Playa Bowls, the nation’s leading superfruit bowl shop specializing in acai, pitaya, mango, green and coconut bowls, juices, smoothies, cold brew and more, has announced today the opening of its 200th shop. This new opening marks Playa Bowls’ 71st franchise agreement this year, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to growth since first launching in Belmar, NJ in 2014.
“Playa Bowls once began as a patio table outside of a pizza shop, and now, nearly a decade later, we’ve reached 200 locations across the nation,” says Abby Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer of Playa Bowls. “With our home state being New Jersey, it’s truly so satisfying to celebrate such a monumental milestone right where the brand started. We can guarantee Playa Bowls’ rapid momentum won’t be slowing down any time soon.”
The 200th location is owned and operated by franchisee, Jerry Eicke. Prior to Playa Bowls, Eike worked in the finance industry and owned several salad restaurants. Eike serves as chairman of the healthy fast casual franchise concept, The Salad House, and has held this position since February 2017. In 2018, Eike became a Playa Bowls franchisee alongside his business partner, Francesco Stillatano. The duo owns four existing shops in Englewood, Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood, and Westwood, NJ. Eike’s fifth shop will be located in Hackensack, with plans to continue expanding throughout Bergen County.
“In 2018, I introduced Playa Bowls to Bergen County with the intention of offering healthier food options to my local community. Five years later, and I’m opening my fifth location in the county, marking a major milestone for Playa Bowls,” says Eike. “My journey as a Playa Bowls franchisee has been truly transformative, as each new shop presents an exciting opportunity to provide the community with fresh, nourishing, and delectable superfruit bowls and smoothies. I’m eager to continue expanding Playa Bowls throughout the region as well as welcoming guests at our newest Hackensack location.”
The momentum for Playa Bowls is continuing beyond its 200th shop, with the brand anticipating 33 additional shops to open before the end of the year. Alongside expansion efforts, Playa Bowls has other exciting initiatives in shop, such as the release of its fall specials ahead of the upcoming season and new promotion offers for Playa Rewards members.
Founded by surfers Abby Taylor & Rob Giuliani, Playa Bowls was born out of the desire to recreate the delicious, refreshing, healthy versions of acai and pitaya bowls the pair encountered on various surf trips to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, California, and Hawaii. At each beach, the duo discovered new and unique twists on this popular post-surf treat and came home wanting more. The pair set up a blender and a folding table on the boardwalk in their hometown of Belmar, and Playa Bowls was born. Eight years, thousands of employees, and hundreds of thousands of bowls later, Playa Bowls continues to offer superfruit bowls with a mission to lead communities in healthy, sustainable living.
Since its inception in 2014, Playa Bowls has emerged as a leader in the national superfruit bowl shop segment. Today, the brand has 200 shops systemwide, operating in 20 states, with plans to continue to expand its domestic footprint across the U.S.
