Cedarhurst Yogurt Shop to Take On Manhattan

In less than a year, Cedarhurst's Off the Wall Frozen Yogurt has gone from a local Five Towns upstart to a huge success that’s about to take on New York City, with a new store opening in a couple of months and several more to follow.

Branching out to Manhattan was a natural and swift progression, according to Michael Worthman, a real estate broker and representative of the owners, who he said prefer to remain anonymous.

“It’s been wildly successful — even more than they thought, and they’re going to capitalize on that,” he said. “I think Manhattan is the best way to brand yourself. We just signed our first deal in midtown."

Off the Wall will undoubtedly be a good fit in the city, with its polished and ultra-modern look. It’s a unique yogurt store in several key areas. For one, the yogurt isn’t measured by small, medium and large — it’s weighed. You pump as little or as much as you want of your favorite flavor and then top it with a sprinkling or a dousing of toppings. You only pay for what you take.  

“We’re different from the other yogurt stores,” said Brittany Cook, the store's manager. “We’re modern. We know all the customers, and we see them every day.”

The store features couches, a fireplace, music and a big screen T.V. Its most popular flavors are cookies and cream and peanut butter, and the most popular toppings are cookie dough, cheesecake and fresh fruit, Cook said.

“Off the Wall is a great store, because their cookies and cream yogurt is the best, and also, they have so many flavors and toppings to choose from,” said customer Rochel Lubin, of Cedarhurst.

What also sets this fro-yo shop apart is that yogurt isn’t one of its special things — it’s the only thing, as opposed to other shops where yogurt is just one facet. The only exception is Off the Wall’s non-dairy sorbet and coffee.

“I’ve seen a lot of frozen yogurt places try to incorporate too much, like sandwiches and muffins," Worthman said. "It almost becomes a deli at that point.”

The place is hip enough to entice teens, yet homey enough to make families feel welcome.

“Saturday night is our busiest time of the week,” Cook said. “We made our closing time later, 1 a.m., and people are still knocking on the door to come in at closing time.”

The owners chose Cedarhurst for their first location because it’s a fairly affluent area and they like the demographic, according to Worthman.

"They know how to place themselves in strong areas, because they understand real estate as much as they understand the business itself." Worthman said.

Off the Wall recently signed a 10-year lease for 1,400 square feet at 1053 Second Ave., between East 55th and East 56th streets, according to Crain's.

Expansion plans are continuously developing, with an eye on opening a couple of more locations on Long Island and possibly New Jersey in the future.

With customers like Mike Dickstein, of Lawrence, Off the Wall may have an easy time settling into new areas.

“I work in the city, so I usually don’t have time to meet with people during the day. So I meet with people at night at Off the Wall, where it’s quiet,” he said. “We sit and get a frozen yogurt. I really like getting the vanilla yogurt and putting Reese’s Pieces on it. I love it.”