New Yogo Factory to Provide 'Destination Product' to Lacey Residents

Lacey residents will soon be able to fulfill their frozen yogurt fix as the owners of the Yogo Factory are aiming to open this morning.

The new business will feature more than 100 flavors of frozen yogurt and 50 different toppings.

Neil and Renee Wiessler decided to open a Yogo after visiting the one in Somers Point in February. The business, which is a quickly expanding franchise, was still busy on a cold and rainy day, he said.

“We were floored,” Neil Wiessler said.

The couple began construction for the Lacey Yogo just five weeks ago.

“We liked the concept (of Yogo),” he said. “We didn’t know much about Lacey.”

“We came here and fell in love with it. Lanoka Harbor very much feels like home,” said Renee Wiessler, a graduate of Johnson and Wales and formerly a professional chef.

The Yogo will be open daily, all year long, Neil Wiessler said.

“The Yogo concept is not seasonal,” he said, calling it a “destination product” similar to Starbucks. People will be able to say, “I’m going to get Yogo” all year long.

If all goes as planned Yogo will open by 10:30 a.m. on Friday. T-shirts will be available for customers.

“We wanted to get the rest of the summer,” Neil Wiessler said.

Yogo is a weigh and pay shop, he said. Customers can choose from a rotation of 12 flavors, 18 different combinations, of frozen yogurt. Flavors featured at the store now include Cappuccino, New York Cheesecake, Island Banana, Country Vanilla, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Cake Batter, Red Velvet Cake, Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Mango Tango and Pomegranate Raspberry.

The current flavors range from 80 to 140 calories per serving. New flavors are introduced weekly. The product is 49 cents per every ounce.

Customers will get one ounce free for each check in to Facebook, Twitter or foursquare. iPads will also be in Yogo for customers who don’t have a smart phone but want to check in.

Yogo also offers loyalty cards, in which customers get eight ounces free for every 10 punches, and gift cards.

Yogo sells low fat, fat free and probiotic frozen yogurt ranging. The business always provides one sorbet or tart flavor. Toppings range from fresh fruits and granola to Captain Crunch and Ghirardelli.

“If you want a healthy snack, we can be that. If you want a regular snack, we can be that too,” he said. “It’s a guilt free snack.”

The Lacey Yogo has four booths for seating, free Wi-Fi, two flat screen televisions, music and an animated digital menu board.

“It’s a fun atmosphere,” he said.

Many kids in Lacey have complained that there’s no place to hangout in town, he said.

“Hopefully we’ll give the kids a place to have fun,” he said. “We’re excited to be here.”

Yogo is located at 702 N. Main St. in Lanoka Harbor and can be reached at 609-971-YOGO. It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.