Business & Tech

Craving Satisfied, Yogurtland Franchise Is Coming

The new frozen yogurt shop should open in Watsonville by the end of the month.

As summer heats up, the options for ice cream in Watsonville are expanding.

Work has started on a Yogurtland in the Target shopping center on Main Street and Ohlone Parkway. The new shop is set to open Aug. 25.

Brian Dueck and his brother Kevin are the franchise owners. The brothers already operate the Yogurtland in Capitola and have plans to open three other stores in the Monterey Bay area.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"We opened in Capitola and had a great response," Brian Dueck said.

He said the Capitola store saw lots of business from Watsonville residents, so opening in the South County city was a natural choice.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"The second- and third-generation families that come there are a great demographic," Brian Dueck said. "...All the customers that come in are just so excited."

The frozen treat specialist would fill a void left by the closures of  and . The new shop literally fills the storefront Coldstone vacated next to .

Yogurtland has developed the niche market of self-serve desserts. Customers select their flavors of frozen yogurt, then top their sundaes themselves. The company has more than 100 flavors of frozen yogurt and sorbet, including low-fat, fat-free and antioxidant-rich varieties.

"Yogurtland believes control, choice and creativity should always be in the hands of our guests—and this is the heart of the Yogurtland experience," the company states on its website.

Watsonville residents have wanted for another easy dessert option for quite awhile. In a Patch story asking what business would be a good fit for the former Wingstop restaurant on Freedom Boulevard, .

There are over 180 Yogurtlands in the United States, Mexico and Guam. The only other Yogurtland shop in the county , adjacent to the Capitola Mall. The in-progress Watsonville location has yet to be listed on the company website.

The Yogurtland franchise fee is $35,000 and construction can cost 10 times that, according to an FAQ about opening a Yogurtland franchise.

The next site the Duecks are looking at will be in Santa Cruz, though they have yet to select a storefront.

"Being in the food industry, the location is highly important," Brian Dueck said.

The new Yogurtland will be at 1487 Main St., Watsonville, CA 95076.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here