by Katie Stackable | Mar 9, 2017 | Blog
BY THE MERCURY NEWS – Vitality Bowls, the “superfood” restaurant launched in San Ramon by a couple whose daughter suffers from food allergies, has enlisted new allergy advocates as the enterprise expands throughout the Bay Area.
Brian and Kathy Hom, the San Jose parents who became EpiPen crusaders after their son B.J. died of a peanut allergy reaction while vacationing in Mexico, have joined forces with founders Tara and Roy Gilad to open two Vitality Bowls in South San Jose. Their first is at the new Village Oaks Plaza on Cottle Road and the second, due in April, will be on Cherry Avenue.
Besides offering antioxidant-rich acai bowls and other health-based fare, the Homs hope to provide a safe haven for diners with allergies.
That’s what spurred Tara Gilad in the first place: “Every place she went to eat, it wasn’t safe for her daughter,” says Uriah Blum, Gilad’s brother and now a Vitality exec.
So they created a menu of fruit-based bowls (the Warrior Bowl and the Dragon Bowl are among the most popular), smoothies, panini, salads and soup. All are made in non-cross-contamination kitchens, and no artificial preservatives or added sweeteners are used.
The Homs, who have raised more than $1 million for the allergy fight in the hope that B.J.’s death will help save others, now welcome diners who are driving up to two hours for food that can be made nut-free, dairy-free and gluten-free.
And they go a step further. “I stock the EpiPen here now,” Brian Hom says.
Details: Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday at 5660 Cottle Road. Other Vitality Bowls are in Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Cupertino, Danville, Dublin, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Newark, Palo Alto and Redwood City.
by Katie Stackable | Mar 1, 2017 | Blog
BY SAN DIEGO FOOD.NET – Super foods have been around for a long time, and so has açaí. If you somehow managed to avoid the berry found in Brazil, it is said to have many health benefits. Vitality Bowls is a national chain with locations in seven different states. They specialize in açaí bowls but also serve smoothies, juices, salads, and soups.
We visited the location in the University Town Center area of San Diego.
They have specials every month and their Valentine’s special was The Love Bowl. I was very close to ordering it. Yes I am a sucker for specials. The temporary aspect to specials typically will convince me to order it because I won’t be able to get it for who knows how long.
The times I’ve ordered açaí bowls there usually is just one main option. The menu had me lost because I actually thought almost every single one would taste good. So I leaned on the staff to help make my selection. She nudged me in the direction of getting a Vitality Bowl with the addition of peanut butter on top. Solid choice. The honey and peanut butter really added a nice nutty sweetness to the fruit elements. If you have never had goji berries before they aren’t super strong. I’d say once you get down to the açaí base blend and everything mixes together, it tastes like a part smoothie, part fruit cocktail, part cereal mixture. The VB blend is described as “our own superfood blend consisting of some of the world’s leading superfoods: Mangosteen, Aronia Berry, Camu Camu, Moringa, Açaí, Blueberry, Pomegranate.”
Michael opted for the Tropical Bowl. It’s hard to make out but there is honey drizzled on top on this one too. For me, that really pulls everything together. This bowl seemed a little more tangy and well, tropical with the added mango and pineapple. Aside from the taste, I like the vessel they serve the bowls in. The metal must be good at keeping the contents cold because it took a while for it to melt.
Final Thoughts
I probably should eat healthier more often and introduce things like açaí bowls into my routine. It just takes a little more effort to go out and get them. I have purchased frozen packs of açaí and made my own smoothies before, but I never have all of these ingredients at once in order to make a tasty bowl. Even though this is considered in the healthy category, if you like fruit at all I wouldn’t say you have to sacrifice too much. They were both very tasty and the granola helps fill you up. Hope you get a chance to try them!
by Katie Stackable | Mar 1, 2017 | Blog
BY THE EVERGREEN TIMES – The Hom family, residents of Evergreen Valley, celebrated the recent opening of their 5660 Cottle Rd. location.
The Hom family advocates safe eating for people with food allergies, the main reason they decided to open the new restaurant which is food allergy free. The Homs lost their son BJ to a food allergy in 2008.
We are so thrilled to open my first Vitality Bowls location,” said Brian
“My wife and I have been wanting to provide people with a healthy fast casual food alternative as well as a safe place for people with food allergies. This will be a haven where people can feel good about eating out.”
The restaurant menu features a variety of options, such as the Energy Bowl (with organic acai, goji berries and bee pollen), the Dragon Bowl (featuring organic pitaya, coconut milk and bananas) and the signature Vitality Bowl (with organic acai, strawberries and honey). Additionally, the brand recently announced exclusive additions to its kids menu. Fresh juices, organic soups, panini and salads are
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by Katie Stackable | Feb 27, 2017 | Blog
BY NATION’S RESTAURANT NEWS – Similarly, the launch of digital ordering online and via mobile app two years ago has proven, like the food this 40-unit, fast-casual chain serves, to be a healthy choice. Digital ordering now generates about 30 percent of the chain’s daily sales.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to find ways to engage with customers and drive orders,” said Uriah Blum, Vitality Bowl vice president of operations.
But the benefits go far beyond increased sales.
“It helps us provide a better customer experience by decreasing wait times,” said Blum, noting that many of the chain’s menu items are made fresh to order.
Additionally, Blum said the chain has reduced labor costs, as there is no longer a need to have an employee take phone orders. It has also reduced the number of customers who are unsatisfied with long wait times.
To better serve and communicate with customers, the chain recently revamped both the app and its online user interface, and said it plans to continue to improve its digital capabilities, eventually adding text messaging and push notifications.
“We are going to keep evolving, keep finding new ways to drive new business,” Blum said. read more
by Katie Stackable | Feb 23, 2017 | Blog
BY SOUTHLAKE STYLE – For those who are hungry and health-minded, there’s a new place to fuel up in Colleyville. Vitality Bowls, a California-based superfood café, is now open at 5615 Colleyville Boulevard in the Colleyville Town Center.
The café specializes in açaí bowls, a thick blend of the Amazon’s antioxidant-rich açaí berry, topped with a variety of superfoods. The new franchise location is the first for Anita Etta, who plans to open additional cafés in the Dallas Fort Worth area. The Colleyville restaurant is the third Vitality Bowls in Texas, joining 31 nationwide.
“I grew up helping my mother in our family-run health food business so Vitality Bowls was a natural next step for my career,” said Etta in a press release. “The food served at Vitality Bowls is already a part of my lifestyle and I am excited to bring these healthy choices to the public.”
The eatery 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, added sugar or artificial preservatives, giving the purest taste possible.
The menu features a variety of options, such as the Energy Bowl (with organic açaí, goji berries and bee pollen), the Dragon Bowl (featuring organic pitaya, coconut milk and bananas) and the signature Vitality Bowl (with organic açaí, strawberries and honey). Additionally, the brand recently announced exclusive additions to its kids menu. Plus, fresh juices, organic soups, panini and salads are available in each café.
“Simply put, we created Vitality Bowls to be a place where health-conscious individuals can go for a nutritional meal,” said Tara Gilad, founder and owner of Vitality Bowls.
Since launching in 2011, the brand has ignited significant growth. In 2014, the concept began franchising and now has nearly 70 locations open and in development across the country.
Visit VitalityBowls.com to learn more and stay tuned for our Local Flavor review in an upcoming issue!
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