After more than seven months of renovations, a new Fresh Junkie restaurant opened today in the Southdowns Shopping Center on Perkins Road.
The 1,200-square-foot restaurant, which specializes in custom-made salads and wraps, is located in a space formerly occupied by Smoothie King and cost about $70,000 to build out.
Initially, the new Fresh Junkie will only be open for lunch and dinner, but after mid-February it will add breakfast to its daily lineup.
“We want to get dialed in on the stuff we already do before we add breakfast to the mix,” says owner Pat Fellows, a fitness entrepreneur who also co-owns the Louisiana Marathon and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon.
The new Fresh Junkie will be Fellows’ third restaurant in the market. He opened his original Fresh Junkie in 2007 in the Main Street Market. In 2014, he opened a second location on North Boulevard at Town Square, but converted it two years later to Somos Bandidos, an upscale taco bar.
Unlike the tiny Main Street Market location, the new restaurant will have seating for about 20, and will also deliver to customers in the Southdowns area.
Fellows had long had his eye on Southdowns, which he says is a prime market for fresh, healthful dishes. Several other locally owned restaurants and cafes in the immediate vicinity also cater to that niche, including Southfin Southern Poké, which is located just across the parking lot from Fresh Junkie; The Salad Shop, Magpie Café and The Big Squeezy.
“I think this area is awesome for what we do,” he says. “We’re really excited about breakfast and being able to offer a breakfast option that is not just a baked good, pastry, or donut. I think that portion of our business will really grow.”
