Self-Serve Yogurt Shop Coming to Gap Center

Self-serve yogurt shop Let's Yo is coming to Route 17.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment cleared the way for the new shop to open in the Gap Center on Route 17 southbound Thursday night.

Paramus residents Russell Rothstein and Marcelo Petruzella are the owners of the Paramus Let's Yo, a franchise with locations in Marlboro and Shrewsbury. The Paramus store will have eight yogurt machines, each with three flavors, for a total of 24 choices, Rothstein said.

Customers can choose their flavor and finish off their choice with a number of toppings. Customers will pay based on the weight of their cup.

The store will seat about 25 people and will be manned by just three or four employees.

The main variance Rothstein and Petruzella sought in their application was for parking. The Borough's zoning ordinance required 231 spaces at the strip mall, where 197 exist.

Lisa Phillips, planner for Let's Yo, performed a traffic study that showed that less than half of the spaces were filled during peak times on Friday and Saturday. In particular, the spaces behind the strip mall are underutilized, she said.

"Clearly, there's adequate spaces," Phillips said.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the application unanimously, with the conditions that Rothstein and Petruzella meet with the landlord of the Gap Center to discuss enclosing a garbage dump on site, and that they promise not to install outdoor seating.

Let's Yo's hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.