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June 27, 2008

Fresh City to Open in Herndon

By Rebecca Plevin
Observer Staff Writer

It’s about noon and you and your co-workers are going to grab a bite for lunch. One friend craves a burrito, another wants a healthy salad, and another is dying for stir-fry. Instead of splitting up and dining solo, restaurant franchisor Rob Grimes has a better idea— head to Fresh City.

Fresh City, which is expected to open in the Clocktower Shopping Center in September, will provide “something for everybody,” said Grimes, the chief executive officer of Capital Fresh, LLC, who plans to open Fresh City franchises across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The restaurant offers burritos, salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, stir-fry dishes, smoothies and desserts, and “they’re all really good,” Grimes said.

Fresh City seizes on the latest dining trend of fast-casual restaurants and combines that with the ever-popular craze of eating fresh, natural food. The restaurant offers “fresh food made to order,” Grimes said, and will give customers the option of customizing their dishes to fit their diet needs and lifestyle choices. The restaurant’s Web site even provides recommendations on how a diner could vary his dish to lower its levels of calories, cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat, and increase its amount of fiber and protein.

The restaurant will extend its commitment to healthy lifestyles to the community, Grimes said. He said the restaurant would participate in charity races and would support the local schools and police departments. Being an active member of the community, he said, is a “very important piece of what we do.”

The Fresh City chain began in New England and the Herndon store will be the restaurant’s first location in the D.C. area. Grimes said Herndon was the ideal location because it is an area with high education and income levels where people are willing to “pay a little more for something a little better.” Larry Reinstein, Fresh City president and CEO, said the Clocktower Shopping Center was also an appealing location because it is a
“nice neighborhood site” that is close to residences, retail stores and office buildings.

Red Hot & Blue is expected to open in the same building but Grimes said he did not think the barbecue restaurant would pose competition to Fresh City. It’s a “good co-location,” he said, because the restaurants are totally different and Fresh City does not offer any barbecue dishes.