Smoothie News

Dallas restaurant known for toasts makes COVID-19 pivot to smoothies

There's a run on smoothies.

Photo courtesy of Smoothie Run

A Dallas restaurant that specializes in toast is expanding into a new subcuisine: smoothies.

Toasted Coffee + Kitchen, the toast-themed cafe on Greenville Avenue, has spawned a new concept called Smoothie Run, which makes smoothies to go. A release calls it a delivery-only "ghost kitchen" with a menu of 10 smoothies, operating out of the Toasted location. (No relation to a Smoothie Run located in Laveen, Arizona, southwest of Phoenix.)

Toasted owner Bob Sinnott says he has been trying to weather COVID-19 with delivery and curbside takeout, but those have not covered the bills. Smoothie Run was something he'd considered for a while. COVID-19 lockdown was the final incentive.

"Toasted currently has under-utilized equipment and staff," Sinnott says in a statement. "Rather than furlough staff, I tasked them with creating healthy and delicious smoothie recipes."

It should be noted that Toasted has always offered smoothies. But Toasted is not a smoothie place. Toasted is a coffee, toast, and sandwich concept.

"We don't want to be another Java Juice or Smoothie Factory. That's not Toasted's brand," Sinnott says. Java Juice, surely he means Jamba Juice. Which actually has great fruity smoothies with a nice velvety consistency. Smoothie Factory, not so much.

According to the release, Smoothie Run's smoothies feature ingredients not typically available at other smoothie places. Orly. Let's see:

Purple Rain - kale, strawberries, blueberries, chia seeds, agave, coconut milk
Yellow Out - turmeric mix, bananas, ginger, lemon juice, honey, coconut milk, orange juice
Beach Therapy - pineapple, bananas, spinach, coconut water, agave, chia seeds
Southern Comfort – bananas, walnuts, chia seeds, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, soy milk
Spa-De-Da - cucumber, pear, strawberries, lime juice, honey, herbal tea, ginger
Super Freak - bananas, cold-brew coffee, milk, vanilla, cinnamon
The Elvis - bananas, peanut butter, chocolate, milk
Green Giant – avocado, bananas, matcha, honey, almond milk
Strawberry Fields - strawberries, bananas, milk, agave
Blue-Very-Keto - blueberries, coconut milk, vanilla, MCT oil

Pea protein, whey protein, and CBD oil can be added to any smoothie upon request.

While it's true that those flavors would not be found at Smoothie Factory, they do sound similar to some of the smoothies at Whole Foods Market.

But you definitely don't see CBD oil at a typical smoothie bar. Score one for Sinnott.

Smoothie Run smoothies are $6 to $8.50 and are currently available through Caviar and Favor with plans to expand to other delivery platforms.

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Flour power couple

Oprah-endorsed Cookie Society rolls out 3 new Dallas-area locations

Photo courtesy of Cookie Society

Stuffed banana pudding cookies are among the rotating seasonal offerings.

There are secret societies and honor societies, but the sweetest sort of society will soon boast several new Dallas-area storefronts: Cookie Society, the wife-and-husband-owned gourmet bakery, will open at 232 W. Campbell Rd. in Richardson on November 21, and at 906 W. McDermott Dr. in Allen on December 4, a spokesperson says.

An Inwood Village store will open next year at 5560 W Lovers Ln., the website says. No date has been announced.

When Jeff and Marissa Allen opened their second Cookie Society in Addison in 2022, they spoke of plans to expand across North Texas. With Addison and the original Cookie Society in Frisco — plus Mansfield, Prosper, and Southlake — the three new stores will make eight, and the Allens do not intend to stop there. In a release, they say they are preparing to announce another location inside Dallas proper, besides Inwood Village, "very soon." (It is not yet listed on the website.)

The expansion plan may seem ambitious, but there is reason for their confidence. Back in 2020, when they had just one store struggling in the face of a global pandemic, Oprah featured their cookie Gift Crate on her famous "Oprah's Favorite Things" holiday gift list, published in the December issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

That gave them a jumpstart, and the rest ... involved no rest but relied on the couple’s hard work and consistent production of an irresistible product.

“Before there were storefronts, there were pop ups and markets and a whole lot of hustle,” Marissa says on Instagram.

cookie society Marissa and Jeff Allen, both retired athletes, began testing recipes in their home kitchen before building their doughy empire.Courtesy photo

It started small, with Marissa, a former college soccer star, baking at home. She experimented with nostalgic flavors like banana pudding, apple pie, and frosted oatmeal. Jeff — a former NFL player with a Super Bowl ring — and his teammates tested her output.

The menu includes six year-round classic cookies — chocolate chip, salted caramel, frosted oatmeal, banana pudding, snickerdoodle, sugar — and an array of featured flavors (pumpkin white chocolate, cookie butter milkshake in November) that keep things interesting. All are described as Texas-sized (big) with a crisp edge, soft chewy insides, and bold flavors.

The couple adds on their Story page that Cookie Society is the largest Black-owned cookie brand in Texas. In addition to the numerous storefronts, they offer nationwide shipping and a monthly subscription program.

"The company has grown, but the soul of the kitchen stays the same," they add, "real butter, uncompromising ingredients, and a relentless drive to make the perfect cookie."

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