To date, 24% of the restaurants we’ve featured have Closed for good. Your support matters more than you could imagine. Below is a message from Founder & Chief Enthusiast, Leigh Balkom.
Each week, I hold my breath.
You know those tasks you dread each week? The ones you put off until the absolute last minute possible?
Or maybe you even skip it one week because you just can’t deal?
Well, my number one dreaded task puts a pit in my stomach just thinking about it.
It’s confirming our weekly new restaurant closures.
More on this shortly… But first, some background.
Maintaining a collection of the best delicious, sustainable, healthy eats
At Healthy Anywhere, we’ve been benchmarking and evaluating tens of thousands of restaurants nationwide (and even worldwide), all in search of finding the best places to eat that offer delicious, sustainable, and healthy food.
It’s the ultimate Venn diagram for discerning diners.
Typically we find around 2-5% in any given area are top in class in meeting or exceeding our standards for excellence.
These special restaurants, markets, meal services, and more are typically mission-driven and committed to serving high-quality delicious cuisine sourced from small sustainable farmers and purveyors nearby.
Enticing margins aren’t there. Instead, these independent businesses find meaning in bringing beautiful, sustainable food to the community.
The top candidates are queued for curation in our interactive Healthy Anywhere app. It’s a special collection of the best places to get healthy, sustainable, and delicious food that we can find.
A lot of TLC goes into the curation of each and every place. We spend hours verifying and selecting just the right info for our customers.
We’re working as fast as we can and look forward to scaling production with more financial support that comes only from our subscribing members!
Some colorful plates from beloved existing and former Healthy Anywhere spots:
These are the wild-eyed artists of the restaurant and food world, refusing to succumb to mediocrity or be seduced by making it faster or cheaper.. or by watering down their craft.
Weekly additions and Updates are Processed
But we don’t just stop at adding great places.
While we’re constantly scoping new spots for the app, we also maintain the entire existing collection and information. Each week, we run procedures to check and update business hours across all the restaurants and spots in our app.
We also indicate Temporary Closures, and yes… Permanent Closures.
How Temporary Closures appear in the Healthy Anywhere App. 👆(Note the **…**) This one’s closed for Summer 2023, but never fear Berkeley: One Plus’s Organic jianbing will return in Fall!
Permanent Closures are instantly removed
I’ll be honest – so far, we’ve had over 286 closures. And they’re instantly removed from the app as if they never existed.
Poof. Just like that. All those hours of curation work – gone.
But what's far worse is the loss and fallout for the community - the employees, the small sustainable local farms, and artisan suppliers are all hurt by these closures.
And… there’s one less special place for us eaters.
Terrible math and an urgent situation
If you’re following the math: As of this publication, we’ve curated over 1,200 restaurants for our app. And more than 286 have been confirmed as closed. We’re talking a literal closure rate of 24%.
24%. It’s stunning.
And you know what’s almost even worse? 😬
When I ask ‘in-the-know’ folks who aren’t on our app and live near these places that have since closed, I most often hear: “No, I wasn’t aware of them” or… “Our area needs a place like that… I wish I’d known about them!”
Sigh.
Most all these places cite a lack of demand as a key reason for closing. The numbers just don’t justify the costs of staying open.
But from what we see, I’d argue the demand is absolutely there. It’s the awareness that’s missing.
And that’s what makes it so tragic and urgent.
From what we see, I'd argue the demand is absolutely there. It's the awareness that's missing.
What special places are You missing out on?
My tough-love question to you this week: What special places are you missing out on?
And which places could benefit from your visit this week?
I’d love to help introduce you to some of the best of the best. Our app awaits!
If you’re looking for great places to eat with organic and locally-sourced, nourishing meals — don’t miss it!
With your support, we intend to become your go-to wherever you may roam!
Support special restaurants that value Meaning over Margin
Get the Healthy Anywhere app!
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✅ Los Angeles + South OC County
✅ 30-A Florida + Miami Beach, Deland
✅ Expansion per early access supporter request
Healthy hits in over 204 cities (USA + Provence, France)
Discover remarkable healthy, sustainable, and delicious food near you.
Healthy Anywhere
Conscious. Clean. Curated.™
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