This summer is bringing something sweet along with the annual Gainesville heat this year.
Rush Bowls, an acai bowl and health foods restaurant, has a new Gainesville location in the works, said franchise owner Sean Byers.
Rush Bowls is an all-natural smoothies and acai bowl chain founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2004 as a healthy alternative for college students.
Byers hopes to bring the chain’s focus on health and wellness to Gainesville. He also hopes to open up jobs for students and get involved with UF student life.
According to its website, Rush Bowls offers 17 all-natural smoothies and 21 acai bowl combinations. The restaurant offers add-on toppings and supplements, and boasts no artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives or MSG.
Rush Bowls also makes its bowls and smoothies with dietary restrictions in mind. It offers vegetarian, vegan, wheat-free, dairy-free, nut-free and soy-free options. A single bowl can have up to five servings of fruits and vegetables and up to 40 grams of protein.
“It [an acai bowl] provides a really healthy, low-calorie alternative,” Byers said. “It’s a quick meal on the run.”
Being a Gainesville native, Byers wants to use Rush Bowls to give back to the community and the UF as much as possible, he said. He plans to get involved with school organizations, fraternity and sorority organizations and student athletics for different fundraising or catering events. Eventually, he wants Rush Bowls to be a food truck in Gainesville.
“After a tennis match or a volleyball match, you can give your players something healthy to re-energize themselves,” he said.
Sydney Schmidt, a 21-year-old UF political science senior, thinks Rush Bowls is making a good move.
“I definitely think there’s a market for more acai bowl places because they’re so in right now,” she said. “They’re such a good source of fruit; acai is a superfood.”
While they haven’t disclosed an official location, the Rush Bowls team is looking to open along University Avenue in Summer 2020.
The health food chain offers 17 all-natural smoothies and 21 acai bowl combinations.
