Mahana Fresh aiming for second Ocean County restaurant next to Icarus Brewing, Burger 25

BRICK - Mahana Fresh, a build-a-bowl restaurant chain offering healthy food, is set to open its second location in Ocean County.

Mahana Fresh has signed a lease to become part of a new retail center, which will be anchored by Icarus Brewing, on Route 88 in Brick.

It will move into a 1,450-square-foot space next to Burger 25, another restaurant that is on the way, said Jarrad Coletta, owner and broker associate at Coletta Commercial Realty in Point Pleasant Breach, who represented the landlord in the lease transactions.

Franchisee Kevin Gitelson said he hopes to open by the end of June. "That's the goal," said Gitelson, who also owns the restaurant in Toms River, Mahana Fresh's only other location in New Jersey.

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Mahana Fresh was founded in early 2019 by veteran restaurant operator Dave Wood of Sarasota, Florida, who owned 17 Domino's restaurants for nearly 30 years. With nine locations, it has other spots in Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas, Georgia, Virginia and Idaho.

Mahana, which means "like the sun" in Polynesian languages, doesn't describe the food's style or flavor. It's about the restaurant's atmosphere, Wood told What's Going There back in 2021. "Everything is about light and sunshine and feeling good."

Customers at Mahana Fresh choose from a line of bases, proteins and vegetables, such as basmati rice, kale, and cauliflower rice; chicken, grilled steak and tofu; and green beans, sweet potatoes and roasted mushrooms; as well as various sauces and add-ons.

People "don't want to keep eating fast processed foods … where you eat it and after it you're not feeling great or your stuck on the couch and you can't get up," Gitelson said. "Our food is never frozen. Everything is served fresh. You can taste that it's fresh." The restaurant, he added, doesn't even have a microwave.

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With Burger 25 on the way too, Mahana Fresh brings another restaurant to complement Icarus Brewing, which purchased the former Shore Restaurant Supply building in 2021, and, until it moves, is currently located in Lakewood. It is, owner Jason Goldstein told the Asbury Park Press at the time, "a blank slate for us to build the brewery of our dreams."

Looking to expand with a second Mahana Fresh location, Gitelson said he's friends with Goldstein, a fellow firefighter. He knew that Icarus Brewing was opening in Brick, a place where he wanted to drop his second location. He lives in Brick too.

It's another example of restaurants teaming up with breweries.

Under current rules, breweries are unable to serve food themselves, but customers can bring in food from outside. For instance, Bonesaw Brewing just won approval to locate a brew pub at Freehold Raceway Mall. Customers will be able to enjoy Bonesaw's brews in the pub alongside takeout food from the mall's restaurants.

Gitelson said the center with Mahana Fresh, Burger 25 and Icarus Brewing is a "phenomenal location."

"It was pointing to all the right signs," he said. "His place is going to be packed. He's got the beer garden there."

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Coletta said the addition of Mahana Fresh brings another good food option. "We just thought it was good to have a little bit of variety there," he said.

It's a testament to the market in Brick too, he said. "Obviously, the brewery is a huge synergy with people looking to come and eat and drink at the same time, but it's a really, really strong market in general in Brick for these types of concepts."

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Mahana Fresh plans restaurant in Brick, near Icarus Brewing, Burger 25