The Bigg Chill

Last updated

The Bigg Chill
The Bigg Chill.png
The Bigg Chill
Restaurant information
Established1986
Owner(s)Cary Russell and Diane Dinow
Street address10850 West Olympic Blvd
City Los Angeles
County Los Angeles
State California
Postal/ZIP Code90064
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 34°02′37.4″N118°25′53.0″W / 34.043722°N 118.431389°W / 34.043722; -118.431389
Website thebiggchill.com

The Bigg Chill is a frozen yogurt shop in Westwood, Los Angeles. It was established in 1986, and bought in 1990 by current owners Diane Dinow and her daughter, Cary Russell. The store has been noted for its interior design, variety of conventional flavors, and longevity. In 2021, The Bigg Chill was publicly criticized on Instagram by singer Demi Lovato, who suffered a social media backlash for her comments.

Contents

Store

Exterior of the store as of April 2022. The Bigg Chill v2.jpg
Exterior of the store as of April 2022.

The Bigg Chill's interior has a neon-pink and aqua theme. [1] The store rotates daily from a selection of over 400 flavors [2] and only accepts cash. [3] Many of the store's early flavors were created by Michael Mendelsohn; in 1994, he told the Los Angeles Times that chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter were the best-selling flavors, and the toasted almond and Mounds candy bar flavors also performed well. [4]

The store's owners reported in 2011 that they could see as many as 1,000 customers a day, and up to 1,300 on the weekends. [1]

History

Early history

The Bigg Chill was established in 1986 [5] in a small strip mall in Westwood, Los Angeles. In 1990, the store was bought by Cary Russell and her mother, Diane Dinow. [1] The Los Angeles Times characterized the name as a homage to the 1983 film The Big Chill. [6] On January 26, 1990, a fire broke out at a neighboring cleaners store in the strip mall, causing "extensive" damage. [7] In 1994, the Los Angeles Times wrote that The Bigg Chill saw hundreds of regular customers daily. Up to 150 people could call in a day to hear which flavors the store was offering, causing the owners to begin listing the daily rotation of flavors on their answering machine. Dinow had already received several offers to franchise the store, but she refused; she had plans to open another store in Studio City, securing a US$100,000 loan (US$205,568 in today's money) to open it. [4]

In 2006, frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry rose to popularity, causing The Bigg Chill's revenues to drop 30 percent. Russell created and heavily marketed a tart ice cream flavor known as "Chill Berry" to recuperate profits. [1]

Demi Lovato incident

In April 2021, The Bigg Chill received widespread attention on social media after singer-songwriter and actor Demi Lovato criticized the store on her Instagram story. Lovato argued that it had too many diet foods prominently displayed, which she characterized as "perpetuating a society that not only enables but praises disordered eating", including the hashtag "#dietculturevultures". The Bigg Chill responded that it carries those products for people with celiac disease, diabetes, and vegans. [5] They also directly messaged Lovato on Instagram, "We are not diet vultures. We cater to all of our customers needs for the past 36 years. We are sorry you found this offensive". [8] The back-and-forth continued, with Lovato receiving significant backlash on social media and in the news. Some users accused Lovato of using her large platform—Lovato had 102 million Instagram followers—to unfairly criticize a small business. [3] The Bigg Chill told The Huffington Post that they were "really hurt by Demi's comments" and reiterated their support for their variety of options. [8]

Lovato apologized a few days later, describing her experience in the store and how it triggered her, and said, "I just get really passionate. Y'all know me. I'm pretty feisty, and sometimes my emotions get the best of me". [5] Afterwards, The Bigg Chill denied rumors that Lovato had donated $100,000 to the store and said they did not want Lovato to do so. [9] The store's following on Instagram increased from 6,000 to 42,000 followers during the controversy. [3] Russell commented that people were "shocked by how she came at us. And so were we. It was like, wait, why is she attacking us? What did we do?" [3]

Reception and impact

In a 2011 profile from The New York Times, Nicole LaPorte praised the store's endurance, despite emerging trends of designer frozen yogurt flavors and self-serve yogurt. While LaPorte characterized the ice cream as ordinary, she also argued that the store's resistance to change provides it authenticity and a loyal customer base, a strategy she characterized as more effective than the "unique and pleasing sensory environment" of Pinkberry. Customers compared The Bigg Chill to an "old-time ice-cream parlor". [1]

In a 2016 "Discourse On Frozen Yogurt" from Los Angeles magazine, Marielle Wakim categorized The Bigg Chill as an "OG Veteran" for its longevity among Los Angeles's frozen yogurt stores. Wakim noted the store's neon turquoise and pink motif, service, and simple non-designer flavors such as "Vanilla Custard" and "Fresh Strawberry" rather than "Taro" or "Green Tea". [10] KCET also noted the store's resistance to exotic flavors, commenting that they did not "sell out to yogurt trends" when a rival store was opened nearby. They also complimented the store's yogurt pies and called the store a "UCLA institution" despite its location in West Los Angeles. [2] While reviewing Los Angeles frozen yogurt stores, CBS Los Angeles complimented the store's "cool retro look" and large selection of flavors. [11]

Amy Salko Robertson told the Jewish Journal in 2013 that when she started a frozen yogurt shop in Santa Monica, she drew inspiration from The Bigg Chill to experiment with flavors. [12]

Los Angeles magazine reported that between March and June 2020—the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns—The Bigg Chill was the fifth most popular Los Angeles restaurant on food-delivery service Postmates. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baskin-Robbins</span> US international ice cream parlor chain

Baskin-Robbins is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California. Its headquarters are in Canton, Massachusetts, and shared with sibling brand Dunkin' Donuts. It is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, with more than 8,000 locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frozen yogurt</span> Frozen dessert

Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy and non-dairy products. Frozen yogurt is a frozen product containing the same basic ingredients as ice cream, but contains live bacterial cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy Queen</span> American multinational fast food chain

International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940. It is currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, 1940, in Joliet, Illinois. It serves a variety of hot and fried food, as well as original frozen dairy products that vary from location to location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TCBY</span> American chain of frozen yogurt stores

TCBY is an American chain of frozen yogurt stores. It is one of the largest U.S. retailers of soft-serve frozen yogurt.

Big Chill can refer to:

Pinkberry is a franchise of frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are currently over 260 stores in 20 countries. The first store was opened in January 2005 by Hye Kyung (Shelly) Hwang and Young Lee. The restaurant allows customers to customize their yogurt with a variety of toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demi Lovato</span> American singer (born 1992)

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004), she rose to prominence for playing Mitchie Torres in the musical television film Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010). The former film's soundtrack contained "This Is Me", her debut single and duet, which peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Mango</span> American frozen yogurt and smoothie brand

Red Mango FC, LLC is an American frozen yogurt and smoothie brand known for its all-natural frozen yogurt, fresh fruit smoothies, yogurt parfaits, and fresh juices. There are now more than 50 locations in over 15 states in the United States and Puerto Rico, and one each in El Salvador and Qatar. In 2011, Red Mango was named the No. 1 Zagat Rated chain in America for smoothies and frozen yogurt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here We Go Again (Demi Lovato song)</span> 2009 single by Demi Lovato

"Here We Go Again" is a song recorded by American singer Demi Lovato. It was written by Isaac Hasson, Lindy Robbins and Mher Filian and produced by SuperSpy, for Lovato's second studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's lead single on June 23, 2009, through Hollywood Records. The song was the only single from Here We Go Again released in North America. "Here We Go Again" is a power pop song with guitar lines and pop hooks and the lyrics speak of the protagonist's on-off relationship with a hesitant boyfriend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogurtland</span> American chain of frozen yogurt restaurants

Yogurtland is an international frozen yogurt franchise headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas, United States. Yogurtland provides self-serve frozen yogurt with active cultures, as well as other frozen desserts such as ice cream, sorbet and plant-based treats that cater to a variety of dietary preferences. Yogurtland has stores in ten states in the United States as well as United Arab Emirates, Guam, Oman, Indonesia, and Thailand. The yogurt chain is considered the pioneers of the self-serve format, which gives guests the opportunity to customize their flavors and toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remember December</span> 2010 single by Demi Lovato

"Remember December" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato for her second studio album, Here We Go Again. It was written by John Fields, Lovato and Anne Preven, and produced by Fields. The song was released in Europe as the album's second and final single on January 18, 2010 through Hollywood Records. "Remember December" adapts power pop and synth-pop genres and diverges from Lovato's usual pop rock sound. The lyrics describe the speaker's attempt to remind her boyfriend of the good times of their relationship. Lovato described the song's sound as an example of what she wanted her future music to sound like.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menchie's Frozen Yogurt</span> American frozen yogurt chain restaurant

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt is an American frozen yogurt chain company founded in 2007, based in the San Fernando Valley, California area. Menchie's offers self-serve frozen yogurt with different choices of yogurt flavors and toppings. Menchie's has 540 locations and can be found in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Bahamas, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Attack (Demi Lovato song)</span> 2013 single by Demi Lovato

"Heart Attack" is a song recorded by American singer Demi Lovato. The song was released on February 25, 2013, as the lead single from her fourth studio album Demi (2013). It was produced by Mitch Allan, and Jason Evigan of "The Suspex", who co-wrote the song along with Lovato, Sean Douglas, Nikki Williams, and Aaron Phillips. "Heart Attack" is an electropop song that employs cardiac motifs to represent the fear of falling in love. It received acclaim from music critics, many of whom complimented its lyrics and Lovato's vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Frog</span> Chain of frozen yogurt retail stores

Sweet Frog is a chain of frozen yogurt retail restaurants owned and operated by Sweet Frog Enterprises, LLC. Sweet Frog customers create their own soft-serve frozen yogurt with numerous flavors and toppings from which to choose. Derek Cha, who immigrated to the United States from South Korea at the age of 12, is the founder of Sweet Frog. He opened the first Sweet Frog shop in Richmond, Virginia in 2009, at a time when the United States economy was in a recession. Cha founded Sweet Frog on Christian principles. The "FROG" part of the name, according to Cha, is actually an acronym for "Fully Rely on God".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Go</span> Song from Disneys 2013 film Frozen

"Let It Go" is a song from Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film Frozen, whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The song was performed in its original show-tune version in the film by American actress and singer Idina Menzel in her vocal role as Queen Elsa. It was later released as a single, being promoted to adult contemporary radio by Walt Disney Records in January 2014. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also composed a simplified pop version which was performed by actress and singer Demi Lovato over the start of the film's closing credits. Disney's music division planned to release Lovato's version of the song before Menzel's, as they did not consider Menzel's version a traditional pop song. A music video was released separately for Lovato's version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool for the Summer</span> 2015 single by Demi Lovato

"Cool for the Summer" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released as the lead single from her fifth studio album Confident (2015) on July 1, 2015, by Hollywood Records and Island Records, and premiered on radio on the same date via Republic Records. Lovato co-wrote "Cool for the Summer" with Alexander Erik Kronlund, Savan Kotecha, and the song's producers Max Martin and Ali Payami. It has been described as a pop and pop rock song with an electronic instrumental arrangement with a synthesized beat, and an electric-guitar riff is heard during the chorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Cold (Demi Lovato song)</span> 2016 single by Demi Lovato

"Stone Cold" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato for her fifth studio album Confident (2015). The song was co-written by Lovato with Laleh Pourkarim, who also served as the song's producer, and Gustaf Thörn. It was released to digital retailers on October 9, 2015, through Hollywood Records and Island Records as the first and only promotional single off the album, one week prior to the album's release. The song was initially premiered on radio via 97.1 FM on February 6, 2016. It was sent to contemporary hit radio on March 21, 2016, as the third and final single from the album. On April 8, the song was sent to hot adult contemporary radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorry Not Sorry (Demi Lovato song)</span> 2017 single by Demi Lovato

"Sorry Not Sorry" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato. She co-wrote the song with Sean Douglas, Trevor Brown, William Zaire Simmons and its producer Oak Felder. It was released on July 11, 2017, through Island Records, Republic Records, Hollywood Records, and Safehouse Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me. It's been described as a pop and R&B song. An acoustic version of the song is included on the deluxe version of the album. A re-recorded version featuring British-American guitarist Slash was released on July 14, 2023, and was included on her first remix album Revamped.

<i>Holy Fvck</i> 2022 studio album by Demi Lovato

Holy Fvck is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato. It was released on August 19, 2022, through Island Records. Primarily a pop-punk and hard rock record, it marked a return to Lovato's early rock-influenced roots from her first two studio albums Don't Forget (2008) and Here We Go Again (2009), while also containing glam rock and heavy metal elements.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 LaPorte, Nicole (September 3, 2011). "A brand keeps its cool (and endures)" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Eliot, Victoria (January 25, 2016). "Iconic neighborhood restaurants: Westwood". KCET . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Carras, Christi (April 23, 2021). "After a fro-yo feud with Demi Lovato, L.A.'s Bigg Chill emerges unscathed". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Applegate, Jane (January 4, 1994). "3 Entrepreneurs share secrets of success". Los Angeles Times . pp.  147, 149 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Carras, Christi (April 19, 2021). "Feeling the chill, Demi Lovato apologizes for blasting an L.A. frozen-yogurt shop". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  6. Peterson, Lucas Kwan (April 27, 2021). "Demi Lovato-Bigg Chill feud gives us an excuse to celebrate L.A.'s punniest fro-yo shops" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  7. Kendall, John; Feldman, Paul (January 27, 1990). "$1.4-million fire hits mini-mall". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Amatulli, Jenna (April 19, 2021). "Demi Lovato slams frozen yogurt shop for 'triggering' products, critics push back". The Huffington Post . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  9. Carras, Christi (April 21, 2021). "L.A'.s Bigg Chill shuts down fake news that Demi Lovato donated $100,000 after feud". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  10. Wakim, Marielle (November 4, 2016). "A discourse on frozen yogurt". Los Angeles . Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  11. "Best frozen yogurt in Los Angeles". KCBS-TV. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  12. "A talent agent turns yogurt maven". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles . May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  13. Martin, Brittany (July 20, 2020). "Here are the dishes Angelenos have been ordering most during the pandemic". Los Angeles magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.