On a trip to their son’s hockey tournament in Ohio, Andrea and Ryan Maloney took a chance on a restaurant they’d never visited before. They liked it so much they decided to start one themselves.
In September, they opened the first Clean Eatz in Delaware at 1128 Forrest Ave., unit C, in Dover, near Dunkin, across from the Modern Maturity Center.
During that hockey trip, Andrea said they were getting tired of eating at the same places and wanted healthier choices, so she searched online for “clean eating.”
“Clean Eatz popped up and we thought it was a good concept,” Andrea said.
“It wasn’t just salads,” Ryan said. “Our son found something he really liked.”
The Maloneys researched the company and then scheduled a visit for people interested in a franchise.
“We got to sit down with the founders, and that was impressive,” Ryan said. “You could see their heart was in it and their values fell in line with ours.”
The company’s slogan is, “We change livez.”
“We got to see testimonials from people whose health had improved by following a Clean Eatz meal plan,” Ryan said. “They had lost weight. They were able to get off their medications. It really makes you think what’s on your fork has been the problem, but with a change it can be the solution.”
The Maloneys understand how a busy life can lead to less-than-ideal eating habits. Andrea works 12-hour shifts in the radiology department in a hospital. Ryan is a lineman for an electric company and can have to respond to problems day or night. Their son and daughter are involved with school and sports.
That’s why Clean Eatz made sense to them – a place that offers healthy dishes you can eat in the restaurant or take out and also offers plans for the whole week with freshly made dishes that are frozen. You can take the packaged meals home and know you’ve got them whenever you need them.
The company also sponsors the “We Change Livez Challenge” for people who make the most progress in their healthy lifestyle goals, with prizes from 12 weeks of free meals to $25,000.
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What’s on the menu?
Clean Eatz has 119 restaurants in 24 states with a menu that includes wraps, flatbreads, build-your-own bowls, protein smoothies and coffees, cauliflower crust pizza and burgers with turkey, bison, salmon or black beans. They also make their own desserts with a protein kick.
Almost everything is made fresh in the restaurant. The take-home meals are made fresh then frozen with directions for thawing or reheating.
“We don’t fry. We don’t cook in oils,” Andrea said.
The meal packages list the calories, protein, fat and carbs in each serving.
“Everything is weighed out in healthy portions,” Ryan said.
So far the best-sellers have been the salmon wraps and bison burgers, along with the bowls where you get to pick your base like brown rice or whole grain pasta, with a protein like chicken, fish or beans, along with vegetables and sauces.
“The smoothies sell like crazy, too,” Andrea said.
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Clean Eatz is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The meal plans offer a discount for larger orders. For example, up to nine meals are $8.65 each, but 10 to 14 meals are $7.70 each and 15 to 20 meals are $7.35 each.
Most people like to order their meal plan and pay online so it’s ready to go when they arrive.
Hard work and rewards
For Andrea and Ryan, running a restaurant is something new, and it’s been hectic with all the preparations, permits, ordering supplies and hiring.
“It’s definitely been humbling jumping into the business,” Andrea said. “It’s baptism by fire. It takes a lot of time and dedication, but with the staff we have and our family helping, it’s all coming together. We have a good group here.”
She said the positive feedback has been encouraging.
“It’s great seeing so many people come in and say they so glad we’re here, that they needed healthier options,” Andrea said.
On Oct. 4, customers Brenda and David Jaffe said they had spent most of the day in Dover and were looking for a place to eat on their way home to Maryland.
“I looked up ‘healthy food near me’ online and Clean Eatz came up,” Brenda said. “We had never heard of it. I’m not a vegan but I try to eat more vegetables than meats, so we thought we’d try it.”
She said she was impressed with the food and the concept of the restaurant.
David agreed: “This is delicious. This is really good food and a good idea.”
Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate, development and business stories. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.
