Lululemon, the athletic apparel company known for its yoga gear, is entering the world of food and beverage. The company’s first restaurant, Fuel, opens today on the second floor of a massive new flagship store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Customers will find healthy (acai bowls, smoothies, salads, protein boxes), beefy (an 8-ounce burger), and boozy (draft beers from Chicago’s Marz Community Brewing) options on the menu.

 

The restaurant features an island in the center with bar seating. There are two coolers full of grab-and-go drinks and food for customers in a rush. There’s an espresso machine with beans from West Town’s Dark Matter Coffee. The dining tables sit in front of two fitness studios. Sweaty customers can grab food immediately after classes. They’ll sit on seats and couches in a space called the “connection room.”

 

Chef Paul Larson talked about using the most seasonal and beautiful produce. Nice looking fruits produce pretty plates, which also produce pretty photos. The sunlight on the second floor is bright; very good for Instagram photos.

 

Larson knows the Midwest presents a challenge. This concept would be right at home in California’s sunshine, but Chicago is home to polar vortices and the like.  Also, of note: fad diets come and go. One day a customer is into keto, the next month it’s paleo or whole 30. Larson said they’ve built in the flexibility to change the menu to accommodate trends.

 

Trends change and we want to make sure we always stay on trend with what they need,” Larson adds.  Larson, Executive Chef for Blue Plate Catering, a popular Chicago company that caters corporate events, weddings and other private events. Fuel is a collaboration with Blue Plate.

Before he was hired, Larson wasn’t familiar with a lot of diets Lululemon customers follow. This was a learning process for him. That menu was then edited by registered dietician Mia Zarlengo.  Zarlengo is a social media influencer with more than 56,800 Instagram followers. That makes her a good choice as a Lululemon brand ambassador.

 

Zarlengo advised Larson on little tweaks such as switching smoothie sweeteners. Honey, for example, is controversial in vegan circles and not great for keto diets.  They’re using dates instead. Larson’s favorite dish may be a citrus salad with watercress, radicchio, edamame, radish, fennel, lemon granola, edible flowers, seasonal citrus, and poppyseed dressing.

 

Lululemon employed crews to build-out a full kitchen inside the space once occupied by Restoration Hardware. Coincidentally, Restoration moved Chicago operations into a tony new location in Gold Coast where Hogsalt Hospitality (Au Cheval) operates a restaurant. Hogsalt’s Brendan Sodikoff took that template to New York where he opened a restaurant in October.

 

Fuel, inside Lululemon, 944 W. North Avenue, restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as first studio class starts at 6 a.m.; store open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.