Clover Food Lab, Massachusetts’ cult-favorite for family friendly fast food that turns meat eaters into vegetable lovers, reveals its newest store will open on Thursday, July 1, 2021, in Newtonville. The new restaurant is located inside TRIO, a brand-new luxury apartment in Newton. The Clover Newtonville location will feature Clover’s highly anticipated, first ever espresso bar in partnership with local George Howell Coffee Co. In just a few weeks, Newton residents and community members will have direct access to the delicious, fresh taste of Clover. Folks around the area are also invited to visit the restaurant alongside the other retail offerings at TRIO. Newtonville is Clover’s thirteenth store opening, marking another milestone in the unique fast-food restaurant’s continued growth.
To celebrate the grand opening of the Newtonville location, Clover will continue a tradition of hosting a “Pay What You Want” event, scheduled for Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10. For the event, the entire Clover menu will be “pay what you want” pricing, meaning that folks can pay a penny or $100 for their chickpea fritter sandwich, French fries with rosemary, or rhubarb agua fresca, and all proceeds will be directly donated to a yet-to-be-announced nonprofit focusing on helping area teachers. The 6-year-old tradition began at Clover’s opening of the CloverHFI restaurant in Central Square and has played an instrumental part in celebrating new restaurant openings ever since. It is Clover’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to the new community that is now a valued member of the Clover family.
“After working on this project for over a year, we are thrilled to finally invite guests and open the doors of our Newtonville location,” says Ayr Muir, CEO & Founder of Clover Food Lab. “As many of you know, once upon a time we were only a food truck – to see how far we have come in 12 years is nothing short of a dream come true. On behalf of the entire Clover team, we give our warmest welcome to the 13th location of our ever-growing family. We could not be more excited that it is in Newton, home to many of our dedicated customers.”
Every Clover Food Lab location stays true to the Clover brand but features a few unique designs to reflect the community that it joins. The Newtonville location is no different. One focus has been creating an immersive and ambient dining experience – Clover plans to fill the restaurant with plants (including a coffee tree!) and is installing updated ceiling paneling to help absorb noise. The restaurant will also feature a colossal whiteboard near the community table, for doodling, drawing, or taking notes during an impromptu lunch meeting. A dedicated Farm Share area will have built-in shelving for customers to pick up CSA shares all year-round, as part of the CSA program that Clover has hosted for over 10 years.
For the first time in Clover history, espresso drinks will be on offer, thanks to a partnership with 47-year coffee industry veteran George Howell, who first launched the Frappuccino, and who founded the precedent-setting Cup of Excellence program, the world’s first international estate coffee competition. The George Howell Coffee Company will staff a permanent standalone espresso bar inside of CloverNTV.
Customers in Newton who have been waiting patiently for opening day can sign up to be part of Clover’s street team, and get free Clover food as a thank-you. Clover Food Lab will be recruiting local Clover fans to become customer ambassadors! The folks chosen to be part of the program will receive a free “Clover Ambassador Pack” filled with coupons, posters, and merchandise to help spread the word about the new restaurant – plus thank you gifts for the ambassador (including meal boxes, a Clover-branded water bottle, and a free month of membership to their Clover Meal Club!)