SoBol Acai Bowl Franchise To Open First NYC Location In Astoria

ASTORIA, QUEENS -- A Long-Island based heath food franchise is looking to bring its signature acai bowls to the the Big Apple, and it's first stop is right here in Astoria.

SoBol - a grab-and-go chain also known for its smoothies, press juices and kombucha - will make its NYC debut at 25-04 Ditmars Boulevard on July 24, franchise co-owner Mark Keegan told Patch.

The eatery's most famous menu items are its acai bowls - a Brazilian dish made of mashed acaí palm fruit - topped with homemade granola, banana, strawberry, blueberry, coconut and honey.

The bowls, also available with pitaya, cost $10-$13 based on size and ingredients, Keegan said. Each can be customized with specialty blends from protein powder to apple juice and toppings such as peanut butter, Nutella and hemp seeds.

"It's just kind of based in a really healthy lifestyle," Keegan said.

The new Astoria location will also serve an array of freshly pressed juices and smoothies, and have kombucha tea on tap from a local vendor.

"It will be made and poured fresh on a daily basis, and we'll also offer it in take-home growlers," Keegan said.

Keegan said he hopes such local offerings will establish SoBol's roots in Astoria, where he eventually hopes to partner with schools to serve the franchise's health-conscious goods for lunch.

"We want it to feel localized, not like a huge franchise," he said. This being SoBol's first location in the area, "it's kind of a fresh canvas to paint."

The franchise is somewhat of an uncharted territory for Keegan, a Brooklyn designer, and his business partner Seth Newman, who's a local dentist.

The two met designing some of Newman's offices and had been casually looking for a joint business opportunity, Keegan said. He was drawn to SoBol after watching a growing line of beachgoers flood the franchise's foodtruck.

"I was at the beach waiting in line for these acai bowls and saw the demand," he said. "I didn't have a lot of food background, but I liked the (franchise's) healthy lifestyle and high-paced energy."

The 1,100-square-foot space in Astoria is the latest of roughly two dozen SoBol locations to pop up in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut since the franchise launched in 2012. And while this may be its first time serving up fruit-based snacks in the Big Apple, Keegan said it's far from the last.

He and Newman are eying new Queens locations into Forest Hills, Astoria and Long Island City, and eventually plan on expanding to Park Slope in Brooklyn. Each is an upcoming area with older roots and and a growing population of young people, Keegan said.

The two already have sights set on an Austin Street location for Forest Hills, which Keegan said could open as early as eight months after their initial Astoria franchise.

"We're excited about this area," Keegan said. "We feel like there's a lot of opportunity here."

Lead photo courtesy of SoBol