Açaí bowls are coming to Lake Mary Centre, but not alone. Frutta Bowls, the plant-based bowl and smoothie franchise, plans to open a new location at 3881 Lake Emma Road, and it won't be a standalone shop — it's being paired with sister brand Saladworks under one roof.
Official store listings show the new spot, at 3879–3881 Lake Emma Road, will operate as a co-branded Saladworks and Frutta Bowls storefront, according to Saladworks. The dual-concept format lets the franchise offer expanded salad and bowl options while sharing operational costs on one lease. As WhatNow first reported, no opening date has been announced yet for the Lake Mary Centre location.
Frutta Bowls describes itself as an açaí bowl and smoothie franchise built around plant-based, whole-food ingredients, with customizable bowls, smoothies, toasts, and protein bites, per the outlet's report. Diners can choose from bases including açaí, pitaya, greens, coconut, warm oatmeal, and Greek yogurt. Signature options include the Frutta Bowls Classic, topped with granola, strawberry, pineapple, kiwi, Nutella, peanut butter, honey, and coconut flakes, and the Muscle Up bowl, which adds granola, chocolate whey protein powder, banana, and peanut butter to a chosen base. The brand can be followed on Instagram at @fruttabowls.
A Corporate Strategy Built on Pairing Brands
The Lake Mary opening isn't an isolated move. Frutta Bowls is owned by WOWorks, a St. Petersburg-based restaurant platform company formed in late 2020 that also runs Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos, and Z!Eats, according to a report from PR Newswire. WOWorks was established by private equity firm Centre Lane Partners LLC to build a national platform of plant-forward fast-casual dining brands.
The same report notes WOWorks opened 10 co-branded dual-concept locations in 2025 after testing showed that pairing Frutta Bowls with concepts like Saladworks significantly boosted guest traffic and unit economics. WOWorks CEO Kelly Roddy said dual-concept store formats offer broader group dining options while maximizing franchisee real estate investments. The company also recently expanded its leadership bench, hiring former Lunchbox CEO James Walker in May as Chief Growth Officer to oversee franchise recruitment and national expansion, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Walker previously held senior growth roles at Subway and Cinnabon.
For prospective franchisees, the numbers are steep. Opening a single Frutta Bowls location requires an estimated total initial investment ranging from $388,000 to $633,000, including a $35,000 franchise fee, according to 2026 franchise disclosure documents cited by SharpSheets. Leasehold improvements represent the largest single expense, ranging from $150,500 to $302,000.
Why Lake Mary Fits the Formula
Lake Mary Centre, the shopping center hosting the new location, is a 355,579-square-foot retail complex owned by Jacksonville-based Regency Centers, sitting near the West Lake Mary Boulevard and Interstate 4 commercial corridor. The center already houses Fresh Kitchen, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Cheng's, and Escas Pizza, per the WhatNow report.
Lake Mary's demographics help explain the interest from health-focused chains. The city's median household income reached $109,173 in 2024, roughly 50% above the statewide median, with a poverty rate of just 3.5%, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. That purchasing power, combined with an existing cluster of health-conscious dining spots like Fresh Kitchen inside the same shopping center, makes the area an attractive target for premium superfood concepts.
The opening also joins a broader local lineup that has included fast-casual grain wrap operator Currito, which opened nearby along International Parkway in 2019 — part of a wave of new fast-casual restaurants Hoodline covered arriving in Lake Mary that year. Frutta Bowls itself has a history of turning up in local roundups; a Hoodline piece from 2018 ranked one of its locations among the top açaí bowl spots in Chapel Hill.
From Two Shops to a Growing Footprint
Frutta Bowls was founded in 2016 by Brooke Gagliano in Freehold, New Jersey, after she discovered West Coast açaí bowl shops while in college, according to the brand's own account of its origins. What began as two New Jersey locations has since grown to several dozen shops across more than 14 states.
The broader market backs the expansion push. The global açaí bowl shop market is valued at $2.31 billion in 2026, with projected annual growth of 7.8% through 2034, according to Data Insights Reports. Brazilian açaí exports have surged over the past decade as plant-based dining has moved from West Coast novelty into mainstream suburban markets like Lake Mary. Frutta Bowls has also been expanding elsewhere in Florida, including a location that opened this year in Oakley as part of a broader quick-service commercial lineup, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of a Korean fried chicken chain's arrival there.
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