Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (2024)

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Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (1)

Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (2)

By Elena Kadvany

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Uploaded: May 24, 2018

A new açaí bowl shop is now open at 650 Castro St. in downtown Mountain View.

Vitality Bowls, a national franchise that got its start in California, serves made-to-order açaí bowls (a thick, smoothie-like blend of thesuperfruit,typically topped with granola, fruit and other ingredients) as well as smoothies, fresh juices, soups, salads and paninis. The bowls have no fillers such as ice, frozen yogurt, added sugar or artificial preservatives.

Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (3)
An array of açaí and other bowls at Vitality Bowls. Photo courtesy Vitality Bowls.

This newest location is being run by Angelo Camacho, the 18-year-old nephew of Vitality Bowls founder Tara Gilad. Gilad opened the first Vitality Bowls in San Ramon in 2011 after coping with the challenges presented by her young daughter's severe food allergies.

Growing up "surrounded by healthy foods and successful entrepreneurs," including his aunt, Camacho dreamed of opening his own business, the recent high school graduate said in a press release.

Camacho opened the Mountain View outpost on May 10, marking the company's 50th location. There are nearby outposts in Palo Alto and Redwood City.

The Mountain View location replaced another açaí bowl shop, Mahalo Bowl, which closed in January.

Check out the Vitality Bowls menu here. There will also be nitrogen cold-brew coffee and organic kombucha available on tap.

Dedicated açaí bowl shops have been popping up throughout the Midpeninsula in recent years.

Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (4)

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Posted by Acai,a resident of Old Mountain View,
on May 24, 2018 at 9:35 am

Acai is a registered user.

It's scary how these açaí bowl places can advertise themselves as "healthy" when what they're selling has WAY more sugar than a bowl of ice cream or a 32 oz soda. :/

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Posted by @ Acai,a resident of another community,
on May 24, 2018 at 12:28 pm

If "Acai" finds that point scary, others might be scarier. Popular perceptions of nutritional science have long been dominated by misunderstandings, advertising, and fads.

50 years ago, public-health guidance disdained all saturated fats in favor unsaturated fats of any kind, supporting the processed-fats industry's artifically hydrogenated vegetable oils, high in trans-bond fatty acids (scarce in nature). A leading advocate of those artificial fats, incidentally, was the "Center for Science in the Public Interest," a group dominated not by scientists but lawyers. It's now known that trans-bond fatty acids promote serious health problems, while some saturated fats are necessary nutrients.

Today it's fashionable to avoid wheat products, on the claims that (a) they promote obesity and (b) wheat was "genetically engineered" to increase gluten. Realities: French and Italians eat twice as much wheat as Americans, but have one-third the obesity rate; wheat gluten content has remained unchanged for centuries (and GMO wheat isn't commercially available here); many people harboring those misconceptions are alive to do so because gluten grains nourished generations of their ancestors.

This month a parallel blog post by Laura Stec advertises as "sugar free" a dessert recipe based on dates: Web Link Dried dates are over 60% sugars by weight; they and other ripe fruits deliver a typical natural sugar mix (especially fructose, glucose, and their compound, sucrose, aka table sugar, which reverts to fructose and glucose when digested), roughly like honey or high-fructose corn syrup; any biochemist will explain that these simple sugars have the same metabolic effects in human bodies regardless of source. Natural-fruit sources like dates do contain other nutrients unlike refined sugars; but calling a date-based recipe "sugar-free" is a real-life modern example of Orwellian euphemism.

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Posted by Amelia,a resident of Old Mountain View,
on May 28, 2018 at 11:22 am

These bowls taste much less sugary than the ones served at this location before. And the listed calorie count is a lot lower. Probably because of the reduced sugar? Anyways, my first impression of this place is good.

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Vitality Bowls opens in Mountain View (2024)

FAQs

How much is it to open a vitality bowl? ›

A Vitality Bowl Superfood Café costs on average between $208,800 and $683,140 to open. Our locations range from 750 – 1500 sq.

Are Vitality Bowls healthy? ›

Their food is healthy and allergy friendly. There are no fillers (ice, frozen yogurt or artificial preservatives), giving menu items the purest taste possible.

Who is the owner of Vitality Bowls? ›

Roy and Tara Gilad founded Vitality Bowls in 2011 in San Ramon, California. Since franchising began in 2014, the brand has grown to more than 145 cafes open or in development.

Is acai breakfast? ›

Acai bowls are truly the breakfast of champs! The smoothie bowl is so thick and sweetened to perfection to fuel your morning in the most refreshing way. The best part is customizing the toppings to your liking with peanut butter, granola, fresh fruit, and chia seeds!

How much does a SoBol franchise make? ›

SoBol's average store revenue is $594,000. The initial franchise fee is $30,000 per unit, with single and multi-unit opportunities available. Initial investment totals average $240,800 to $450,600, with royalty fees of five percent of net sales.

How many Vitality Bowl locations are there? ›

Vitality Bowls has experienced tremendous growth since launching franchising efforts in 2014, quadrupling in size with more than 134 cafés open or in development across the country.

Why is acai so expensive? ›

The cost of acai is attributed to several factors. Firstly, the berries are harvested in the Amazon rainforest, which can be a labor-intensive process. Additionally, the berries are highly perishable, requiring them to be processed (usually frozen or dried) soon after harvesting to preserve their nutrients and flavor.

Can you eat too much acai? ›

What are the possible side effects of acai berries? Anything in excess is regarded as bad. A full-fledged acai berry diet may be beneficial for some people, whereas it may cause problems in others, such as: Consuming acai berries could irritate the colon or intestinal tract, which may eventually lead to diarrhea.

What kind of granola does vitality bowl use? ›

“One of our most popular superfood toppings is Nature's Path granola,” says Tara Gilad, president and co-founder of Vitality Bowls. “The whole grain rolled oats and seeds perfectly complement our nutritious açaí bowls, and pair well with other fruit toppings.

Who bought vitality? ›

In November 2014, Discovery bought the remaining 25% stake in PruHealth from Prudential, making Discovery the sole owner of the company. Discovery immediately re-branded PruHealth as VitalityHealth, and its sister company PruProtect as VitalityLife, both under the Vitality umbrella brand.

Who made smoothie bowls? ›

In the early 1970's, frozen acai pulp began to travel from the Amazon to northern Brazilian cities. In the 80's, it was legendary Brazilian Jujitsu founder Carlos Gracie who likely popularized the acai bowl (frozen acai pulp blended with banana) in southern cities like Rio de Janiero.

Who is the owner of bamboo bowls? ›

Tristan Lo and David Andrada are the founders of Bamboo Bowls.

Can I eat acai every day? ›

Sounds pretty nutritious, right? Here's the catch. When you add all of the toppings suddenly your bowl of healthy goodness could easily contain over 500 calories and 40-90 grams of sugar. This is why consuming acai bowls should be an occasional indulgence not part of your everyday diet.

Is acai high in sugar? ›

Acai itself does not have sugar, but it's important to consider the additional ingredients that are commonly added to acai bowls. Many acai bowls are topped with sweeteners such as honey, agave syrup, or granola, which can significantly increase the overall sugar content.

Is acai just blueberries? ›

Açai berries have a higher concentration of fibre than blueberries. Blueberries are known for having high fibre, however ,Acai berries have a higher concentration than blueberries. Acai berries are also high in protein, low in sugar and can help you lose weight.

What is a vitality bowl? ›

Vitality Bowls specializes in making delicious açaí bowls, which are a thick blend of the açaí berry topped with organic granola and a selection of superfood ingredients. Additional antioxidant-rich menu items include smoothies, fresh juices, soups, salads and panini.

Who are the competitors of Vitality Bowls? ›

Vitality Bowls's competitors and similar companies include Food Concepts, RE&S, Cosentino's Food Stores and Uniflex.

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