Todd Stein’s Eatery Matches Super Foods with Tropical Flavor
Just so you know, it’s difficult to conduct an interview while eating a freezing cold açaí bowl with chewy granola, but I managed to complete a rewarding conversation with Todd Stein doing just that.
Todd, the owner of Vitality Bowls in Preston Hollow Village, is a 20-year veteran of the advertising game and the son of a legendary Dallas retailer, Barry Stein, owner of Barry’s Camera and Video, sold to Wolf Camera years ago.
Todd served me my first açaí bowl ever. I’d been avoiding them for two reasons: one, I prefer butter to anything that appears too healthy, and two, I thought açaí bowls had bananas, and I loathe all things banana. Fortunately, Todd made mine without bananas using beautiful fresh sliced strawberries and plump blueberries instead. The verdict? Loved it.
Todd opened Vitality Bowls in November 2018 after searching for the perfect franchise opportunity. With retail and marketing in his background and a love of healthy food, he found this California-based concept with an excellent track record with franchisors and unmatched food quality that reflected his ethos for healthy eating. He found a storefront in the multi-use development at the northwest corner of Walnut Hill and Central Expressway that’s become a Preston Hollow staple for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Like all restaurants, his was hit hard during the first months of the pandemic.
“After a few months of staying home and eating comfort food, customers returned,” Todd said. “They felt sluggish, gained weight, and wanted to eat healthy, tasty food.”
The business returned, customers reported feeling better, and Stein breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Fruit bowls teem with exotic superfoods such as açaí, graviola, and pitaya, which are nutrient-dense and flavorful. Graviola is also known as soursop and tastes like a combination of strawberry, apple, and citrus. Pitaya, dragon fruit, has a magenta exterior and white flesh with black seeds throughout and tastes like pear and kiwi. Vitality Bowl’s recipes are maximized for flavor and nutrition, but you’re welcome to customize.
Savory bowls and wraps have a Mediterranean-flavor bent and are filled with greens, grains, and proteins. All beef is grass-fed, and many of the ingredients are organic. Breakfast wraps, such as the best-selling Morning Glory and avocado toast, like all menu items, are available all day.
Vitality is the power giving continuance of life. In his compact storefront, he expressed gratitude for where he is in life. He met his wife, Kate, on Match.com, which is, coincidentally, located just a few hundred feet from his restaurant, and Match’s CEO, Hesam Hosseini, is a regular customer. You can feel the vitality in certain people who are energetic and affirmative. Todd gives that vibe. The superfood he serves does too.
