The ponzu bowl, a special earlier this year from Roots Natural Kitchen (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
If you enter Roots Natural Kitchen at 939 W. Grace St. on any given day, chances are it’s bustling with people, from college students in line creating their own salads to delivery drivers grabbing brown paper bags filled with grain bowls. Located in the heart of the Virginia Commonwealth University area, the fast-casual concept with its own ordering app made its Richmond debut three summers ago and has since garnered a faithful following.
On Saturday, July 10, Roots will introduce a second area location at 6602 W. Broad St., adding to its growing portfolio of health-focused restaurants.
“We've been thrilled by the love from everybody in Richmond and are very excited to be opening up a second store,” says Roots co-founder Alberto Namnum.
Originally launched in Charlottesville, Roots was the vision of young business-savvy University of Virginia graduates Namnum and co-founder Alvaro Anspach. After noticing a lack of healthy quick meal options, in 2015 the duo entered the Galant Challenge, a startup competition through the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA, which led them to their future investor, Paul Gannon.
Now, there are seven Roots Natural Kitchens along the East Coast — Charlottesville; Newark, Delaware; State College, Pennsylvania; Blacksburg; Richmond and two in Pittsburgh — with others near Ohio State University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill currently underway.
Malik Welton, marketing coordinator for Roots, says that when the pandemic hit, the chain saw a spike in customers at the VCU outpost.
“We started looking at a new location during pandemic — the VCU location was doing really well, and we saw the growth,” Welton says.
Options at Roots range from the popular Pesto Caesar bowl, a riff on the classic salad with kale, bulgur, grape tomatoes, pita chips and lime-pickled onions dressed with pesto vinaigrette and Caesar, to the Roots Bowl that features spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, red onions, goat cheese and lemon-tahini dressing, along with seasonal bowls that are introduced every few months.
While the concept initially was geared toward offering college students fresh, health-conscious options and scoring spaces near universities will remain a focus, the Broad Street store marks a new chapter for the grassroots business that has evolved into a small chain.
“Richmond really opened our eyes to the fact that Roots isn't just for college students, it's for everyone,” Namnum says.
The soon-to-open Broad Street eatery will offer off-street parking and a larger indoor dining space in comparison to its Grace Street sister restaurant. In addition, Welton says it will assist with the high volume of delivery orders they receive and open doors for more catering opportunities.
“We're going to focus on building a bigger presence in those communities [where we have restaurants] over the next couple years, really move in and be a bigger part of the food scene across those cities,” Namnum says. “In Richmond, we've got our eyes on Short Pump and Midlothian.”
Opening an average of almost two stores a year since Roots' inception, Namnum says that he encourages young people to stay focused on their vision.
“Everyone is figuring something out as they go, whether they're starting a new job, starting a family, building a business — life is full of challenges,” the 30-year-old economics grad says. “For anyone that aspires to own a business, we hope they go out and give it a go. There's no better experience than trying.”
As for Namnum’s go-to make-your-own bowl, the Mexico City native says, “Here's a secret for you, Richmond, the vegan Buffalo bowl: brown rice, kale, pita chips, corn, chickpeas, red onions, tomatoes, red chile miso tofu, lemon tahini, and go extra, extra heavy on the Frank's hot sauce.”
Roots Natural Kitchen's Broad Street location, like its Grace Street counterpart, will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
