In 1989, Mike Clayton, founder of Hogi Yogi®, recognized the market potential of two popular food segments in the fast food industry: submarine (hoagie) sandwiches and frozen yogurt. Mike is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Masters in Accounting and had worked for five years with a Big Six accounting firm. Mike says, "At that point in my life--I was 27--I decided I wanted to go into the fast-food industry, but it wasn't until I'd done a lot of research that I knew what it should be."

The birth of the "Hogi" and "Yogi"

He had a friend whose father had invented a dessert machine that used natural frozen yogurt without adding air or sugar. The results tasted like ice cream and had the texture and appearance of ice cream, but had the nutritional value of frozen yogurt. Mike and a few investors went through hundreds of names until one Sunday at the family dinner table, someone made a joke about his "hogis and yogis", and the name stuck. "At first, everyone thought it was funny and a few probably wondered if we were serious," says Mike, "But it's something people remember. It's been a good choice."

The First Restaurant

The first restaurant was built in the Northern Utah town of Logan. Restaurants in Provo, Orem, and West Valley City followed, and business continued to climb. Years of research and work went into the few restaurants before franchising started--developing the idea occurred during these years.

Franchising and the Future

Franchising started in 1993. Currently, there are over 70 restaurants in Utah, California, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and North Dakota. Our current goal is to open one profitable restaurant at a time.

Americans are more concerned about their health than ever before. They want food that is quick and easy, but they want food that is neither fried nor greasy. Hogi Yogi® offers the perfect solution. As times change, so do people's attitudes and desires. Hogi Yogi® is continually testing and doing research to stay on the cutting edge of those changes in order to offer customers the best food at the best prices. Hogi Yogi® is continually trying new menu items and new dessert ideas.

As part of our dedication to providing our customers with healthy, great tasting products, Hogi Yogi® introduced Real Fruit Smoothies to our menu.

In 1995, Mike Clayton and his brother Rick started a fantastic new Japanese Fast Food concept and called it Teriyaki Stix®. Today We have over 50 Teriyaki Stix® restaurants.

Serving customers good, quality food in a reasonably short amount of time and doing so with a smile is our ongoing goal. Hogi Yogi® and Teriyaki Stix®, now called HYATS LLC, is a progressive and exciting company.

HYATS is looking for exceptional people who are prone to achievement to join our team. See our Franchise Information page for information on getting involved in the excitement.

      

Yoasis is generously topped with premium fresh fruit and dry toppings. Since yoasis is pure frozen yogurt, it contains all of the health benefits that come from eating authentic yogurt made from live and active cultures. Our comfortable, contemporary store environment enhances the experience of eating yoasis yogurt. Yoasis is a great place to enjoy delicious yogurt while surfing the net with our free wi-fi, reading a book, or just hanging out with other yoasis lovers. Yoasis nights are packed with fun activities and promotional events. We also offer a premium catering service for weddings and other special events. With a product that is so easy to fall in love with, it is likely that there will soon be a yoasis near you.