After 'wildly popular' Playa Bowls in Newark, restaurant set to open in Middletown

Get ready for some healthy comfort food, Middletown.

That's what the manager of Delaware's newest Playa Bowls is calling the naturally sweet cuisine the casual Middletown restaurant will be serving when it opens in late March or early April.

Jessica Herron believes the Middletown location will follow the successful trend of the Newark restaurant, which opened in February 2018 and has been wildly successful, she said.

The restaurant's fare is inspired by the food offered in the many exotic towns that founders Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor came across on surfing trips — places like Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, California, Hawaii, Nicaragua and Panama.

The Jersey Shore surfing enthusiasts and entrepreneurs came up with their own version of an acai or pitaya bowl, which they said was a perfect meal that didn’t make you feel weighed down before a long surf.

Take a peek at the Playa Bowls menu

The founders said nutrients from acai, which are small edible blackish-purple berries that grow on South American palm trees, give a natural energy boost. They were instantly hooked on the flavors of these so-called superfruits.

From a small menu of just acai bowls and a few smoothies they served on a patio table outside a pizza joint on the Jersey Shore, the business has grown into a successful franchise that offers a variety of fresh, healthy bowl options and smoothies.

There are 62 locations in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, South Carolina, Florida and Puerto Rico.

The Newark location was the first Playa Bowls in the First State. Following the Middletown opening set for March or early April will be a spring opening in Rehoboth Beach.

The Newark location has 40 to 45 part-time employees, and Herron said she would oversee about the same number in the Middletown restaurant. 

The Playa Bowls in Rehoboth Beach will be at 220 Rehoboth Ave., just across from the fire station. 

"I really liked this concept," said Herron, a lifelong Delaware resident and University of Delaware graduate. "When I went to UD, there was nothing like this. Now students here can't seem to get enough of it."

UD students Naarah Anderson, Tara Jensen and Grace DeWhitt, and West Chester University student Reid Reckner agreed.

The Newark natives said they eat at Playa Bowls at least twice a week and sometimes even more.

"It's nice for college students to have a healthy option," DeWhitt said.

Herron was hoping for a January opening, but construction delays at the Hedgelawn Plaza on Kohl Avenue just off Middletown Warwick Road pushed back the grand opening.

"We chose Middletown because of its growth and future growth projections," she said. "The customers will be different, but we've seen on social media that they want the same healthy food in Middletown as they do in Newark."

Glassheim believes the fresh and healthy offerings, the beach vibe and the excellent customer service from laid-back staff will be welcome in Middletown. 

"We've seen a lot of demand on social media, so we're excited to be in Middletown," she said. "We can't open soon enough."

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.

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