{"id":290661,"date":"2026-09-21T06:40:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T06:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290661\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T06:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T06:40:27","slug":"froyo-fever-why-college-students-are-obsessed-with-berry-fresh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290661\/","title":{"rendered":"Froyo Fever: Why college students are obsessed with Berry Fresh"},"content":{"rendered":"

With eight flavors and tons of toppings, Berry Fresh<\/a>\u2019s Oakland location has guests lined up out the door and wrapped around the building each night, awaiting delicious cups of frozen yogurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Berry Fresh\u2019s original Pittsburgh location is on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Berry Fresh II is located on S. Craig Street, nestled between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University. Since Berry Fresh II opened in February 2026,<\/a> it\u2019s been a hit with a wide student audience.<\/p>\n

James Am, owner of both Berry Fresh locations, said it used to be called \u201cRazzy Fresh,\u201d until the original owner moved to Los Angeles. The name Berry Fresh stuck with Am, since more than half the flavors on the menu are fruit-based, along with a number of toppings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to keep our fruit fresh all the time,\u201d Am said. \u201cSince we offer selections like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, I thought \u2018oh, \u201cBerry Fresh\u201d!\u2019 Almost everyday for 10 years, we go shopping to buy fresh fruit in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2016, when the original Berry Fresh opened, it\u2019s been popular in the Pittsburgh region, with a strong 4.7\/5 star rating<\/a> on Yelp. Am believes Berry Fresh stands out as a business because of his team\u2019s efforts to keep their shops thriving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just hope to keep everything fresh in our store all the time, eventually offer more flavors for our customers, on both our seasonal and daily menus, and also give them the best service when they visit our shops,\u201d Am said.<\/p>\n

Vivian Adams, a sophomore biology major, vouches for their business because of their fresh fruit. The loyalty punch cards, however, are what keeps Adams coming back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have fresh fruit \u2014 it\u2019s literally my one source of fruit,\u201d Adams said. \u201cFruit is always so expensive from the markets around campus. It\u2019s also just as exciting to be able to punch the card knowing one day you\u2019ll get a free one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Am said he\u2019s received positive feedback from customers about the punch cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been using the punch cards since we opened the store,\u201d Am said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a reward for customer loyalty \u2014 buy eight cups and get a 10oz cup for free. So many customers love our punch card.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many students, like junior Italian language major Brooke Zimmerman, appreciate the store\u2019s convenience. They\u2019re often open late, allowing customers to stop by any time. Berry Fresh II is open from noon to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a really good community spot and open pretty late, so most of us can go there after class and work,\u201d Zimmerman said.<\/p>\n

AJ Mitchell, a sophomore computer science major, said though the options at Berry Fresh may be limited compared to other frozen yogurt shops he\u2019s visited, it has \u201cgreat quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe yogurt options are really good,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThere\u2019s also no froyo [shops] anymore, and I\u2019m always craving it. To have [Berry Fresh] right on campus, I feel right at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though the shop opened in the winter, customers were not deterred. Students like Asha Ranganath, a sophomore neuroscience major, journeyed through the freezing weather to get their fix of froyo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love frozen yogurt, even if it\u2019s cold outside. I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s fall or winter \u2014 I come here year-round,\u201d Ranganath said. \u201cThe line appears to be long looking, but it goes by surprisingly quickly. Plus, when I wait in line, I\u2019m usually with friends and get to chat with everyone. It\u2019s nice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Berry Fresh is known for its easily accessible locations and fair pricing by students. Cailin McMichael, a sophomore anthropology major, enjoys the Berry Fresh for its low prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cheap, really easy to do, too. You want a sweet treat? Berry Fresh is delicious and so yummy,\u201d McMichael said. \u201cEverytime I\u2019ve been here, I get a little bit of everything and still end up with a cheap and heaping bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe Pidro, a sophomore biochemistry major, admires Berry Fresh for the little things they bring to their brand \u2014 including its prices, cups and variety of toppings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here a lot, [and] I\u2019m a big fan of this place,\u201d Pidro said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot cheaper than most froyo places around, and though limited, their selection of yogurt is very good and the toppings are fire \u2014 especially the mochi. The cups are also so cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristen Awakuni, a sophomore accounting and global management major, said she discovered Berry Fresh II after trying the original Berry Fresh in Squirrel Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThen one night, my friend and I were walking on South Craig Street and saw the long line,\u201d Awakuni said. \u201cI said \u2018Oh my god this is the exact same one. We need to go,\u2019 and it turned out to be the same awesome quality. It\u2019s just really nice to have it so convenient to both campuses nearby.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Berry Fresh lovers may be getting a new experience soon. In an interview with The Pitt News, Am hinted there may be a \u201cfresh\u201d addition in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext year, we\u2019re thinking of renovating another space near the Berry Fresh II store with a bakery, waffles and fresh bread, but no final decisions have been made yet,\u201d Am said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With eight flavors and tons of toppings, Berry Fresh\u2019s Oakland location has guests lined up out the door…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290662,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-290661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}