Moe’s Southwest Grill, Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt get ready to open in Utica

UTICA —The Moe’s Southwest Grill fast-casual restaurant chain and new Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt chain will open new locations at 90 N. Genesee St. in North Utica next Thursday, Oct. 17.

The grand opening will take place the evening before and include a fundraiser for a local high school’s senior class and a meet-and-greet with Paul Damico, CEO of Moe’s. The events are set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, at the new eateries, located in the former Friendly’s building, according to a news release.

“We are honored that Mr. Damico would help us celebrate the opening of the latest Moe’s location, here in North Utica,” Larry Wilson, owner of several Moe’s franchises in New York and Pennsylvania and co-founder of the Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt company, said in the news release.

For $10, grand-opening attendees will get all-you-can-eat access to Moe’s and a free cup of frozen yogurt at Hoopla!, located next door, according to the release. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the senior class of Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica.

“This is a great way to visit Hoopla! and Moe’s, to meet Moe’s CEO Paul Damico, and to help the local high school graduating class with their expenses,” Wilson said in the release.

Damico was named president of Moe’s Southwest Grill in 2008 after a career in the foodservice industry with companies like SSP America, FoodBrand, LLC, and Host Marriott Service Corporation, according to the release. He appeared on a January 2013 episode of CBS’s TV show “Undercover Boss.”

Founded in December 2000 in Atlanta, Ga., Moe’s Southwest Grill says its serves a variety of fresh, made-to-order southwest food and is best known for its burritos.

Moe’s has more than 500 restaurants across the U.S., almost all of them franchise units, according to the website of Entrepreneur magazine. In addition to the new Utica location, Moe’s also has Central New York restaurants in DeWitt, Camillus, and Cicero, according to the Moe’s website.

Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt was founded in Endicott by Wilson and Scott Searles. The company’s first store opened in Binghamton in August. That was followed by openings in Cortland and Auburn. Following the roll out of the North Utica location, Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt plans to open a store near Newburgh Oct. 31, according to its website.

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