This Former Super Bowl MVP Teamed Up With a Fledgling Superfood Business — Now It's On Track for Hundreds of Locations After launching in 2016, Everbowl now has more than 100 locations and 350 more in development — many led by mega-investor Drew Brees.
By Carl Stoffers Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Jeff Fenster launched Everbowl in 2016 without restaurant experience, forming his own construction company to cut costs and scale quickly.
- Everbowl’s mission is to make healthful food accessible and affordable.
- Drew Brees is the brand’s largest franchisee and a key investor, crediting Everbowl’s values and flexibility for helping him build family connections during Covid-19.
Jeff Fenster didn't set out to build a restaurant franchise. In 2016, he had just sold a business and was looking for his next move. A self-described "high-strung" BIZ Experiences, Fenster began tinkering with acai bowls in his home kitchen after experiencing the fruit in Hawaii. What started as a personal wellness experiment turned into something bigger, and he began preparing acai bowls for his friends during football Sundays.
"When I was able to get them away from the traditional football foods, and they started asking for bowls, I realized this was not just for health-conscious individuals," Fenster says.
Then, during a visit to a closing smoothie shop in California, Fenster had an idea: What if he took over the space and launched his own food concept? Four days later, he signed the lease — with no name, menu or restaurant experience.
The birth of Everbowl — and WeBuild
The first Everbowl location opened in October 2016 with the goal of making eating healthfully affordable, better-tasting and more filling. "Which meant I had to make big portions, figure out how to bring the cost down, make it taste good and build lots of them," Fenster says.
But he quickly learned that building restaurants is expensive. That first location cost more than $300,000 to open. "That didn't make sense to me," Fenster says. "I'm not building a rocket ship." Rather than accept the high cost of entry, Fenster did what few founders would dare: He launched his own construction company. WeBuild, Everbowl's in-house construction firm, was designed to solve a simple problem — controlling buildout costs.
Fenster brought on the contractor who helped with the original store to run the company. Together, they identified ways to cut costs using off-site fabrication, streamlined materials and efficient processes. Within a year, Fenster slashed buildout costs by more than half. "By the end of 2018, we were down to $150,000," he says. "Eventually, we got under $100,000 per location."
This approach allowed Fenster to open 28 corporate-owned stores by early 2020, all without taking on debt. He also launched his own supply chain operation, importing proprietary acai strains directly from Brazil to give Everbowl a unique taste that consumers can't get anywhere else. "It's like french fries — they're all potatoes, but they taste different," he says. "Now, no one can say that they use the same acai I use."
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Franchising for everyone
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Fenster had to lay off more than 500 employees in one day. But within 48 hours, he and a small team invented "Later Bowls," a direct-to-consumer delivery service offering frozen acai bowls from shuttered Everbowl kitchens. That unexpected pivot led to an even bigger opportunity.
"We got over 400 franchise inquiries," Fenster says. "That was the moment I realized what Everbowl could be."
Fenster was initially skeptical of franchising — he thought it was only for the wealthy and was expensive and risky. "I didn't want winners and losers on my team," he says. Fenster ultimately embraced it, but his model was different; he wanted franchising to be available to everyone.
"We don't care about net worth. We care about drive, culture fit and work ethic," Fenster says. "If you're all-in, we'll figure out how to get you a store."
Related: How BIZ Experiencess and First-Time Franchisees Can Become Effective Leaders
Enter Drew Brees
One of those passionate believers was future NFL Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees. Fenster and Brees had nearly gone into another business together in 2018 but reconnected in 2020 during Covid, when Brees began sending Fenster photos of his kids eating "Later Bowls" at home.
"All the stores were shut down, and we were like, Okay, what the heck do we do now?" Brees tells BIZ Experiences. "We lived off acai bowls for breakfast for months in my house because my kids just couldn't get enough. It became a cool family bonding thing."
Today, Everbowl is ranked #450 on the BIZ Experiences Franchise 500, and Brees is the brand's largest franchisee, with 160 locations in various stages of development across 13 states. He's an investor and brand ambassador who lives the lifestyle Everbowl promotes.
"I'm involved in a strategic capacity with each of the brands that I invest in," Brees says. "I sit on the board as one of the lead investors, and I'm always thinking about how we build the team and how we build the brand."
Other notable partners include NBA star Jayson Tatum, UFC champion Kamaru Usman, and investors like Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Grover. But Fenster insists it's not about chasing celebrity — it's about authenticity.
"I don't ask anyone to post about us," Fenster says. "If they love the brand, they talk about it. If they don't, they shouldn't."
A 'better-for-you' restaurant
With over 100 locations open and more than 350 in development, Fenster is now eyeing international expansion. He's also working on making franchising even more accessible, with a long-term goal of offering zero money down for qualified operators. "I want to find the best people — not just the richest people — and help them build their future," he says.
And although Everbowl started with bowls of frozen fruit, Fenster sees the mission as much broader.
"We're not a health food restaurant," he says. "We're a better-for-you restaurant. If I can get someone to go from zero servings of fruit to one today, that's a win. Let's meet people where they are and help them get just 1% better every day."
