Juice Bar Trends in NYC

Juice bars have been on the market for ages but in recent years they have grown and emerged as a trend that is increasingly popular among a wider audience. Nowadays juicing is not only for the “zealots from the raw-food fringe or Hollywood celebrities” as was pointed out in a recent article by the New York Times, titled The Juice-Bar Brawl. The word 'brawl' in the title is not incidental as this, too, like any type of food or beverage on the market, is a competitive niche that is represented by a constantly increasing number of brands.

On the other hand, as the article further points out, not all people on the market are out there to outrun each other and some prefer a “blue ocean strategy” where they don't get caught in the crossfire of juice wars. Instead, they prefer to swim in 'fresh waters' and generally uphold good will towards customers and competitors. With that said, there are also smaller brands or bars that, though they might not rank anywhere near the $20 million yearly gross income of some of the bigger companies, put their hearts in the juice they produce. The reasons for opening a juice bar, a shop that offers fresh juices or a restaurant that serves such, can be different from just the juice-craze trend. We recently talked to a few places in NYC that offer fresh juices, to inquire about their reasons and motivation.

Why start a Juice bar?

For example, Rene Henricks from Juicy Lucy, a Cuban-themed juice bar on the corner of 1st Ave and 1st Street, told us that reasons for her were entirely personal. She wanted to get away from a busy bartending lifestyle that was taking its toll and liked the idea, first mooted by a friend and fellow co-worker, to open up a juice bar and do something different. That was back in 1996 and meanwhile Juicy Lucy has expanded to include a second location at 85th Ave A in East Village.

Gastronomie 491, on the other hand, a specialty food shop and cafe on 491 Columbus Ave, started a juice bar because it fitted the general philosophy of the shop which promotes fresh and healthy foods. The folks at Gastronomie 491 thought a juice bar would complement their concept and would also be a nice way to showcase the seasonal produce which they use.

Where to start a Juice bar?

Location is, as with any other establishment, another important issue when opening a juice bar and all of the people we asked agreed that proper pinpointing of a place is vital for the business to get good exposure. This can be across a subway stop, such as Juicy Lucy's first location, a friendly neighborhood with shops that complement the philosophy of the restaurant, like Gastronomie 491's, or simply busier locations with more traffic, such as Blossom du Jour's 3 locations. And, of course, this being New York city, as Rene commented, it's not necessarily an easy place to start a juice bar – customers are savvy and know what they want and like.

What is the significance of Juice bars?

Juice bars and restaurants, unlike some bigger brands that offer bottled juices that are produced through HPP (high pressure pascalization which adds a longer shelf-life), usually opt for cold-pressed, fresh juices. Among others, Norwalk and Santos juicers seem to be the most preferred brands of  juicers, alongside The Ruby and Vitamix.
That also brings us to the question about the benefits of drinking fresh juices. All our interviewees unanimously agreed that there was a rising and growing trend in the restaurant industry towards healthier food, and juice bars comprised an essential part of that. Furthermore, on a wider scale, this was connected to and mirrored a larger trend of people making healthier and more conscious choices about their food and the positive consequences that come with consuming fresh and raw produce.

What's your specialty?

As any other brand, these three establishments also had something that made them unique, a type of signature juice, if you will. Apart from being Cuban-themed, Juicy Lucy is known for its delicious Acai smoothies and bowls. Gastronomie 491 offer a blend of the same name as their restaurant which includes apples with lemon and ginger – a healthy juice with digestive benefits. Blossom du Jour, on the other hand, has a whole cleanse program (1-6 days), the “TRu Life Juice” that offers a total of 6 cold-pressed beverages per day, one of which is a nut blend.

Finally, we also asked our interviewees whether they enjoyed their job and if something in particular inspired them. All of them noted that they were happy with what they were doing, felt satisfied and that their customers were great and enjoyed their service. Some of them also added that they really appreciated their staff and felt inspired by them to be better bosses every day.

Juice Bar Trends in NYC