Frozen yogurt is having a moment again, and Palm Beach Gardens is about to get a taste of the trend.
Go Greek yogurteria is preparing to open in Downtown Palm Beach Gardens, taking over the former Fro-Yotopia space across from the property’s fountains.
The arrival comes as frozen yogurt enjoys an unexpected resurgence nationwide. According to a recent Fortune report, frozen yogurt servings sold in the year leading up to March increased 26%, with market research firm Circana attributing much of the growth to health-conscious Gen Z consumers.
The publication described the trend as the end of the “froyopocalypse,” the industry downturn that followed frozen yogurt’s explosive popularity in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Frozen yogurt’s surprising resurgence
Go Greek operates locations in California where its first-ever store was Beverly Hills, Florida and New York, plus stores in the Middle East and more on the way.
Its menu features imported Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, smoothies and a variety of toppings such as fresh fruit, honey, nuts and other Mediterranean-inspired choices.
The brand has also expanded into New York. Earlier this year, Go Greek opened its first Manhattan location in NoHo, bringing the concept to a city where frozen yogurt has long cycled in and out of fashion.
What’s especially interesting is how this Mediterranean staple made the leap from specialty product to mainstream dessert.
From fine dining to the food court
If food trends work anything like fashion, Estiatorio Milos is the runway show while Go Greek is the ready-to-wear collection.
Think of the famous cerulean-blue monologue from the first “The Devil Wears Prada.” Fashion trends often begin in rarefied corners of the culture before filtering into the mainstream.
Long before grocery stores devoted entire refrigerated aisles to Greek yogurt, Milos was serving thick Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and topped with walnuts as an elegant dessert.
The idea gradually worked its way outward.
First came imitators in fine dining, followed by cafés, brunch spots and hotel buffets. Then grocery stores got in on the trend.
Now entire chains are being built around Greek yogurt.
The trajectory mirrors how luxury trends often spread. What starts in white-tablecloth dining rooms eventually reaches a much broader audience, finding new customers and new formats along the way.
An Upper West Side flashback
For me, the frozen yogurt comeback feels especially familiar. During nearly 30 years living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, frozen yogurt shops such as Pinkberry seemed to occupy every other block.
Whether it was a post-dinner treat, a casual date spot or simply an excuse to take a walk around the neighborhood, froyo was woven into daily life.
Now, frozen yogurt is finding a new audience.
Fortune reported that customers are lining up at newer concepts such as Myka Greek Frozen Yogurt and Mimi’s, while established chain 16 Handles is also seeing rising sales.
Not quite a health food
That doesn’t mean frozen yogurt deserves a health halo. While Greek yogurt typically contains probiotics and can offer more protein than traditional ice cream, frozen versions can still contain significant amounts of added sugar.
Once sweetened toppings, syrups and candies enter the picture, those nutritional advantages can narrow considerably.
In other words, dessert is still dessert.
But if the crowds gathering around frozen yogurt counters from Miami to Manhattan are any indication, Americans seem perfectly happy with that.
And soon, Palm Beach Gardens residents will have another place to indulge.
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post’s food and restaurant writer. Connect via dbiederman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Frozen yogurt comeback brings new shop to Palm Beach Gardens
Reporting by Diana Biederman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Diana Biederman, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
