A new shop will soon start serving up smoothie bowls and other fruit-filled items in Gwinnett County.
Playa Bowls, a New Jersey-based chain, will open its third Georgia location in Peachtree Corners Friday. Located in the city’s Town Center, the store will celebrate its grand opening from 3-9 p.m., giving out custom t-shirts and free bowls to its first 50 customers.
The store will be headed by 22-year-old Nicholas Ransom, a recent metro Atlanta transplant from New Jersey opening his first location after working for the chain since he was a teen. He said he decided to open the location in Peachtree Corners, drawn by the South’s welcoming personalities and the Gwinnett city’s parks and family-oriented environment.
After researching different areas in Georgia, Ransom chose Peachtree Corners to open his store because he believes it’s where he’ll “be most successful but also make a community impact” by bringing the franchise to a family-oriented suburb.
Ransom joined the company as an employee at age 17, later receiving promotions until he was overseeing managers at multiple New Jersey locations. His Peachtree Corners store will be the first of his own and make him the youngest franchisee in the company.
“When I first started working for Playa Bowls, it was a second job for me,” Ransom said. " I was hired at an employee level and thought it’d be a cool job to have and make some extra cash. But I fell in love with the brand and was quickly promoted.”
The store will offer a variety of bowls with bases made from fresh fruit and other foods, including acai berry, pitaya, chia seeds, coconut, kale and bananas. Customers can top their bowls with fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, granola, dried berries and nut butters. The store also offers oatmeal bowls, fresh juices and smoothies.
Playa Foods will be open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week. It will offer limited indoor and outdoor seating, takeout and delivery through third-party apps. It’s located in front of the city’s Town Green, giving customers easy access to an outdoor area to enjoy their food, Ransom said.
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