The Bigg Chill
A long-running frozen-yogurt shop in Westwood, Los Angeles, known for its retro interior, broad flavor rotation, and conventional dessert offerings.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Bigg Chill is a frozen-yogurt shop in Westwood, Los Angeles, established in 1986 and acquired in 1990 by Diane Dinow and her daughter, Cary Russell. The business operates as an independent neighborhood dessert destination rather than as a large chain or a self-service frozen-yogurt concept. Its identity is built around continuity, personal service, a highly recognizable neon-pink and aqua interior, and a large selection of traditional and specialty frozen-yogurt flavors. The shop rotates its selection daily from a catalog reported to include more than 400 flavors. Historically, its range has included familiar choices such as chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, toasted almond, and a flavor based on the Mounds candy bar, alongside yogurt pies and other dessert products. The store has traditionally accepted cash only, reinforcing its old-fashioned, independent character. In the early 1990s, customers could telephone the shop to learn the daily flavor lineup, and the owners eventually used the store's answering machine to provide that information. The business survived several shifts in the frozen-dessert market. A neighboring dry-cleaning business fire in January 1990 caused extensive damage to the strip-mall location shortly after the current owners acquired the shop. Later, the rise of Pinkberry and the popularity of tart, design-led frozen yogurt in the mid-2000s reportedly reduced The Bigg Chill's revenue. In response, Cary Russell developed and promoted a tart flavor called Chill Berry, while the store otherwise continued to emphasize traditional flavors and its established service model. The owners also declined franchise opportunities, preserving the shop's local and independent character. The Bigg Chill has been recognized by Los Angeles and national media for its longevity and resistance to changing frozen-yogurt fashions. Profiles have contrasted its ordinary, familiar flavors and old-time ice-cream-parlor atmosphere with newer competitors offering minimalist interiors, self-service, and more experimental flavors. Its customer base has included UCLA students, Westwood residents, families, and regular customers who value familiarity and choice. In 2011, the owners reported serving as many as 1,000 customers on some days and up to 1,300 on weekends. In 2021, the shop became widely discussed after Demi Lovato criticized its display of diet-oriented products on social media. The store explained that such products served customers with celiac disease, diabetes, and vegan dietary requirements. Lovato later apologized and described the episode as a personal reaction to material that had triggered her. The controversy substantially increased the shop's social-media following and brought national attention to a small Los Angeles business. The Bigg Chill's public profile also benefited from delivery-platform demand during the early COVID-19 lockdown period. Despite periodic media attention, it remains principally known as an enduring, independently operated frozen-yogurt shop rather than as a national brand.
History
The Bigg Chill was established in 1986 in a small strip mall in Westwood, Los Angeles. Its name is generally understood as an allusion to the 1983 film The Big Chill, although the shop developed an identity of its own as a neighborhood frozen-yogurt institution. In January 1990, Diane Dinow and her daughter, Cary Russell, bought the business. That same month, a fire at a neighboring dry-cleaning business caused extensive damage to the strip-mall premises, creating an early challenge for the new owners. During the early 1990s, The Bigg Chill built a base of regular customers through a broad flavor program and a conventional dessert-shop experience. Many early flavors were created by Michael Mendelsohn. Contemporary reporting identified chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter as strong sellers, while toasted almond and a Mounds candy-bar flavor were also popular. The business rotated flavors daily, and customers regularly called to find out what was available. Because as many as 150 people could call in a day, the owners used the store's answering machine to announce the rotation. Dinow received franchise offers but declined them, choosing to maintain the shop's independent operation; she did consider expansion to Studio City and secured a loan for that proposed location. The frozen-yogurt market changed significantly in the 2000s. Pinkberry's popularity helped establish tart frozen yogurt, modern branding, and a more design-conscious retail format. The Bigg Chill reportedly experienced a 30 percent revenue decline after Pinkberry's rise. Cary Russell responded by developing and promoting Chill Berry, a tart flavor intended to address changing customer preferences without abandoning the store's broader traditional offering. The shop continued to distinguish itself through its large flavor assortment, counter service, cash-only policy, and pink-and-aqua interior rather than through a chain rollout or a wholesale change in concept. By the 2010s, journalists frequently treated The Bigg Chill as an example of longevity in a highly competitive Los Angeles dessert market. Coverage characterized the store as an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor and an institution associated with UCLA and Westwood. Reviewers noted its preference for familiar flavors such as vanilla custard and fresh strawberry over trend-driven combinations such as taro or green tea. The shop's resistance to fashion was presented both as a limitation and as a source of authenticity: it lacked the novelty of newer competitors but retained a loyal customer base and a distinctive local atmosphere. A Santa Monica shop owner cited The Bigg Chill as an inspiration for experimenting with flavors. The business remained visible during the COVID-19 lockdown period. From March through June 2020, it was reported to be the fifth most popular Los Angeles restaurant on Postmates, indicating strong delivery demand despite its traditional retail identity. In April 2021, The Bigg Chill became the subject of a large social-media controversy after Demi Lovato objected to diet-oriented foods displayed in the store. Lovato said the presentation reinforced diet culture and could be harmful to people with eating-disorder histories. The shop replied that it carried those products to accommodate customers with celiac disease, diabetes, vegan diets, and other needs. The exchange generated substantial public debate, including criticism of Lovato for directing a large audience toward a small business. Lovato apologized several days later, explaining that the store experience had triggered a personal response. The Bigg Chill rejected rumors that Lovato had donated $100,000 and said it did not want such a payment. The controversy nevertheless increased the shop's Instagram following from roughly 6,000 to approximately 42,000 according to reporting cited in reference material. The episode broadened public awareness of the shop while leaving its central business model unchanged: a single, independently operated Los Angeles frozen-yogurt store with a large rotating flavor selection and a deliberately nostalgic setting.
- 2021
Demi Lovato controversy
[1]A social-media dispute over diet-oriented products brings national attention to the shop and significantly increases its Instagram following.
- 2020
Strong delivery-platform performance during lockdowns
[1]The Bigg Chill is reported as the fifth most popular Los Angeles restaurant on Postmates between March and June.
- 2006
The shop responds to the tart-yogurt trend
[1]After Pinkberry's rise is associated with a reported 30 percent revenue decline, Cary Russell develops and markets the Chill Berry flavor.
- 1990
Dinow and Russell acquire the business
[1]Diane Dinow and her daughter, Cary Russell, purchase The Bigg Chill and become its long-term owners.
- 1990
Neighboring fire damages the premises
[1]A fire at a neighboring dry-cleaning business causes extensive damage in the strip mall.
- 1986
The shop is established
[1]The Bigg Chill opens in a small strip mall in Westwood, Los Angeles.
Products and positioning
An independent, nostalgic Los Angeles frozen-yogurt shop offering extensive flavor variety, familiar dessert profiles, personal counter service, and inclusive dietary options rather than a standardized national-chain experience.
Frozen dessert · 1986
Frozen yogurt
The store's core offering is frozen yogurt served in a wide range of conventional and specialty flavors. Its selection rotates daily from a reported catalog of more than 400 flavors, allowing the shop to combine familiar choices with less common creations while retaining a traditional dessert-parlor identity.
Tart frozen yogurt · 2006
Chill Berry
Chill Berry is a tart frozen-yogurt flavor developed and heavily promoted by Cary Russell after the rise of Pinkberry affected The Bigg Chill's business. It represented a selective response to changing consumer tastes while preserving the shop's broader assortment of classic flavors.
Prepared dessert
Yogurt pies
Yogurt pies are among the prepared dessert products associated with The Bigg Chill. Local coverage has highlighted them as part of the shop's appeal alongside its frozen-yogurt menu and its old-fashioned ice-cream-parlor atmosphere.
Special-diet dessert products
Dietary and specialty options
The shop carries products intended to accommodate differing dietary requirements, including options discussed in connection with customers who have celiac disease, diabetes, or vegan diets. Their display became central to the 2021 public controversy involving Demi Lovato.
Controversies
2021
Demi Lovato diet-culture controversy
Demi Lovato criticized The Bigg Chill on Instagram over the visibility of diet-oriented products, saying the presentation could reinforce disordered eating and diet culture. The store defended the products as accommodations for customers with medical and dietary needs. Lovato later apologized, and the dispute generated significant media attention and social-media growth for the shop.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Chill Berry promotion
United States
The Bigg Chill developed and promoted the tart Chill Berry flavor as a response to the popularity of Pinkberry and the resulting pressure on the shop's traditional frozen-yogurt model.
Outcome. The campaign is reported as a recovery effort, but its precise financial outcome is not documented in the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2021
Public response to the Lovato disputeOtherBackground
Demi Lovato's Instagram criticism focused on diet-oriented products displayed in the store.
Action taken
The Bigg Chill publicly explained the purpose of the products and defended its commitment to serving customers with varied dietary requirements.
Aftermath
Lovato apologized several days later. The shop denied reports of a proposed $100,000 donation and experienced a substantial increase in Instagram followers during the controversy.
2006
Launch of Chill BerryProduct launchBackground
Pinkberry's rise and the popularity of tart frozen yogurt were associated with a reported decline in The Bigg Chill's revenue.
Action taken
Cary Russell created and heavily marketed the tart Chill Berry flavor.
Aftermath
The product served as the shop's principal documented response to the new tart-yogurt trend; later financial results are not specified.
1990
Remain independently operatedStrategyBackground
The owners received franchise offers as the store developed a loyal customer base.
Action taken
Diane Dinow declined to franchise The Bigg Chill, retaining a local operating model.
Aftermath
The shop continued as a long-running independent Westwood business rather than becoming a chain.
Recent events
- 2020
The Bigg Chill becomes a leading Los Angeles delivery choice during early lockdowns[1]
Other
Between March and June 2020, the shop was reported as the fifth most popular Los Angeles restaurant on the Postmates delivery platform.
- 2011
The Bigg Chill reports heavy customer traffic and enduring appeal[1]
Other
A New York Times profile described the shop's endurance amid the growth of designer frozen-yogurt concepts and self-service stores. The owners said daily traffic could reach approximately 1,000 customers, with weekend totals reported as high as 1,300.
Sources1 sources
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