New eastern Idaho restaurant offering customers a little taste of Hawaii
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IDAHO FALLS – Many of you have requested more dining options on the west side of Idaho Falls, and that’s where the owners of a new restaurant have decided to open up.
Mahana Fresh will be opening later this summer in a 2,500-square-foot space inside the Railway Crossings strip next to Firehouse Subs and Little Caesars.
Owners Alan and Heather Bradshaw were originally planning to open the restaurant in May, but the COVID-19 pandemic put that on hold.
“We were shooting for the end of May, beginning of June. But we’re not really comfortable setting a date anymore because we don’t know what to expect,” Heather tells EastIdahoNews.com.
A grand opening celebration is in the works once the coronavirus lockdown is all over.
Mahana Fresh is a Hawaiian-themed, fast-casual franchise based in Florida. The Idaho Falls store will be the fifth location nationwide. It will offer a build-your-own-bowl menu that includes five different bases to choose from. Among them are several different types of rice, sweet potatoes, noodles and salad. Other toppings include roasted vegetables, grilled meats and sauce.
Take-out, delivery and catering will be other options as well.
The average cost to the customer will be between $10 and $12, Heather says.
The build-your-own bowl concept is similar to other restaurants in the area, but she says one of Mahana’s most significant differences is that everything is gluten-free and all the meat and vegetables are roasted.
“Everything on the menu is gluten-free and clean, so no hormones, no chemicals, no preservatives,” she says.
Heather has managed several restaurants before and she wanted to open one of her own. After researching several franchises, she ultimately decided to open Mahana Fresh because it was a new concept for eastern Idaho.
“I like the idea of being one of the first franchisees in this company,” says Heather. “We looked at a lot of different locations in Idaho Falls, but we chose this one because it’s on the west side of town. We feel like the west side of town doesn’t have as many options for food.”
Though there is some uncertainty surrounding the restaurant’s opening, Heather says once it’s up and running, they’re hoping to eventually open another location.
“We bought three franchises from Mahana Fresh, so this will be the first of three (locations) in eastern Idaho,” she says.
Heather’s son, Kadin Bloxham, will be managing the restaurant and he says they’re excited to start serving customers.
“We’re really excited for all the diversity with the catering, take-out and dining. We really want to capitalize on that opportunity as well as just let everybody know…it really doesn’t matter the age group or what you’re interested in. There’s really something here for everybody,” Bloxham says.
The Railway Crossings plaza is at 423 S. Utah Avenue in Idaho Falls. Mahana’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Visit the website or Facebook page for more information.
