When the Robeks smoothie and juice shop at 331 Oyster Bay Road closed earlier this year, longtime customer Andy Spathis quickly scooped it up. After renovations and improvements, the store reopened May 30 with a revamped menu featuring 21 new items, including an expanded selection of fresh-squeezed raw vegetable juices. A Re-Opening Extravaganza Celebration is planned for June 15, where ten percent of all proceeds from the June 15 grand opening will be donated to the Lexiebean Foundation, a charity based in Plainview that supports families fighting childhood cancer.
Spathis, who grew up in Plainview, graduated from John F. Kennedy High School, and coaches youth soccer, discovered Robeks during a lunch break seven years ago.
“It’s great. It’s healthy. It’s what New Yorkers need,” Spathis said. “It’s my all-time favorite store. When I first discovered it, I set out to try everything on the menu and it took me eight months to get all the way through.”
When the store seemed to stumble under previous management, Spathis, who owns a thriving computer parts distribution business, took notice. If the store became available, he wanted it.
“This spring, one of my employees came in and told me ‘Andy, your store’s closed,’” Spathis says – he contacted Robeks immediately.
“The quality of the food Robeks offers is outstanding: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, wheatgrass — things that are healthy,” Spathis said. “You know that what you’re eating is much better than anything you would get at most fast food places. And of course everything tastes good. My first priority is to get the store performing to the highest standards, letting all Robeks customers know that we’re open again, and then spreading the word about how healthy Robeks is.”
Robeks is a premium smoothie and juice franchise that has been on the forefront of healthy eating trends for nearly 20 years.
Founded in Los Angeles in 1996, it has more than 100 locations, and Spathis hopes to add several more to Long Island. He and wife Ellen will manage the Plainview store.
