Sault’s Dan Missere to open Freshii’s doors at corner of Pim and McNabb

Saultites who want healthy food served up fast and affordable will soon be able to visit the city’s first Freshii location at 480 Pim Street.

The local Freshii will be operated by franchisee Dan Missere, a well-known Sault man involved in restaurant management and local sports for several years.

“Bottom line is we make healthy food convenient and affordable. I think that’s what really attracted me to it. Essentially it’s healthy fast food,” Missere told SooToday.

Freshii offers bowls, burritos, salads, wraps, soups, smoothies and juices.

“It’s my wife and I and my two kids (running the restaurant), it’s a family venture for us. I discovered Freshii and just really fell in love with it, I thought it was a great opportunity and pursued it, and here I am today.”

“We were in Ann Arbour, Michigan, for a swim meet. We were walking through a mall and my daughter saw a sign for Freshii.”

“We went and had lunch there at a neat little kiosk spot, thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, which was a Buddha bowl, a rice noodle-based bowl, it was fantastic and I really enjoyed it, and being in the restaurant business I looked at the simplicity of the operation of Freshii, and the menu was really neat. I gravitated to it.”

Missere said he returned to his hotel that evening and did some research on the company to discover it is a rapidly growing Canadian firm, with locations all over the world.

Established by Matthew Corrin in 2005, Freshii expanded to 100 locations faster than Subway, McDonald’s and Starbucks ever did.

By the end of 2017, Freshii was operating over 300 locations in more than 80 cities in 20 countries, with plans for continued growth.

Renovations began on the Sault’s 28-seat Freshii dining space just after April 1, Missere looking at a June 11 opening date.

“We attempt to turn meals around from the time of ordering to completion in three to five minutes. It’s something where you can literally make that decision to grab a healthy food option quickly.”

The variety found on Freshii’s menu attracted Missere.

“I had the luxury of training in Toronto and ate at Freshii for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two weeks straight, tried a million different options and never got bored. You can create your own bowl, wrap or salad using any of our ingredients. In fact, in Toronto, about 75 per cent of the orders come from people who have developed their own taste, they’re not stuck to a standard menu.”

Missere said Freshii’s is a fast food option for people who suffer from, for example, diabetes, who wish to enjoy fast food while maintaining the delicate balance of their personal health.

Freshii also offers a mobile phone app whereby customers can place their order ahead, pull up in their vehicle or walk in and pick up their order.

Delivery is an option Freshii is considering at this point, Missere said, adding Freshii is also into catering, with its first three catering clients booked.

Customers will also be able to take advantage of Freshii’s meal box option, each box containing breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks for one day, to be ordered the night before and available for pickup the following morning, convenient for those on a diet or travelling on the road throughout the following day (keeping it in the fridge overnight).

The local Freshii outlet, with a mixture of 16 full and part time staff, will be available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

“Egg pockets are fantastic, and green eggs and kale is a really good meal as well (for breakfast),” Missere said.

“Lunch and dinner options are sort of endless, all of our bowls with rice are available throughout the day, our burritos are fantastic, and it’s not just a salad shop, we have chicken and steak which can be added to any of our wraps, bowls or burritos, and soups are available and can be customized too.”

Missere said he has a few personal favourites to recommend.

One is the Freshii Pangoa bowl, which includes brown rice, avocado, aged cheddar, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime wedge and fiery barbecue sauce.

Another is the Buddha’s Satay bowl, with rice noodles, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, crispy wontons, green onions and spicy peanut sauce.

“I fell in love with that, it’s different,” Missere chuckled.

True to its name, Missere said all of Freshii’s products from its supplier will be fresh.

Missere said he expects most of his customers to be millennials (described by some researchers as people born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s), but also anticipates he’ll ‘convert’ some people through Freshii’s.

“I know I’ve felt a lot of the initial excitement from younger people, but older people have come to enjoy this food. I’ve come to enjoy it. I think everybody’s watching more about what they’re eating.”