ST. LOUIS — Construction will soon start on a new concept at City Foundry STL.
BerryBox Superfood Bar, which offers fruit smoothies and bowls, plans to open at the food hall development in late March or early April, said husband-and-wife duo Dustin and Whitney Cole.
Dustin Cole said the concept draws inspiration from the popular chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, as BaerryBox customers will be able to view the full menu of ingredients while they follow their bowl down an assembly line. Ingredients are to include açaí, pitaya and matcha, and toppings such as fresh fruit, granola and house-made nut butters. The business will also sell craft sparkling waters.
Construction, to start in the coming weeks, is being handled by St. Louis-based Integrate Construction Partners. Dustin estimated build-out costs of about $200,000, and added it's being personally financed.
BerryBox will employ about 15 workers, a mix of part-time food service employees and full-time management employees, Dustin said.
The Coles are St. Louis natives who are new to the food scene. They said they chose to open in City Foundry because it allows them to get the concept running with less overhead.
“We thought it would be a good proof of concept,” Dustin said. “Our intent is to set up this fast-casual-type restaurant that’s easy to scale. We obviously want this one to be successful, but we also are setting this up to where we can hopefully grow to more locations in St. Louis.”
The idea came to the family during pandemic lockdowns.
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