Long Island acai bowl franchise opens its newest location
The 51st Super Bowl may be months away, but those around the Syosset area are now able to enjoy an entirely different type of “super bowl.”
Long Island Super Bowls, an acai bowl shop with storefronts in Sayville and Patchogue, has just opened its newest location at 204 Jericho Tpke. in Syosset, making it the first in Nassau County.
“We thought it would be exciting to bring a store like this here,” said Craig Giorgio, owner of the Syosset location. “This is definitely a good product for someone who’s into healthy living, but a lot of our customers just love the taste regardless.”
Acai bowls have been a rising health craze, consisting of a smoothie-like blend of acai berries and fruits, and finished with a range of toppings. Though Long Island Super Bowl’s acai blend recipe is kept secret, a key component to creating the ultimate taste experience is the layering of the ingredients.
Each bowl is made up of a base of homemade granola, followed by a hefty helping of the acai blend, a second layer of granola, a drizzle of honey, a scattering of locally-sourced bananas, strawberries and blueberries and a scoop of coconut. The chilled treat can also be topped of with popular add-ons like organic peanut butter or nutella.
In an effort to be inclusive of people with a range of dietary restrictions or allergies, the classic bowls are gluten-free, dairy-free, and can be made vegan-friendly with a honey substitute.
Giorgio, 33, opened the new location out of genuine admiration for the company. The Bellmore native would frequently visit the Suffolk County locations, sparking his interesting in running a store of his own.
“I’ve always wanted to own my own business,” he said. “This is always what I’ve seen myself doing, so it was just a matter of finding the right product and something to get excited about.”
Formerly, Giorgio worked in finance but realized it wasn’t what he truly wanted to do with the rest of his life career-wise. As owner of the Long Island Super Bowls of Syosset, he feels as though he has been able to simultaneously pursue his dream of being a business owner, while also participating in a franchise that has enticed him for years.
Since Wednesday, Dec. 7, the date of the store’s soft opening, business has been booming, and according to Giorgio, is getting better with each passing day. Either through word-of-mouth recommendations or in passing the storefront, curious customers have been eager to see what the acai bowl trend is all about.
Though Giorgio and his staff have been enjoying the relatively high volume of satisfied customers within the past few weeks, the enthusiastic owner has his sights set on developing relationships with other like-minded business owners in the area.
“There’s a lot of niche fitness places in the area, so I’m reaching out to them to see if they might be interested in doing some cross promotion,” he said.
Giorgio is preparing for an upcoming event in conjunction with Title Boxing Fitness, in which he will provide samples of his product to gym members in hopes of attracting a loyal base of fitness-oriented customers.
For foodies from near and far, Long Island Super Bowls of Syosset is a destination that has so far been receiving much praise. Giorgio is confident that the business will continue on this upward trend for years to come.
“I just want to focus on getting the word out to local towns and see where it goes from there,” he said, “The two stores in Suffolk have such a fantastic following and I want to do the same for this one.”
For more information, visit www.superbowlsli.com or call 516-654-4600.
