Frutta Bowls, a WOWorks brand and the nation's fastest-growing superfoods cafe franchise, expanded its grocery store-within-store locations with multi-unit franchisee partners Curtis High and Jordan Rideout. The pair recently opened the brand's first franchisee-owned Frutta Bowls restaurant in a grocery store in Doylestown, PA.
Curtis High and Jordan Rideout are owners of eight Saladworks locations throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. While Curtis had a restaurant business background working with Yum! Brands, Jordan worked for Home Depot as a store manager for ten years. They came together in 2007 to purchase three Saladworks franchise agreements. As they saw success with their restaurants, they spent the next several years acquiring and opening more Saladworks locations in their region. Today, they have five restaurants in central Pennsylvania and two in Delaware. This is the duo's first Frutta Bowls restaurant and first store-within-a-store grocery location.
Curtis and Jordan decided to invest in a Frutta Bowls franchise because of its focus on fresh, health-halo ingredients and its natural fit with their Saladworks restaurants. "When we reviewed and visited Frutta Bowls restaurants after WOWorks' acquisition, we immediately saw how their menu of fresh smoothies, bowls and bites appeal to young people and families who are trying to find healthy and convenient meals that also taste great," said Jordan Rideout, co-owner of Frutta Bowls. "We were especially attracted to the possibility of co-branding Frutta Bowls and Saladworks restaurants. If this Frutta Bowls location does well, we intend on co-branding all our existing Saladworks locations with Frutta Bowls restaurants."
The Frutta Bowls grocery store location in Doylestown, PA, is expected to create 10-15 jobs. To open this Frutta Bowls store-within-a-store location, WOWorks facilitated several interviews between Curtis and Jordan with the grocery store chain executives and coordinated walk-throughs in the franchisees' stand-alone restaurants. With attractive back-end efficiencies; a quicker timeline to build out and open; and menu options that cover all dayparts, Curtis and Jordan are hoping they will be able to forge a positive relationship with the grocery company to open several more locations with the chain.
"We are happy to welcome Curtis High and Jordan Rideout to the Frutta Bowls family," said Kelly Roddy, CEO of WOWorks. "Our grocery store and co-branding restaurant model is helping our franchisee network expand in non-traditional verticals and increase revenue with their existing WOWorks' restaurant investment. Co-branding allows franchisees to open multiple restaurant brands together, tap into several dayparts, and enjoy greater efficiencies due to shared back-end operations and equipment."
WOWorks is actively seeking qualified franchise partners interested in multi-unit and single-unit ownership, preferably individuals with business experience and/or franchise experience, and a passion for serving guests. For more information about owning a WOWorks franchise or co-branded franchise restaurant, https://franchise.saladworks.com/ and https://franchise.fruttabowls.com/.
ABOUT FRUTTA BOWLS
Founded in 2016 to fulfill a need for fresh and flavorful plant-centric dining options, Frutta Bowls has since grown from its original location in Freehold, New Jersey to 39 locations. From Acai to Zinc, Frutta Bowls uses only the freshest, ripest and most flavorful plant-based, whole-food ingredients featured in customizable bowls and smoothies, as well as toasts and protein bites. For more information, visit www.fruttabowls.com.
ABOUT WOWORKS:
WOWorks was formed in 2020 with a mission to help guests pursue their passions and live their best lives by serving healthy, nutritious and flavorful meals along with its Vow to "WOW!" guest hospitality. Fully owned by Centre Lane Partners, LLC, WOWorks' portfolio consists of: Saladworks, the nation's leading fast-casual salad brand; Frutta Bowls, a unique restaurant franchise serving a variety of superfood bowls, fresh fruit smoothies, protein bites and more; Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, a popular Mediterranean restaurant concept; and most recently, The Simple Greek, which offers a fresh and healthy take on traditional Greek recipes in a fast-casual setting. WOWorks seeks to drive explosive growth across all of its brands through a variety of channels, both traditional and non-traditional, including ghost kitchens, food trucks, grocery retail and more.
