When discovering food that actually elevates your mood and sets you on a more sustainable path throughout the day, it’s not very difficult to land a solid meal here in Tucson. While there are plenty of healthier options out there, serving these types of dishes is nothing new for Goodness — they’re perfecting it, so to speak.
Since the beginning, they’ve delivered healthier food alternatives, and as of late, the restaurant finds itself with a much more deeply rooted and purposeful mission. Frankly, the focus has always been on serving delicious food that’s healthy, inspiring self-nourishment, partnering with brands that have good intentions, and more.
However, evolution is afoot at Goodness. The restaurant is refining its menu and expanding its breakfast options.
“We’re still going to offer the current menu and we’re not going to be closing any earlier,” said Daniel Thomas, Director of Operations of Blueprint Restaurant Concepts (Goodness/OBON Sushi Bar and Ramen). “Our breakfast is the star and our strongest performer of the day so we’re going to extend on that.”
“We are getting ready to grow goodness,” said Andre Joffroy, CEO of Blueprint Restaurant Concepts (Goodness/OBON Sushi Bar and Ramen). “But do we want to just open stores that serve good food? Not really. In reality, to the world, what are we offering that’s different? That’s really where our breakfast came about. Not that we’re doing a hyper-focus breakfast concept — not at all — but in our analysis, in the market, and where we felt there was a big lack is really in the quick-serve.”
In the past seven years, Goodness has been open for breakfast and it has beyond any doubt been their leading menu throughout the day. Therefore, it only makes sense to hone in on an incredible breakfast menu while not putting all of their so-called eggs in one basket — lunch is still a priority, too. However, new things are coming to the restaurant, for goodness sake. One of those is a full-on coffee program (stay tuned for more details on that).
“We think that strategically, a lot of the competition doesn’t really focus on what we do if you want to put us in the same bucket as Flower Child or Salad and Go,” said Joffroy. “None of them really have a strong breakfast and that’s why we want to showcase our really good breakfast here.”
Therefore, the recipe for a successful smooth beginning to your day is a wonderful breakfast. Goodness, who’s been known for concocting liquid pick-me-ups — drinkable morning meals, so to speak — has a couple of new smoothies on the way, along with two new juices as well.
Goodness is working on serving new produce items out of the kitchen, including Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and a variation of beets. These will all be incorporated into the upcoming additions to the amped-up menu like a new paleo morning bowl that’s currently getting its final touches.
Another dish that’s being prepped and polished for the new menu is a very enticing tamale plate. The dish comes complete with a fried egg and black beans, but standby for possible renditions as we creep closer to the menu’s debut in mid-October — this is just a sneak peek.
Then, to wrap things up, new burritos are on the horizon, too. The Plant-Based Burrito, which comes with Just Egg, tofu chorizo, black beans, quinoa, pico de gallo, avocado, and vegan cheese, is getting some new friends on the menu, including a Turkey Chorizo Burrito and one that’s stuffed with shaved ribeye.
On that account, and in alignment with the changes of the season, keep an eye out for the grand reveal of Goodness’ newest menu this October.
“When we came up with these new ideas, it really came from a very purposeful state of mind,” said Joffroy. “We want to make sure that the people in our stores are living a better life.”
Goodness is located at 2502 N. Campbell Ave. For more information and hours of operation, visit goodnessfresh.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
