The Growing Franchise, Freshii, Is Planting Their Healthy Food Options for Eco-Friendly Dining in San Diego
Written By: Keana McGrath
Photography Provided By: Freshii Healthy Fast Food San Diego
With all of the evolving, healthy food trends and diets, it can be overwhelming to try and find a place to eat that won’t completely break your diet or bank. Healthy eating is often confusing and, honestly, expensive. But it doesn’t have to be! Freshii is changing the casual dining scene by making healthy food fast, fresh and affordable. “Freshii wanted to create a fast and healthy option for families and individuals that you can find on every corner,” says Alex Black, one of the owners of the San Diego Freshii franchise. “So when you travel, you don’t have to worry about where to find a healthy meal—you’ll just find your nearest Freshii location. We don’t want Freshii to be a destination, but rather a part of every community.” And we’re here to share seven reasons why Freshii is our stop for fast, healthy and tasty food!
1 | They’re on a Mission Healthy Fast Food San Diego
“Let’s be good to the earth” is a key part of the Freshii mantra and they call it Mission Green. Everything that leaves Freshii restaurants biodegrades in 90 days—talk about eco-conscious! Their cups are made out of corn resin and their utensils are made out of potato starch. Not only is Freshii committed to creating healthier food, but they’re also committed to creating a healthier and cleaner earth by eliminating trash and waste.
2 | Part of Our World
All Freshii menus have items on them called “WE items.” When a guest purchases a “WE item,” one meal is donated to a child in a WE Village in Kenya, Ecuador, Ghana or India. And then, once a year, Freshii hosts a “WE Communitii Day” where all proceeds from all locations across the world are donated to WE charity to amplify their impact. “We are all about building sustainable communities,” says Black. “We like to find different ways with different organizations to partner with the community. We love our San Diego community and we want to keep investing in that.”
3 | A Just Cause
Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event which raises money for community-based organizations that serve people living with or impacted by HIV. Freshii’s Downtown and Hillcrest locations participated on May 2 and donated 25 percent of all their proceeds made from the event.
4 | Into the Mix
Freshii offers seven food categories: juices, smoothies, salads, wraps, bowls, burritos and soups. Our top, drool-worthy picks from each are as follows: Renew, Recoverii, Market Salad, Umamii Wrap, Pangoa Bowl, Teriyaki Twist Burrito and Superfood Soup.
Native Knowledge: Black’s go-to menu items: “The Oaxaca Bowl 100 percent. It’s a WE item so it’s near and dear to my heart. It normally comes with brown rice but I like subbing it with quinoa. That’s my go-to bowl. And then there’s a superfood soup that I usually swap the broth out for the spicy broth. It’s amazing.”
5 | Growth in Opportunities
Freshii is constantly “Adding magic to the Fresh Food Business.” Their lead global nutritionist is always tasting and testing ways to make the food on their menus as nutrient-dense, accessible and crave-worthy as possible.
Native Knowledge: Although Freshii is a young company, there are already 450 locations in 16 countries across the globe. Freshii is a millennial-driven company made up of impassioned people who genuinely care about creating healthy food and environmentally-friendly products.
6 | A Friendly Reminder
We’re all about Freshii’s mantra: “Let’s eat without regret. Let’s love kale. Let’s embrace quinoa. Let’s try new things. Let’s try unlikely combos. Let’s eat things that are good. Let’s eat things that make us feel good. Let’s eat and sit. Let’s be good to the earth. Let’s let the earth be good to us. Let’s eat. Energize.”
7 | A Menu for All
Freshii has a constantly evolving menu. Black explains, “We have a living menu. Every 90 days, we change a few items and ingredients. What we know about health and healthy eating is always changing. Different trends like keto or low carb or veganism… There’s always something new and exciting. We love adapting our menus and we want to be an access point for people who want to experiment with those diet choices. To us, Freshii is an idea, not a set menu.”
Native Knowledge: Each location in San Diego has customized “Fast Tickets” which are preset customized menus for diets such as keto, vegan and gluten-free; this takes the guesswork out what you can and cannot eat. Everything on the menu is customizable and can be catered to fit any dietary restriction.
Freshii – Spreckels
119 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
858.380.4470
Freshii – Hillcrest
1255B University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
858.564.3447
Freshii – Garnet Ave
1380 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
619.323.0732
