SoFresh, a healthy rapidly-foodstuff eatery, opens in Lakeland
LAKELAND — If you are by now having difficulties to keep your “take in nutritious” New Year’s resolution, you can find a new South Lakeland fast eatery that could possibly be capable to help.
SoFresh, billed as a healthier rapidly food thought primarily based in Tampa, opened its Lakeland site Wednesday morning.
Clay Donato, the vice president of development for SoFresh, reported the new location at 4756 S. Florida Ave. has been in improvement for about a 12 months.
“I imagine the current market has been on the lookout for some healthful alternate options for a whilst,” Donato, 32, stated. “You will find not a lot of selections in this market for the form of food items we provide.”
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The “fast relaxed contemporary” eatery serves entirely customizable bowls, salads, wraps and quesadillas. There is also a wide variety of protein possibilities, including chicken, grass-fed steak and ahi tuna. There are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-no cost options.
“We use pretty superior-excellent proteins, which is considerably abnormal for the quickly, casual room,” Donato reported. “I believe it can be usually essential in the current market to have wholesome alternate options, you know, while still serving quick.”
The franchise is owned by Kareem Mustafa, 38. Whilst this is his initial SoFresh franchise, Mustafa also owns two Dunkin’ Donuts places in Lakeland. The moment Mustafa had his 1st SoFresh taste, he was hooked.
“I was in Tampa, and I stopped in to test the meals and I fell in adore with the meals and there was absolutely nothing like that in Lakeland,” Mustafa mentioned. “I have been in Lakeland for about 10 decades, and it truly is authentic tricky to obtain wholesome food stuff that’s created clean each day.”
The new SoFresh is situated throughout from a searching middle containing a GreenWise and a HomeGoods and sits next to a Publix, all facets that Donato says pulls at their loved ones-oriented demographic.
About 10 minutes right after SoFresh opened, 5 prospects stood inside of the modest spot, all masked. Mustafa claimed they experienced about 20 orders scheduled for pickup by their app before the 10:30 a.m. grand opening.
Donato, who has been with SoFresh for a yr, stated the corporation now depends far more heavily on the app due to the fact of restrictions pushed by the coronavirus pandemic. When pickup and takeout options are additional common, there is seating inside of the cafe, in addition to a handful of chairs and tables established up for out of doors eating.
When Donato and Mustafa imagine SoFresh is filling a niche for Lakeland, the industry they occupy is developing. The wellness and wellness foodstuff industry “is poised to develop by USD 234.94 in the course of 2020-2024,” in accordance to BusinessWire.
Donato stated the very last eight to 10 months have expedited that process, with men and women having to pay more interest to their life-style and what they put in their physique during the quarantine interval.
“I imagine the sector has been trending toward healthier principles more than the very last few of years,” Donato stated. “And I assume the pandemic has started to expedite that even a lot quicker.”
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Mustafa claimed he hopes to open up an additional SoFresh area within a calendar year someplace else in Polk County. He stated North Lakeland, Davenport and Winter Haven are prospective candidates.
“If you provide good product and you’ve got got good purchaser company, and it can be a terrific working experience, I think the term spreads fairly immediately,” Donato reported. “We count on this to be a incredibly prosperous locale for us.”
Maya Lora can ideal be arrived at with suggestions or issues at [email protected] or 863-802-7558.
