Dina Mitchell, the entrepreneur who built Tropical Smoothie Cafe into a powerhouse chain in Southern Nevada and California, is finally ready to unveil her latest creation, and she’s doing it in a big way.
PowerSoul Cafe, which Mitchell describes as the world’s first certified gluten-free fast food restaurant chain, is set to open its first two locations early this month at Tarkanian Plaza (8180 W. Warm Springs Road) and in Chinatown (3501 S. Valley View Blvd.), setting up Southern Nevada as the launching pad for a company she’s planning to grow to more than 100 stores in five years.
“I’m not taking a breather until I hit a thousand stores,” Mitchell says. “The next states we’ll jump to are Arizona and California, and Texas is on the horizon. When I go on social media, there are thousands of people saying, ‘Please, come here,’ even naming [retail] centers. We’re going wherever we can thrive.”
Mitchell has been designing this new concept for nearly three years, taking years off after her Tropical Smoothie business era to travel the world and research the idea of healthier casual dining.
“I wanted to do something that was actually truly healthy,” she says. “It’s not about checking off every box, no sugar or dairy, we’re not going for that. The No. 1 priority was to be certified gluten-free, to give people that option and to be able to go somewhere safe without getting sick and without having trust issues, to get anything off the menu.”
She says consumers in Las Vegas and everywhere else seeking gluten-free dining—whether due to food allergies, celiac disease or just for personal choice—have been virtually disregarded by the marketplace. “I’m catering to an audience that has been shamed because people assumed it was fake, or just ignored the choice for whatever reason. I have been gluten-free by choice for a very long time, but I’m very aware of how foods affect me. Allergies, celiac, these things are real. This is definitely not a fad, not something someone made up.”
Key to PowerSoul’s success will be the menu’s ability to offer not just healthy alternatives, but delicious dishes. Smoothies, bowls, pizza, breakfast dishes, desserts and more will be available, including the Full Throttle açaí bowl with fruit, vegan protein and optional almond butter or dates; barbecue chicken, parmesan truffle or cheeseburger pizzas; the self-explanatory Sausage Waffle on a Stick; and savory baked snacks called Shortys stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese or spinach, coconut milk, cashews and mozzarella.
“My standard is that you can’t tell it’s gluten-free,” Mitchell says. “I want you to prefer this over the other one. I’ve had 77 people try the entire menu, and the one thing they say is, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this is gluten-free.’ They say it so often we included it in our branding. I want it to be amazing or I will not have it on the menu.”
To celebrate the grand openings—and you can stay up to date on all the plans at powersoulcafe.com—the first stores will offer free smoothies and food for a week to customers who donate $1 or more to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada. Partnering companies including Orlando Foods, Caputo, Patagonia, Sysco, Dole and Daring are donating products to enable the giveaways, which Mitchell believes will surpass standard buy-one-get-one programming you’d find at most restaurant openings.
“Seven days of free [food and drinks] is bold, but I think it’s the best way to introduce something new. If you’re confident in it, give it away for free,” she says. “And the best part is we’re raising money for the Boys & Girls Club.”
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