A new drinkable yogurt business, Hey Yogurt, is taking steps to open in Great Neck Plaza, garnering the official OK from the village to set up shop on Great Neck Road.
Hey Yogurt is a drinkable yogurt chain that also sells cheesecakes, mini croffles and other baked goods. Owners Joseph Yoon and Helen Kim, a brother and sister-in-law duo, will be opening it at 3 Great Neck Road.
The Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees approved the shop’s conditional use permit Wednesday night to permit them to open in the village.
“Welcome to Great Neck Plaza,” Mayor Ted Rosen said. “We’re very happy to have you here and we wish you all the success.”
Yoon described the drinkable yogurts as a mixture of bubble tea and frozen yogurt, coming in different flavors. He said the drinks provide health benefits like probiotics.
Hey Yogurt has other locations in Queens, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. While it is not a franchise, Yoon said the company is in the midst of being designated as one with plans to open more locations nationally.
While Yoon compared the drinkable yogurts to frozen yogurt, he said frozen yogurt will not be sold. Deputy Mayor Pamela Marksheid suggested the store sell frozen yogurt due to its prior success in the village. He said this would be determined by the parent company, not himself, but that he would inquire about the possibility.
“I don’t know if they would let you put that in down the road because we want you to be successful,” Marksheid said.
Yoon said the drinks and food would not be kosher, but he would look into the possibility after Marksheid mentioned it would appease a large customer base in the village.
He said only minor interior renovations will be needed before opening as the layout of the bubble tea store previously at the location will be utilized. Minor interior renovations include redoing the floors, painting and installing new appliances.
Yoon said he is planning to open the store by the end of June.
In other news, the board agreed to spend about $21,000 on security cameras and their installation for the Maple Drive parking garage.
While the village will be spending $21,553 on the cameras and installation, the total cost comes out to about $43,500.
The village received a $22,000 credit from the security company after it had been paying for a 24/7 monitoring service that the village had not been receiving. That credit went toward the new cameras and installation.
The village is also looking to update its penalties for cars parking over the allowed time at its charging stations.
Rosen said the village has a limited number of charging spaces for electric vehicles and has faced problems with individuals parking their cars there for more than the two hours permitted.
A local law change being drafted would issue violations to individuals who park their cars at the charging stations beyond the allowed time. The law change proposal will be presented during a public hearing on May 15 – the next meeting date for the board of trustees.
