Playa Bowls to open 400th location
A growing superfruit bowl chain is set to reach a store count milestone.
New Jersey-based Playa Bowls will open its 400th location in Virginia Beach, Va., on May 15. The new shop is located steps from Atlantic Park Surf, North America’s first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon, and will offer guests a variety of acai and other superfruit bowls to choose from.
Franchisee Lizzette Pagan, an early Playa Bowls operator who has successfully opened locations in New Jersey, is expanding her operation to include her daughter Karimah and son-in-law Robert Hagans.
According to its website, Playa Bowls currently operates nine other locations in Virginia Beach.
“I started with Playa Bowls in 2015, just a year after the brand was founded, and from the beginning it felt like we were building something people really connected with,” said Lizzette. “Through social media and in our shops, we’ve been able to have fun with our guests and create a community around food that feels good and fits into their everyday lives. To now be opening the 400th shop with my family, in a place that’s so connected to the ocean and that energetic, on-the-go lifestyle, makes this moment incredibly meaningful.”
Playa Bowls’ growth isn’t limited to the United States. In April, the chain announced plans to open its first international locations in Canada through a partnership with development group Eat Up Canada Inc. The group plans to develop more than 160 Playa Bowls locations across the country in the coming years, with the first slated to open soon at The Well, an indoor-outdoor mixed-use development in Downtown Toronto.
[READ MORE: Playa Bowls to expand in three major markets as it continues growth]
Founded in 2014, Playa Bowls’ menu includes over 40 items, including the bright flavors of acai, pitaya, green and coconut bowls alongside oatmeal bowls, juices, smoothies and cold brew.
