Apex is lacing up for a new fast-casual arrival. Grain & Berry, a superfoods cafe built around bowls, smoothies and plant-forward flatbreads, is headed to town, led by a marathon-running franchisee who wants the menu to be as performance-minded as it is fresh. The concept is aiming squarely at breakfast, lunch and post-workout crowds, adding one more healthier quick-service option to the Triangle’s growing dining roster.
According to the Triangle Business Journal, the Apex shop is being opened by a marathon runner turned operator who plans to emphasize higher-protein choices such as flatbreads, açaí bowls and smoothies. Reporter Kate Tracy notes that the move brings the Tampa-based brand into the Triangle market, with photographs for the Business Journal piece credited to Sudarshan Krishnamurthi.
What to Expect From the Menu
Grain & Berry lists handcrafted açaí, pitaya and spirulina bowls, almond-milk smoothies, specialty toasts, plant-based flatbreads and cold-pressed juices, with options that can be customized for vegan, gluten-free and higher-protein diets. The brand highlights fresh ingredients and no artificial flavors. The menu is set up for quick customization and grab-and-go orders that appeal to commuters and active customers, lining up neatly with the high-protein focus the Triangle Business Journal highlighted for the Apex opening.
Where It Will Fit in the Triangle
The concept already has a Triangle foothold, with a Grain & Berry operating in nearby Holly Springs at Oakview Commons, signaling that the brand has some regional experience under its belt. In Apex, downtown and the surrounding corridors have been the focus of several new retail and mixed-use projects, such as The Highline, which is detailed by Barnhill and is helping bring more street-level leasing opportunities for small restaurants and cafes. That concentration of new retail gives the chain a shot at reaching both daytime office workers and families knocking out errands.
Brand Growth Beyond Florida
Grain & Berry has been pushing beyond its Florida roots with franchise partners. In Maryland, local reporting described a planned multi-store expansion into Baltimore County, where a franchise partner has signed leases for multiple locations, as reported by Patch. The company’s franchising platform, outlined on its Grain & Berry site, points to an aggressive footprint-building plan across several states…