New York Down a Dog, Up Yet Another Pinkberry Pretender

Grub Street reports that just as another Papaya Dog has shuttered, one more Pinkberry imitator has spread its wings, preparing to fly head on into the fro-yo fracas. The downed Dog — one of numerous Papaya King knockoffs littered throughout the city — was located in Washington Heights, while the new yogurt shop — all too aptly named Berry Lover — sits across the street from UA Kaufman Studio Cinemas in Astoria. BL is pushing gelato, shaved ice, and wraps in addition to its more dairy-based wares. But given that these things open with about the same frequency as Chase Bank branches, perhaps the best way to up the ante in the endless fro-yo wars would be to declare a city-wide moratorium on the things and demand instead that would-be entrepreneurs come up with something resembling an original idea. Really, did TCBY teach us nothing?