New Jersey

Why Yoo-Hoo Is Everywhere at New Jersey’s Classic Lunch Counters—And Why the Cult Following Makes Total Sense

By Peter Candia

May 14, 2026

By Peter Candia

May 14, 2026

Peter Candia

Peter Candia

If you’ve spent any time at some of New Jersey’s classic lunch spots—Rutt’s Hut or Hiram’s, for example—you’ve probably noticed something: Yoo-Hoo is everywhere. Seriously, 10 minutes in one of these spots and you’ll likely see more Yoo-Hoo than you have in the last five years combined.

It turns out there’s a reason the chocolate beverage has such a grip on the Garden State. Yoo-Hoo isn’t just a New Jersey staple. It was born here.

The Origins of Yoo-Hoo

Yoo-Hoo owes its existence to Natale Olivieri, a successful businessman known for making carbonated fruit beverages under the brand Tru-Fruit. In the 1920s, Olivieri noticed the growing popularity of chocolate and set out to create a bottled chocolate beverage. A simple chocolate milk wouldn’t cut it, though—Olivieri wanted something more shelf-stable.

He turned to his wife, who was proficient in jarring tomatoes. He studied her process closely—boiling the tomatoes and jars to create a seal that preserves food for longer periods—and decided to apply the same approach to his chocolate beverage.

What Is Yoo-Hoo?

To create a lasting product, Olivieri left milk out of the formula entirely. He found that a combination of water, whey, chocolate, and sweetener made not only a delicious chocolate beverage, but one that could withstand the canning process and last on a shelf.

In 1928, Yoo-Hoo was ready to hit shelves out of Garfield, NJ.

The drink first appeared in New Jersey grocery stores and developed into a local brand—something uniquely Jersey. This is when eateries like Rutt’s Hut and Hiram’s, which both opened around the same time as Yoo-Hoo’s launch, started stocking the chocolate beverage.

It was official: Yoo-Hoo was a New Jersey gem.

Yoo-Hoo Goes National

The brand was growing steadily, but remained largely limited to the Garden State—and its customers were mostly kids. So, Yoo-Hoo set out to kill two birds with one stone. The solution was a commercial deal with baseball star Yogi Berra, who happened to reside in New Jersey.

During the 1960s, a campaign aired starring Berra and his New York Yankees teammates. In the advertisement, Berra—dressed in a pinstriped suit—enjoys a Yoo-Hoo from a bottle, holds it up to his cheek, and playfully shouts, “It’s Me-He for Yoo-Hoo!” Baseball was in a golden era, and there was no more recognizable team in the country than the Yankees.

The campaign landed. Yoo-Hoo soared in popularity, and advertisements continued for years, marketing the drink as a vitamin-rich soft drink for adults and kids alike. Berra even continued to promote the product during his stint with the Mets.

Eventually, Yoo-Hoo moved its headquarters to Tarrytown, NY—but certain Yoo-Hoo products are still manufactured in Carlstadt, New Jersey.

Yoo-Hoo is not nearly as popular today as it once was, but you still see it everywhere at New Jersey’s legendary lunch counters and roadside institutions. It’s a testament to the loyalty of Garden State natives—and a reminder that some of life’s simple pleasures started right here in New Jersey.

Peter Candia

Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.