The owners of Parakeet Café, the 2017-founded café chain with a focus on healthy foods and beverages, have rebranded its sister company.
Formerly called Juice Crafters, husband and wife duo Carol Roizen and Jonathan Goldwasser have renamed their four San Diego-based juice bar locations Parakeet Juicery. The effort, said Roizen, is a strategic move to streamline the operation by focusing on one brand: the Parakeet brand.
“It was pretty much a business call,” said Roizen, whose youngest daughter inspired her to start a healthy food business. “We wanted to incorporate and create synergy between the two businesses. It was hard to keep them separate when they complement each other so well. So, we wanted to create one big umbrella. It made more sense operationally and customer perception wise.”
Quality and Flavor
Roizen and Goldwasser opened the first Juicery in La Jolla in 2014, and a few years later, opened four more (Little Italy, Hillcrest, Coronado and Del Mar). Since then, the Hillcrest location has shuttered.
In 2017, the couple decided to expand and open their first Parakeet Café. Today, there are four locations throughout the county: Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy and Coronado.
Goldwasser believes the reason Parakeet Café has resonated so well within the community is because of its authenticity.
“I think Parakeet Café has been very well accepted in the community because customers can feel and taste how much we care about what we do,” said Goldwasser. “We really care about the quality and flavor of our food and drinks, as well as service and environment. They always feel welcomed and appreciated.”
Now Roizen and Goldwasser want their loyal customers to make the same connection when they enter a Parakeet Juicery location: by feeling confident they’ll receive the same quality service.
Healing Through Food
The couple launched Juice Crafters in 2014 after their youngest daughter, Michelle, was born with a rare disease, said Roizen. To help combat it, Roizen began to explore healing through food. The family eventually moved from their hometown of Mexico City, Mexico, to Houston, Texas, to receive treatment for their baby. That was followed by a trek to San Diego, where they felt they had better access to organic foods.
In 2017, Roizen and Goldwasser opened their first Parakeet Café. Roizen said it was a natural progression for the company as she continued to learn more about healthy foods and wanted to share her knowledge with the community. She said they were also inspired by their daughter’s progress. She had been in remission by then.
The Parakeet name was also a well thought out decision, said Roizen, and in line with what the family was experiencing personally.
“We were trying to do something fun and happy and uplifting and joyful,” she said. “Because, at the end of it all, this is a very happy story. First of all, Michelle (our daughter), who is 14 years old now, is 100% in remission and healthy as can be. Everything is seeded from a challenging situation, but it is a happy story. So, we wanted that: we wanted an imprint that inspired joy and happiness. Plus, parakeets are super cute and beautiful.”
Customers Very Supportive
Today, because of COVID-19, Parakeet Café and Parakeet Juicery locations are only open for take-out and delivery and its customers have been very supportive, said Roizen. While revenue for the self-funded, privately owned company did drop last year, Parakeet was able to keep most of its staff members employed, which was important to the company. This week, it is opening a second Parakeet Juicery in Coronado – this one right next to the Parakeet Café location.
Parakeet Café and Parakeet Juicery
FOUNDED: 2017
FOUNDERS: Jonathan Goldwasser and Carol Roizen
HEADQUARTERS: La Jolla
BUSINESS: Dining establishment
GROWTH: Parakeet Café has grown from one juice spot in July 2017 to nine juiceries and/or restaurants in 2022. Three new restaurant locations are coming in the next six months: Carlsbad, Newport Beach and Beverly Hills. The company says it has grown its sales by 30% in the last year.
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 200
WEBSITE: www.parakeetcafe.com
SOCIAL IMPACT: Parakeet Cafe participates in the UCSD Zero waste program, with which its organic waste is composted and recycled, and uses sustainable packaging for to-go items.
NOTABLE: Restaurant started as a health-minded juicer and continuation of co-founder Carol Roizen’s missionto help heal her daughter from a rare disease.
