One Wilmington resident’s weight loss journey has turned into a 72-and-counting healthy food franchise, with current or future locations scattered throughout the states as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as Illinois, all with one mission: to change people’s lives.
 
Part restaurant and part meals plan program, Clean Eatz targets healthy dieters and busy consumers by offering build-your-own bowls, sandwiches, flatbreads, burgers and wraps, as well as snacks, smoothies and prepackaged take-home meals.
 
Around 2010, when Clean Eatz co-founder Evonne Varady began a new healthful living lifestyle, she could not find many dining and grocery options that catered to her diet plan.
 
So she and her husband, Don, opened a low-calorie café in Bethalto, Illinois, turning an X-ray technician and a carpenter, respectively, into restaurant owners.
 
“It was just an idea we put blood, sweat and tears into,” she said.
 
After selling the Lo Cal Café and moving to North Carolina to “live the beach life” in 2013, the couple exercised their café experience to open the first-ever Clean Eatz at 203 Racine Drive in Wilmington.
 

RAPID GROWTH & GAINS

In 2015, two years after opening the Racine location, Clean Eatz franchised. Another two years later, there were more than 20 locations, mainly in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
 
“We decided [to franchise] because the idea of changing thousands and millions of lives appealed to us,” Evonne Varady said. “We’re Type A personalities, and Type A people think they can take on the world. It took off like wildfire.”
 
Recently, Restaurant Business Magazine named Clean Eatz on its 2018 Future 50 list, which tracks the fastest-growing small franchise concepts in the U.S. Coming in at No. 43, according to the list, Clean Eatz brought in systemwide sales of $24 million in 2017, translating to a year-over-year increase of 32.2 percent.
 
Today, the Varadys and their team have opened or sold 72 locations through the franchise model, of which 40 are currently open, including the newest store in Virginia Beach, which had its grand opening Aug. 16. Coincidentally, Clean Eatz’s 50th franchise addition is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, nearby where they opened their first low-calorie café.
 
“We like to say that we made it full circle,” Evonne Varady said.
 
To ensure quality as the number of locations grows, Clean Eatz employs a director of operations and recently welcomed a director of franchise relations. They do regular audits of all the stores and keep the brand alive and progressing by offering a weekly menu, consistent across all locations.
 
“There is such a thing as growing too fast,” Evonne Varady said. “We did pause for a moment to get our inner infrastructure in order and to make sure there was enough support to support the growth … We strive every day to improve the system so that franchises can continue to be successful.”
 

LOCAL BRAND BENEFITS

After franchising, the Varadys opened a second Wilmington location at 5916 Carolina Beach Road, which also acts as the corporate training facility.
 
The growth in national business has benefitted the local community, Evonne Varady said. For example, this year Clean Eatz held a franchise convention in Wilmington, bringing people from several states to the Port City. Likewise, the company does all of its training in Wilmington.
 
“We tell our franchisees to be the mayor of their health community,” Evonne Varady said. “You can go to other chains, but you’ll go in there and get one meal. People walk through our doors, and we help with their lifestyle.”
 
Visitors can simply enjoy a onetime lunch or dinner, but by offering weekly meal plans and prepackaged take-home dishes, Clean Eatz also provides a longer lasting experience.
 

NEW TO THE MENU

Clean Eatz has stopped adding locations in North and South Carolina, but the Varadys hope to have 60 stores open and 90 stores sold by the end of 2018, focusing on other areas east of the Mississippi.
 
“We want to saturate the East Coast before we start looking out West,” Evonne Varady said.
 
They are selective about who can become a franchisee, having already denied about 30 applicants.
 
“We need to see the passion,” she said of their search for franchisees.
 
“We don’t necessarily look for a culinary background. We need to know why they want the brand and why they’re passionate about the mission.”
 
Even as new locations are added, new menus and new offerings remain on the Clean Eatz agenda. In Evonne Varady’s office, you’ll find a whiteboard with lists of weekly take-home menus for the months ahead. By launching and now expanding Clean Eatz, she continues her original goal to be a dedicated, healthful “foodie.”
 
On the menus, you’ll find innovative options for different lifestyles. Most recently, they added a Beyond Meat option, a vegan-friendly protein. Customers can also choose a no-carb, low-carb, extra protein or gluten-free meal plan. Evonne Varady said a kids menu option is coming soon.
 
Clean Eatz started shipping meals direct to the consumer.
 
As the business grows and new services are offered, Evonne Varady is conscious to keep the brand and mission clear. “It’s easy to get in over your head,” she said, “but we feel our team has been built.”