Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop Appeals to the Locals

It’s a pretty easy concept. Even a toddler can do it. And 3-year-old twins Declan and Liam Williams seemed a bit anxious to get their chance. 

On a wonderfully warm afternoon, the bouncing boys, along with their parents Karen and Brendan, were patrons at  on Main Street, where they were setting up a birthday bash for their daughter Abigail, who was turning 5. 

In minutes, she and her 20 school friends—and of course, Declan and Liam—were going to be busy building mounds of frozen yogurt treats with cutting-edge flavors like cake batter, peanut butter, strawberry lemonade and red velvet cake. 

“My daughter goes to school at . We thought it would be very easy to walk the kids over here,” said Karen Williams, referring to the Main Street shop,  in the location previously occupied by Maxx’s Burgers, Shakes & Ice Cream.

Luigi Moriello, 24, co-owner of the trendy eatery with his brother Antonio, 26, and a family friend, Maria Pugliese, said they considered Moorestown after receiving positive reactions to their family’s other self-serve yogurt stores, and they wanted to expand in New Jersey.

“There wasn’t anything like this in the area,” said Moriello, who lives in Ewing.

This wasn't the first yogurt shop opened by a Moriello family member.

Moriello’s father, Ciro Moriello, 52, and Carlo Pugliese, 40, (husband of Maria Pugliese) both longtime operators of restaurants in Northern New Jersey, dipped into the frozen yogurt business last year when they opened a YogoMix in Yardley, PA, in July. They also have two YogoMix shops in Hamilton, NJ—one on Quakerbridge Road, and the other on Kuser Road—according to Moriello.

The build-your-own frozen yogurt places are a newer concept in this region, but they’ve been a hit on the West Coast. People like that they can control how much and what flavors they can put in their bowls, said Moriello.

YogoMix offers 10 flavors at a time, with more than 40 daily and fresh toppings—with M&M’s, granola bits, chocolate sprinkles and crushed Oreos, to name a few.

The dessert treat is priced at 49 cents per ounce. And according to Luigi, the yogurt is healthier than ice cream. It's a good source of calcium, as well as being low in fat and sodium. And, for those who are lactose-intolerant, it’s easier to digest. 

“Our goal is to have two more locations open by the end of this year,” said Moriello.

Outside, in the front patio, the Williamses were busy laying tablecloths, setting up drinks and emptying snacks into bowls, awaiting the arrival of their daughter and her prekindergarten class. 

“We found Luigi and his staff to be very accommodating with us,” said Williams. “That’s a big help when planning a kid’s party.”

For more information about YogoMix, including a full menu of the flavors offered at their Moorestown location, visit their website.