Like many cities, Cleveland is in the midst of a bona fide juice and smoothie invasion. In the past few months alone, Daily Press (6604 Detroit Ave., 440-554-3498, dailypresscleveland.com) and Beet Jar (1432 W. 29th St., beetjar.com) have come onboard, joining the pioneering Anna in the Raw (1360 E. 9th St., 216-623-7220, annaintheraw.com) to keep Clevelanders swimming in detoxifying elixirs. We can soon add Restore Cold Pressed to the mix.
Business partners and Northeast Ohio boomerangers Adam Wright and Christie Pritt will open Restore in the Gateway District in the first quarter of 2015. The 1,500-square-foot shop will be located at 1001 Huron Road, in the American Institute of Architects building. The pair, who met at Ohio State University and lived for the last six years in New York City, recently moved back to the area to launch the business.
“Cleveland is an ideal location, and we had always intended to move back here eventually,” explains Wright. “This gave us a great reason to. In New York, there is almost a juice bar on every corner. Juice and juicing actually has become a big part of our lives over the past several years.”
Cold-pressed juices differ from most shelf-stable products because they aren’t heated or pasteurized, says Wright, which kills off the beneficial live enzymes. “Cold-pressed juice contains five times the amount of micronutrients.”
Both Wright and Pritt worked in finance, not exactly the typical career track for juice-bar owners. But in addition to visiting countless operations both home and abroad to glean best practices, they have brought in some high-level talent.
“We have done as much as we can independently, but our background is in finance — we’re not raw foods experts,” admits Pritt. “So we consulted with one of the best in New York to make sure that we’re bringing the absolute best available.”
The juices and smoothies will use all-organic fruits and vegetables, including as much local product as possible. Customers can choose between pre-bottled products or those made to order at the roomy juice bar. Restore will even deliver your juice within a certain radius of downtown. Guests will be encouraged to linger in the Wi-Fi café, where a small menu of vegan and paleo food items also will be on hand.
“We want to make it a neighborhood place where people can feel comfortable hanging out, having a meeting, studying or watching sports,” notes Wright.
Both Wright and Pritt are conscious of the fact that despite its growth and traction, these juices can still cause customers to do a price-point double-take.
“Even in New York, there is still sticker shock,” says Pritt. “But when you taste it and feel the difference between fresh, cold-pressed juice and something that isn’t, it’s crazy. It’s a higher price point but we definitely think there’s a movement toward seeking out foods that are healthy for you and for the environment.” Each serving, she adds, contains between three and five pounds of organic fruits and veggies.
