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Health-Conscious Evos Ready to Open Near USF

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By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 11, 2007

UNIVERSITY AREA - Evos, the health-conscious fast-food restaurant, is scheduled to open its fourth Tampa Bay area location – and second franchise store – near the University of South Florida on Sunday.
The 67-seat restaurant at 2774-B E. Fowler Ave. is in the University Collection shopping center.
Founded in Tampa in 1999, Evos has three company-owned stores, plus its first franchise store in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nev.
It cost $475,000 to develop the Evos in the 2,450-square-foot storefront along Fowler Avenue, the company said in a statement announcing the opening.
The newest location will include a lounge and a large outdoor seating area, as it will be one of a few select Evos restaurants serving beer.
"I think it will be a good fit with the university crowd," said Gregory Jones, owner of the franchise store, which will have free wireless Internet service.
Jones, a south Tampa resident with a downtown law practice, said he became familiar with the Evos menu through frequent visits he and his family made to the company's Hyde Park restaurant.
"My kids love the milkshakes. My wife loves the wraps," said Jones, who was born and raised in Tampa and has practiced law for 24 years. "I like the soy sandwiches and burgers, and the chicken is also very good."
Evos strives to provide flavorful fast food while reducing calories and fat. Menu items such as milkshakes, burgers and French fries contain 50 percent to 70 percent fewer calories and less fat than those items at other restaurants, according to the company. Many menu items are vegetarian- and vegan-friendly.
"It's a healthier fast-food concept," Jones said. "Everything is going toward this direction. I think it's a concept that's coming about at the right time."
The Fowler Avenue restaurant will be managed by his business partner, Mark Mitura of Westchase.
Evos also has restaurants at WestShore Plaza and St. Petersburg. "The ones they have now are doing well," Jones said.
Jones plans to open at least two more franchise restaurants, one of them possibly in Carrollwood.
Evos briefly operated a New Tampa location, opening in the Shoppes at Pebble Creek on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in 2001. It closed after 18 months, with the company citing difficult vehicle access coupled with a lagging economy in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Tampa-based Evos is on the verge of a national presence, with developers planning to take the concept to several cities in the Southeast and West, according to the company's franchise goals.
One developer plans a minimum of 21 restaurants in North Carolina and the metropolitan Atlanta area during the coming five years, and another plans a minimum of 207 stores in 12 Western states during the next 10 years, according to company goals.
On Sunday and Monday at the Fowler Avenue location, customers can sample the Evos menu for free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, said Jones, who has a close friend with the disease.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Evos
WHERE: 2774-B E. Fowler Ave.
WHEN: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
INFORMATION: Call (813) 969-EVOS (3867) or visit www.evos.com

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