PAUL Siderovski was holidaying in Hawaii early last year with his wife Tina and their four young children when the family spotted Yogurtland.
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Founded in California in 2006, the self-serve frozen yoghurt franchise has spawned 200-plus stores in the US, Guam, Mexico and Venezuela, with celebrity fans reportedly including Heidi Klum, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
Mr Siderovski, founder of hip Hunter Street accountancy SiDCOR that was last week ranked 20 in BRW magazine's 50 Best Places to Work list - hadn't heard the hype, but swears he wasn't buying it anyway.
"I love ice-cream, I didn't want to go in to the store, but Tina went and got the Dutch Chocolate [flavour] and that was it, I was addicted."
So much so that Mr Siderovski contacted the US chain and bought the Australian rights to the franchise, sealing an agreement to roll out 50 stores nationwide.
Coy on the price tag attached to the venture, Mr Siderovski estimates he will invest up to $3 million and create more than 100 jobs alone in the Hunter, where the first of four planned stores opened in Stockland Glendale in April.
Yogurtland launches in Sydney's George Street cinema district today and in Parramatta on Saturday, with the franchise expecting to found at least 40 stores on the east coast by the end of 2014, before targeting Western Australia.
For the uninitiated, Yogurtland has 16 rotating "creamy and dreamy" flavours - many lactose-free, some low in sugar and others low- or sans fat - and toppings ranging from fresh fruits and nuts to glutton-friendly chocolate varieties.
Customers serve themselves and are charged per cup weight at 59¢ per ounce.
In the omnipresent queue at the Glendale store yesterday, Edgeworth mum Jennifer Richards said it was not her first visit with daughters Georgia, 10, and Madison, 12.
"The variety is great, it's cheap and it's a nice treat," she said, adding the self-serve factor added to the fun.