Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

SummaryOn this Restaurant Owners Uncorked episode, Wil talks with Village Juice & Kitchen cofounders Clyde Harris and Lonnie Atkinson about building a clean-food concept that’s as craveable as it is good for you. Born from Lonnie’s California-shaped passion for fresh, minimally processed ingredients—and reinforced by Clyde’s cancer journey—the brand grew from farmers’ markets and a pop-up (first juice in 2015, first restaurant in 2016) to seven locations today: two corporate stores (Winston-Salem and the new Raleigh), one franchise (Optimist Hall, Charlotte), and four licensed university outlets (Wake Forest, Elon, USC—South Carolina, and High Point). They unpack price/value myths, menu pillars (cold-pressed juice, bowls, wraps, toasts, plant-based “Billy Cakes”), and an all-are-welcome approach to dietary needs. The growth plan is disciplined—more corporate stores across NC, selective university deals, and a push into hospitals (including a signed deal with UNC Health)—funded store-by-store to protect co