On the Line: Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part One

By Anne Marie Panoringan Tue., Apr. 24 2012 at 11:00 AM

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2012/04/phillip_chang_yogurtland.php

We are used to some unique personalities here at On the Line. Phillip Chang was not only cool, but also calm and collected. I dropped by Yogurtland headquarters in Anaheim to understand his driven personality. What I got was a new level of respect for a pioneer in the frozen yogurt industry. Love his response to most undervalued ingredient.

Your earliest food memory:
The rice cake that my grandmother made for me when I was 7.

Favorite meal growing up:
The Korean pancake that has cinnamon, brown sugar and peanuts in it.

Your best recent food find:
Mangosteen in Indonesia.

Most undervalued ingredient:
In our yogurt, it's our team, not a food ingredient. I think we have some of the best talent in the industry that makes the most delicious and innovative frozen yogurt. Our flavors are proprietary, and we put a lot of thought into each flavor and finding the best ingredients.

Yogurtland believes in control, choice and creativity. How did you come up with the concept?
I created Boba Loca prior to Yogurtland. Through that experience, I saw the customer's desire to customize orders and thought we could take that idea further. I started to offer self-serve frozen yogurt in a Boba Loca in Fullerton and received such great feedback and results that I decided to expand.

You're in the U.S., Guam and Mexico. What's next?
We are expanding quickly throughout the U.S. and plan to continue this momentum internationally. Up next, Venezuela! We get inquiries from around the world, but we are very selective.

What fast food do you admit to eating?
The Habit Burger. It is product with quality and value.

What is your beverage of choice, and where do you get it?
Iced vanilla latte at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

How often do you rotate flavors?
We launch two limited-time-only flavors every month -- one sweet and one tart. We also produce other new seasonal flavors throughout the year.

Can you explain probiotics and live active cultures?
Our frozen yogurt contains probiotics and live and active cultures, just like the cup-style yogurt in your refrigerator. They are living microorganisms that are associated with health benefits and aid in digestion.

One food you can't live without and why:
For 21 years, I lived in Korea. No Korean could live without kimchi.

Where was your most recent meal? What did you have?
I was at Flame Broiler, and I had a beef bowl with spicy sauce and white rice -- though I get brown rice when my wife is around.

Any new flavors you can share for summer?
[Editor's Note: We're saving this sweet announcement for Part Three. Check back Thursday!]

What do you think of people who take photographs of their food?
It's cool. I think you have that passion toward the food. I do it, too. I just got back from Singapore, Indonesia and Korea. I had a few different dishes that I took pictures of.

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten:
I think it was in Taiwan. I always enjoy going to the traditional markets. I tried fried scorpions on a stick and pan-fried crickets. It was crispy. Just a very unique taste. I did it for the experience, but I wouldn't eat either again.

Your preferred flavor combination:
Coconut and pistachio.

You're making breakfast. What are you having?
My time is very tight. I'm up at 5 a.m., exercising and doing emails before heading to the office. When there's time, I'll have warm soup similar to chicken noodle. But most of the time, I'll have a pastry and coffee. Sometimes, I'll have cereal.

Weirdest customer request, (and did you do it?):
We tried peanut butter and jelly. We were trying to make a typical peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich flavor, but it was hard. We did do it, though.

On the Line: Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part Two

By Anne Marie Panoringan Wed., Apr. 25 2012 at 2:00 PM 

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2012/04/yogurtland_anaheim.php

 

 I dropped by the original Yogurtland near Cal State Fullerton after our interview. While we loved the value, my original impression used to be that the formula was a little icy for my taste. However, this visit was different from what I remember. Sure, the pastel décor (European-inspired and designed by Phillip's wife, an art major) and self-serve dispensers were the same. But taste-wise, there was noticeable improvement. Even the toppings were fancier -- mango-popping boba, lychee-popping boba, and so forth.

Chang's dual beliefs in product quality and value are what Yogurtland runs on, but as he elaborates, "People can forgive the price, but they can't forgive the quality. Even when people pay very little, they still complain about the quality." Ain't that the truth? That reminds me, have you ever seen the back of the company's business cards? Each has five additional terms used to describe its attitude:

Humble: We are modest, respectful and never arrogant, despite our success. Our satisfaction comes from consistent performance and service.

Receptive: We strive for diversity and are open to different and better ways of thinking and doing.

Confident: We are certain we can achieve our goals; we rely on each other, our strategies and ourselves.

Wise: We aspire to do what is just and right; for our business, employees, guests, community and environment.

Dedicated: We are committed to success and work hard to achieve our goals.

Read our interview with Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part One.
And now on to Part Two . . .


When you're not at work, what are you doing?
I love music. I used to play bass and sing in a Korean gospel band. I also love to swim and golf.

Last song playing on your radio/smart phone/iPod:
I listen to a lot of gospel. Oftentimes, I listen to a pastor's sermon.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Korea and moved to California in my early 20s.

Hardest lesson you've learned:
Around 2004, after I started Boba Loca, I was very confident in the business. I thought I could just open anywhere. It was a big lesson for me. I lost so much money that year; I had to shut down many stores. I know the feeling of setting up a store and having to let it go. Until that point, my business experience was "Anything I do, I can do very well, and I can do better than anybody else." I was somewhat arrogant. That got me into big trouble.

Now, with any franchise, I never, ever want to make that store close down. I'm so concerned and careful about the location of a shop.

What's your favorite childhood memory?
In high school, our summer vacations were two months. I used to go backpacking alone into the mountains. It would take a whole day to get to the top of a mountain and another whole day to come down the other side. I would head south, along the ocean, for a week to two weeks at a time. I would bring a tent, sleeping bag and food. It was great life experience.

It was about nature and my own quiet time. It's very safe to walk anywhere at any time. I started at Seoul and went all around the country. I also brought my guitar and would sing for people in exchange for food.

What were you up to five years ago?
I was completing my first year of franchising Yogurtland.

Last book you read or movie watched:
Start-Up Nation, about Israel and its immigrant success story.

Last thing you looked up/searched online:
I was just looking at something last night. It was MLS (Multiple Listing Service, not Major League Soccer) for a land search, trying to find an opportunity to build a house.

What would you be doing if you weren't in this business?
I used to be a computer programmer.

On the Line: Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part Three

By Anne Marie Panoringan Thu., Apr. 26 2012 at 3:30 PM

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2012/04/yogurtland_anaheim_phillip_chang.php·

 

Our interview with Yogurtland's founder comes and goes as quickly as a swirly cup of deliciousness. As if he isn't busy enough, Phillip has big plans for the team: They're moving! Leaving the home of ducks, angels and mice, the fro-yo headquarters is headed south to (drum roll, please) . . . . Irvine! It's the city of other food-service-industry giants.

While we did get a peek inside the research-and-development room, there's only so much we're allowed to record and capture for you Forkers. So for part three, we're momentarily jumping back a few years to discuss the very first Yogurtland, built into one of Chang's existing Boba Loca locations in Fullerton.

Read our interview with Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part Two.
And now, on to Part Three . . .

Originally created to help Boba Loca, Yogurtland's self-serve model was installed to see how customers would react to the concept. At the beginning, it wasn't that popular. Although the  salad bar was commonplace, folks didn't understand the notion of do-it-yourself desserts. There was a store ambassador explain the process. After a couple of months, people became receptive, and Chang saw the potential to grow the concept.

A lot has happened in five years. With 180 locations, Chang has an impressive track record: only two store closures -- Hawaii and Mexico [Editor's Note: Perhaps because of the shaved-ice desserts?]. While one might imagine the company's growth as aggressive, he admits to being "crazy conservative," spending a great deal of time researching locations before opening a shop. In addition, it is the only frozen yogurt brand that has its own manufacturing plant -- further controlling the quality, cost and future of the business.

For all you Hello Kitty fans, the collaboration is back this summer! The story of the pairing of Hello Kitty and Yogurtland involved Sanrio's 50th anniversary. Yogurtland was invited to be a part of the festivities in Santa Monica, and it was a hit. From there, it was just a matter of time before adorable Keroppi spoons and My Melody's favorite flavor were introduced.

To close this week's On the Line, we go back to the future and get the scoop on the next two flavors in Yogurtland's ever-changing lineup: Blue Lychee Bliss and Almond Midnight Mocha. Both will be released on April 30. Blue Lychee Bliss is a tart lychee flavor with hints of blueberry. Almond Midnight Mocha is a rich, dark chocolate with hints of coffee and almond.