By Allison Lamberth at Foodable Network – The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurateurs who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, host Paul Barron sits down with David Malinowski, the chief operating operator of Vitality Bowls. Barron and Malinowski explore building a customer database and cultivating consumer loyalty during COVID-19.
Established in 2011, Vitality Bowls specializes in fresh, nutrient-rich bowls that combine a thick açaí berry blend with organic granola and superfood toppings. Superfruits can also be used as a base for your bowl, and include pitaya, graviola, and acerola. No ice, frozen yogurt, artificial preservatives, trans fat, or other fillers are used in the chain’s bowls or smoothies. The chain started franchising in 2014, and currently maintains 78 open stores.
“We’re really capitalizing and taking it to the next level, seeing how we can maximize the space,” says Malinowski, noting some changes Vitality Bowls has made to its locations and overall strategy since COVID-19. “We did have a decent amount of dining, but a lot of our customers come in early in the morning grabbing a bite… we realized we had to shrink down that percentage of the dine-in seats and the occupancy.”
Vitality Bowls leaned heavily on its loyalty app whilst recovering from the initial restaurant shutdowns. “The loyalty app has just been our biggest way to get the outreach and get everyone coming back into the stores,” adds Malinowski.
There has been a growing movement toward wellness and healthy eating, though the jury is still out on whether it will be a lasting trend. Comfort food and efficient, economical food have remained popular options during the Coronavirus crisis, but an increasing number of people have started to see food as medicine—and immunity-building foods are an appealing option amidst a pandemic.
“There’s definitely a lift in sales,” notes Malinowski. “I think there’s going to be a huge shift, and we’re just at the tip of the iceberg here.”
This episode is sponsored by Danone North America. As the world’s largest B Corp™, Danone North America is committed to doing good for the world and for your business with the brands customers love, like International Delight®, Oikos®, Silk®, Horizon® Organic, and many others.
From Leahlyn Clare @barbellsandlessonplans – “After three weeks of virtual teaching and the first progress report grades submitted, this was the PERFECT way to celebrate our Friday!! I’m seriously OBSESSED with @vitalitybowls and definitely miss having one right behind my school but this dinner was worth the detour on our way home! (Even if I had to fight for it! )
Thank you Vitality Bowl for the dinner and for supporting teachers this weekend! It’s been a crazy #backtoschool season and it’s SO nice to feel so seen and appreciated.
As a way to show support for navigating pandemic challenges while educating the local youth in DFW, teachers, administrators, custodians, assistants and all other staff members will receive 50% off menu items when they show their school ID at Vitality Bowls locations in Dallas, Plano, Frisco and Irving. The promotion is only valid through the month of August on orders of any bowl, smoothie, salad or panini! (Y’all that’s just till Monday!)”
By Franchising.com // DANVILLE, Calif. – Inc. magazine announced today that Vitality Bowls has been named among the top half on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. This is the third consecutive year the brand has ranked on the list.
“To be included in the Inc. 5000 list for three years in a row is a true honor,” said Roy Gilad, CEO of Vitality Bowls. “The recognition speaks volumes about our team, and all of their hard work and dedication. We look toward a future full of hope and momentum for Vitality Bowls and its continued growth.”
The companies that have placed on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list have seen monumental growth numbers throughout the year. The list shows the groundbreaking expansion for the companies and the strides they’ve made to improve upon previous year’s development. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.
“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.”
The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.
About Vitality Bowls
Roy and Tara Gilad, a pair of successful business owners, 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 seen significant growth with more than 100 cafes open or in development. In 2019, Vitality Bowls was named to Franchise Times’ Top 200+ List recognizing the 500 largest franchises in the industry, as well as Inc. Magazine’s 500|5000 list for the nation’s fastest growing private companies. Also named to Restaurant Business’s Future 50 List of the fastest growing innovative brands, Vitality Bowls aims to redefine the fast casual healthy food restaurant field at its locations across the country.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
Methodology
The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 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.
About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc.
By Miranda Jaimes at Community Impact Newspaper – Vitality Bowls is slated to open Friday, Aug. 14, at 3610 W. University Drive, Ste. 100, McKinney. The fast-casual restaurant specializes in acai bowls, a thick blend of acai berries topped with a variety of “superfoods,” which promote health and wellness with its nutrients. The new location will be the first for owner Krishna Gaddala, who plans to open additional locations in the area, according to a news release.
“The goal in opening Vitality Bowls is to make it a place McKinney can be proud of,” Gaddala said in the release. “I can’t wait to share my passion and enthusiasm for superfoods with the local residents and healthcare workers in the community.”
Amanda White was lacking a sense of passion when she first considered the idea of becoming a franchisee. She had worked as a social media and events planner, traveling a lot, and not seeing her family often enough. Soon, the prospect of starting her own business became a priority. “Entrepreneurship is the American dream,” says White. “To have a franchisor to lean on for support and guidance but also have the flexibility to create my own local marketing plans and own a business in an industry that I’m passionate about is a far more fulfilling career path than sitting at a desk from 9-5.” White’s long-term goals have been postponed as a result of COVID-19, but her aim is to eventually expand to a second Vitality Bowls location and acquire a food truck to attend events once it becomes viable to do so.
You can view the article in Glogal Franchise Magazine here.
By @eatwithfarrah – “What are your favorite toppings on açai bowls? I love the Dragon Bowl from the recently opened Vitality Bowls location in Fremont. The Dragon Bowl is topped with strawberries, kiwi, almonds, goji berries and honey. The base has pitaya, pineapple, raspberries, bananas, coconut milk, mango juice and immunity boost. It’s a refreshing fruity mix perfect for a hot day! Check out @vitalitybowlsfremontca 39258 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont CA”
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