America is on a health kick…Finally! With obesity rates at an all-time high, and soaring health insurance premiums, Americans are finally taking a stand. All over the country, individuals are saying, for themselves and their children, “enough is enough.” Cries of, “No more trans fats!” can be heard from every street corner as people search for healthier alternatives. Still, they are hard to find. Grocery stores are beginning to provide healthier options; it is time for health clubs and their juice bars to do the same.
It is this cry for help with healthier living that defines the mission of Performance Food Centers (PFC). PFC was created with one goal in mind: to bring healthy whole food products to people who care about their bodies, while simplifying the complex world of nutrition.
PFC has chosen juice bars within health clubs as the primary vehicle for sharing their products and knowledge. They won’t rest until every member of every health club in the United States has the privilege of healthy, whole food products right at their fingertips. They believe that folks who workout want total fitness, and PFC wants to feed both their minds and bodies with the necessary ingredients to maximize their workout and healthy lifestyle.
PFC customers are health clubs, cafe’s, bistros, universities, high schools, hospitals, and just about any place where folks want real food, and they love the idea that they can walk away with nutritional information and advice. So, why don’t you see the PFC logo everywhere? Simple, PFC does not force their customers to use their logo or any gimmicky marketing or menus. PFC wants your juice bar to be truly your juice bar. Their marketing department will even create a concept that fits your club, using your colors and logo. For this reason, you won’t see “PFC” plastered around the gym. They aren’t selling themselves, they are helping you to sell and promote sound nutrition principles in your juice bar.
Over the years, the PFC family has grown to well over 600 juice bars in three countries. They have learned what it takes to make your juice bar a success. They have also learned that there are three components to every successful juice bar operation:
1. Design & Layout – Start off on the right foot with a sound design and layout of your space.
2. Products – Use only the best products; your products have to be wholesome and healthy.
3. Education -Your staff and your members all need to be educated as to why their bodies need sound nutrition, and how the products offered at your juice bar can help.
Juice bar installation often feels like a daunting task. So, Performance Food Centers has simplified the process. By taking the guesswork out of the equation, and providing the support of qualified industry professionals, PFC has streamlined this process to create a turnkey operation – from floor plans to the first sale, and beyond.
DESIGN & LAYOUT
When it comes to juice bar design and layout, the possibilities are endless. After a few initial conversations with your club owner or manager, PFC goes to work creating professional CAD drawings of your juice bar floor plan. These drawings can be used by your contractors and health department, or PFC can fabricate everything necessary to complete the process. PFC specifies only the right equipment for your juice bar. (Be careful, the right equipment is just as important as the design work, or the products you are serving.) Club owners, who are busy managing a “round-the-clock” business, can leave the planning to the experts. While all of this work is going on behind the scenes, the design and layout team will even contact your local health department to make sure that you are operating in accordance with the proper requirements for opening day.
PRODUCTS
From shakes to snacks, PFC has developed very strict standards for their food offerings. Their on-staff chefs and sports nutritionists combine their talents to create recipes for everything, from shakes to Panini wraps, using only pure ingredients. They also work very closely with manufacturers everywhere to make sure that ingredients used in their products fit PFC’s high standards. PFC believes that by using only real food ingredients – with no additives, or preservatives or synthetic sweeteners in their shakes, sandwiches, wraps, snacks or supplements – people will like the taste better, and their bodies will absorb more of the nutrients. All demographics, from little kids to grandmas and grandpas, will benefit from natural, whole food nutrition, and they’ll love the taste, too.
The PFC cornerstone products are their 100% Crushed Fruit Purees which are made from the skin, seeds and pulp of vine-ripened fruit with absolutely no added sugars…Ever! This product is the foundation of their Recovery Shakes, which are at the heart of their mission to bring exercise and nutrition together to achieve total fitness. PFC has trademarked the titles of “Recovery Shakes” and “Performance Shakes.” Yes, that is right, they don’t call them “smoothies.” Why? It’s simple, smoothies can consist of anything and are usually nothing more than sugar-laden drinks blended with frozen sorbets or yogurts. How can you build a better body by feeding it inferior products?
One thing that PFC truly understands is that not everybody has the same body or metabolic profile. So, their shakes are tailored to individual performance goals. Whether a member is trying to lose 100 pounds, or training for a triathlon, their shakes will have them at peak performance.
EDUCATION
PFC has created a program that guarantees success. Many club owners think that if they can provide a great product, members will flock to their doors. That is not always the case. People need to be educated. PFC’s program is unique to the industry. By following the weekly protocol, PFC will help your club stay on track and grow your sales. The program is offered free to their customers, and will last in perpetuity…That’s right, forever! As long as you are their customer, PFC will feed you educational components, marketing and sales support weekly – so, your juice bar never goes stagnant and always stays on the cutting-edge of new information. The net result is that your members are continually educated.
This is achieved through on-site training of your juice bar staff as well as personal trainers and group fitness personnel. PFC will even conduct Nutritional Seminars for your members. Next, they flood your club with editorials, Nutri- Facts, counter cards, posters, etc. They are always looking for ways to get information into your members’ hands. And, the key to successful education and marketing is keeping it fresh and current.
In addition to all of this, PFC also provides a number of cutting-edge marketing campaigns throughout the year, which are designed to fit any club setting. PFC is at your service, at all times. With a full-service graphic design department, PFC has developed a clear understanding of how to market to club members as well as to the average consumer. They can create anything that you can envision, and all for a fraction of the cost of most independent design studios.
Once your juice bar is designed; stocked full with products, and marketed accordingly, the only thing left to do is grow your business! Guess what? PFC is there for that part as well. After the Grand Opening celebration, each club is paired with an account rep who will contact them on a weekly basis and implement “The Program.” Your rep will always be there to make sure your juice bar stays focused on the protocol that he or she establishes with you weekly.
At the end of the day, a juice bar is about two things:
1. Providing your club members with a reliable source for healthy products and sound nutritional advice – so they can achieve their personal performance goals.
2. Increasing your club’s revenues. This is not only a value-added service for members, but it is also a profit center for your bottom line. So, ask yourself: Are you doing everything you can to provide your members with healthy products on which they can rely? Performance Food Centers does!
Dan Young is President of Performance Food Centers, Corp. He is accomplished in juice bar concept and design as well as being certified in personal training and sports nutrition. He can be contacted at 610.474.0440, or visit www.pfccorp.com .
