BY GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL – An entrepreneur is planning to open a local franchise of a national superfood café chain.
Jon Lanning signed an agreement to open the first Michigan location of Vitality Bowls, in the Shops at CenterPoint in Grand Rapids, at 3569 28th St. SE, according to Vitality Bowls today.
Lanning is planning to open the location in mid-October, the first of what he hopes will be multiple locations.
“The fresh ingredients and superfoods that Vitality Bowls offers are unlike any other fast-casual eatery options in Grand Rapids,” Lanning said. “My first taste of an açaí bowl at Vitality Bowls was a game-changer. I want to bring that same experience to everyone in Grand Rapids.”
Tara Gilad, co-founder of Vitality Bowls, said Lanning is “exactly the right entrepreneur to grow the brand in West Michigan.”
“His business intellect is outstanding,” Gilad said. “We are eager to see Jon fill the demand for a healthy fast-casual café in Grand Rapids.”
Menu
The Vitality Bowls menu features a variety of superfoods: graviola, acerola, organic mangosteen, organic camu camu, organic spirulina, organic aronia, organic moringa, organic maca, bee pollen and more.
Customers can choose from various menu items: such as the Green Bowl, with graviola, organic spirulina and organic hemp seeds; Dragon Bowl, with pitaya, coconut milk and bananas; and Vitality Bowl, with organic açaí, strawberries and honey.
The café also sells fresh juices, smoothies, soups, paninis and salads.
The Grand Rapids location will offer a coffee bar, with kombucha and cold-brew coffee on tap, as well as espresso and superfood drinks packed with açaí, pitaya and matcha.
Vitality Bowls
Roy Gilad and Tara Gilad founded Vitality Bowls in 2011 in San Ramon, California.
The duo started the superfood café concept as a result of discovering their daughter’s severe food allergies and wanting to find “safe, healthy food alternatives.”
Since franchising began in 2014, the brand has grown to more than 135 cafés open or in development across the U.S.
BY FRANCHISING.COM – Inc. magazine today revealed that Vitality Bowls, known as America’s number one superfood café, is No. 1777 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment – its independent small businesses.
“We are honored to be recognized in this prestigious list for the second consecutive year,” said Roy Gilad, founder and CEO of Vitality Bowls. “It’s a testament to our team’s hard work and we look forward to the continued growth of our superfood café franchise movement.”
Not only have the companies on the 2019 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists. The 2019 Inc. 5000 achieved an astounding three-year average growth of 454 percent, and a median rate of 157 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $237.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 1,216,308 jobs over the past three years.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have followed so many different paths to success,” says Inc. editor in chief James Ledbetter. “There’s no single course you can follow or investment you can take that will guarantee this kind of spectacular growth. But what they have in common is persistence and seizing opportunities.”
Originating in Northern California, the last nine years have solidified Vitality Bowls’ status as a pioneer in the industry – combining a dynamic café vibe with a unique collection of menu items containing high nutritional values and extraordinary tastes. Vitality Bowls offers an antioxidant-rich menu, with breakfast, lunch and dinner items made to order for each customer. All açaí bowls and smoothies do not contain ingredient fillers such as ice, frozen yogurt or artificial preservatives, providing the purest taste possible.
About Vitality Bowls
Roy and Tara Gilad founded Vitality Bowls in 2011 in San Ramon, California. The duo started the superfood café concept as a result of discovering their daughter’s severe food allergies and wanting to find safe, healthy food alternatives. Since franchising began in 2014, the brand has grown to more than 135 cafés open and in development. In 2018, Vitality Bowls was named to Franchise Times 200+ list, Inc. Magazine’s 500/5000 list and Restaurant Business’s Future 50 list. In 2019, Vitality Bowls was ranked #15 and #62 on Entrepreneur’s Top Food Franchise in Miscellaneous Quick-Service Restaurants and Top New Franchises lists, respectively. The brand also received the Best Franchise to Buy – New Ethnic Eats Category 2019 Zor Award and was listed in the Top 200+ List for franchises based on global systemwide sales by Franchise Times.
For more information about the brand, visit the company website a http://vitalitybowls.com.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
Methodology The 2019 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2015 and 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2015. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2018. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2015 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Inc. took home the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. The total monthly audience reach for the brand has been growing significantly, from 2,000,000 in 2010 to more than 20,000,000 today. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates the remarkable achievements of these companies. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.
For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
Media Contact:
Cole Koretos All Points Public Relations (847) 897-7471 ckoretos@allpointspr.com
BY NORTH BAY VOYAGER – Clean eaters, bowl freaks, smoothie fanatics and panini people – a new cafe has opened up in Mill Valley with your name written all over it: Vitality Bowls.
The franchise opened last week in the Alto Plaza near Whole Foods. Vitality Bowls was founded by Tara and Roy Gilad in 2011. The couple opened their first store in San Ramon “as a result of discovering their daughter’s severe food allergies and wanting to find healthy, safe food alternatives.”
Today, the franchise has 135 stores nationwide, with the latest in the North Bay.
According to the Marin IJ, the new Vitality Bowls is operated by Henry Kim, who shared the company’s mission of healthy eating and decided to leave his decade long career in finance to become a bowl boss (ok, we really don’t know if that is his title, but it should be).
The menu features made-to-order bowls, including açai bowls, salads, soups, panini, raw juices and smoothies. The store offers a kids menu and also catering, so you can surprise your loved ones with a big giant bowl of chia seeds topped with berries for their birthday.
Kim told the Marin IJ that he plans to open a second location in Sausalito in the fall.
Vitality Bowls is open 8 AM to 8 PM daily at 765 Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley, 415-381-1700, vitalitybowls.com.
BY MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL – Where’s your healthy dose of graviola, acerola, mangosteen and camu camu showing up next? Superfood ingredients like these and a few others with more recognizable names such as spirulina, bee pollen and hemp seeds have continued to make a mark in Marin. The latest eatery to join the craze is Vitality Bowls in Mill Valley’s Alto Plaza near the Whole Foods Market on East Blithedale Avenue.
Owner Henry Kim opened the 600-square-foot franchise eatery, a part of the Northern California born national chain, last week.
“After hearing about Vitality Bowls’ mission of encouraging everyone to live healthy and active lifestyles, I knew this was a brand I could get behind,” says Kim, who most recently spent 10 years in the finance industry.
The health-focused café offers a variety of made-to-order açaí bowls; breakfast and dessert bowls; nutrient-packed smoothies and fresh raw juices, as well as panini, salads and soups. There’s also a kids menu. Kim plans to open a second location in Sausalito in fall 2019 to join 35 cafés in California and more than 135 nationwide.
Vitality Bowls is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 765 East Blithedale Ave. To find out more, go to vitalitybowls.com/locations/mill-valley or call 415-381-1700.
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