Westwood's Newest Frozen Yogurt Spot Wants Customers to Get Comfy

The owners of Twist, Westwood's newest self-serve frozen yogurt business, don't want their customers to grab some dessert and go. They say they want guests to stay awhile. Their grand opening is March 16.

Twist is outfitted with ample seating space where customers can enjoy the 24 flavors and more than 75 toppings the store has to offer. Co-owner Brandon Strahl said he wants Twist to be a place where young people feel comfortable hanging out and parents feel safe letting their children go. Strahl and the other co-owners, Charles Goldberg and Neil Goldstein, all have kids.

The atmosphere blends themes of Midwestern dairy farms with the ultra-modern, Goldberg said. Twist features free Wi-Fi and numerous TVs playing music videos.

Twist's many flavors and toppings include healthy options like sugar free, low fat and no fat flavors of yogurt and toppings like fresh fruit. Their specialty is the Frozen Twist, in which customers can pick their own mix of flavors and toppings to be blended together.

According to Goldberg, the Westwood location is their flagship store, but they also plan to open Twist in Montclair, West Caldwell and Livingston. The group chose Westwood for their business because of its popularity for shopping, Strahl said.

"It's a young, vibrant area," Strahl said. "It's a shopping mecca."

Goldberg said the group intends to get heavily involved wit groups like the Chamber of Commerce and local schools.

"We want to become part of the fabric of the community," Goldberg said.

Twist Frozen Yogurt is located at 163 Westwood Avenue. They are open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.