiences.

³We fell in love with Pinkberry when we were on a family vacation to New York City and knew that this type of yogurt ­ natural, fresh and tart would be a big hit in Central Texas,² said Elisa Pederson, Co-Owner of Lone Star Swirls. ³We are excited to introduce a new level of quality to the yogurt experience here in Austin.²

With a passion to help people discover new ways to enjoy yogurt in their daily routines, Pinkberry assists every customer in pairing yogurts with the perfect toppings, blending them into smoothies or creating delicious parfaits. The taste of Pinkberry¹s specialty yogurts is unbeatable when combined with selected toppings like fresh daily hand-cut fruit, never frozen or in syrup, natural granolas and nuts, specialty chocolates and sweets as well as finishers like cinnamon honey, vanilla agave and organic strawberry puree. Customers can choose from these groupings of toppings to personalize their yogurt experience from the only topping bar in the industry that is 100 percent free of transfats, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

For more information, please visit: http://www.pinkberry.com/westlake or follow us on Twitter: @pinkberryATX and Instagram: pinkberryATX. Pinkberry Westlake is also hiring, to inquire please email austinjobs@pinkberry.com

About Pinkberry
Today, with over 225 stores worldwide, Pinkberry is the original brand that reinvented the frozen yogurt category with its tart, light and refreshing taste. With a continued dedication to quality you can taste and a passion for yogurt, Pinkberry is focused on being most innovative yogurt retailer in the world by thoughtfully handcrafting a variety of fresh and frozen yogurt experiences. Pinkberry wants people to experience new ways to enjoy yogurt in their daily routines by providing a place to refresh everyone with the goodness of yogurt ­ both a nutritious and delicious food that taste as good as it is for you.

All Pinkberry yogurts carry The National Yogurt Association seal and are made with real milk and yogurt packed with live and active cultures and are OU Kosher certified. For more information on store locations visit www.pinkberry.com, like Pinkberry on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or download the Pinkberry App on iTunes or Play Network.

About Lone Star Swirls ,LLC
Lone Star Swirls, LLC was founded in 2011 by Kurt and Elisa Pederson. With a combined experience in the restaurant and marketing industries, Lone Star Swirls will focus on new store openings in Austin, San Antonio and along the I-35 corridor in between. Lone Star Swirls¹ will open 3-13 Pinkberry locations over the next 6 years