Hwang's first business venture was to open a formal English teahouse on a tiny residential street called Huntley Drive in West Hollywood, California.

However, after the city refused to approve an alcohol permit for Hwang and her business partner, architect Young Lee, they decided to go with their second plan, which was a frozen yogurt concept reviving the craze of the 1980s.

[7] On May 1, 2009, Pinkberry announced its plans to expand its market both internationally and domestically, after receiving $9 million in second-round funding from investors.

In April 2010, the original Pinkberry store in West Hollywood, still lacking adequate parking, was closed and converted into an administrative building for the chain.

Pinkberry was featured in the Broadway musical Be More Chill, and mentioned in the novel November 9 by Colleen Hoover, and in the 2014 film Horrible Bosses 2.

This level was based on a survey of leading research scientists involved in clinical studies of the health attributes associated with live and active culture yogurt.

[16] The unproven health benefits attributed to yogurt that were previously posted on the walls of Pinkberry (e.g., cures colon cancer, fights yeast infections) have been removed.