While new frozen yogurt restaurants are popping up everywhere, from the Gateway Center Promenade to Bristow Center, Rufus Manning believes that his Orange Leaf franchise at the Safeway Braemar Village Shopping Center will rise above the competition.
Manning, an eight-year resident of Bristow, father and former marketing professional in the technology industry, wanted to open a modern yet comfortable store that is different from the other frozen yogurt chains.
“What has focused on is creating a great product along with an overall environment for people who like froyo. It’s very bright, warm, welcoming, with contemporary furniture, bright,” Manning said. “It hearkens back to the old ice cream parlor days.”
Manning explained his vision for the eatery as being more than just kid-friendly, but also a place teenagers will find comfortable and adults would also want to meet or work. He is installing high speed Wi Fi, so people can use their time at Orange Leaf to telecommute or work on their laptops outside the office. Students can also do their homework from his restaurant.
Still, he plans to make his restaurant a great place for families with young children as well. He is even opening a separate sitting room ideally to be used for events such as children’s birthday parties.
As a parent, Manning knows there are not many places to hold children’s parties without leaving the area. He thinks this is a convenient and ideal place for the families who live in Braemar or anywhere in Bristow or Nokesville.
“They can go next door to get pizza (from Vocelli’s), cake from Safeway or sandwiches at Subway,” Manning said.
He also wants to make his restaurant community friendly, so he encourages schools, daycare centers, teams and businesses to hold events there, and he is willing to share proceeds during fundraisers.
Manning wants to do right by Bristow because he lives here too.
“Since I live in the community, it’s going to be my neighbors, my friends. They’ve already expressed that they are going to be regulars. It doesn’t hurt to have a great location,” Manning said.
Besides talking up the restaurant to those he knows, he has started a Facebook site, and the company has even created a web app. The Orange Leaf app reveals what flavors are currently available at the restaurant and allows guests to vote on their favorites.
Those flavors definitely go beyond the run of the mill vanilla and chocolate. Orange Leaf is unique for offering 16 flavors and 8 mixes. These flavors alternate with the seasons, so they might include pumpkin pie in the fall, eggnog in the winter or watermelon in the summer. In addition, the yogurt is made fresh daily for optimum taste.
Manning is also proud to introduce the first Orange Leaf in the state of Virginia. Orange Leaf is a Midwestern company that has taken off in various states. Manning said he chose the franchise over others because of the great product and great marketing materials they offer their franchisees.
However, he plans to make Orange Leaf his own by being a staple in this store, and offering superior customer service.
“The product will differentiate us, along with great customer service,” said Manning, “Every customer will get a 'Hello, welcome to Orange Leaf.'”
He also plans to hire professional, dedicated employees who enjoy working in an inviting environment. Manning has already started interviewing and choosing eight members of his staff. He has found that many young people are very eager to work in this kind of environment, so he was able to employ some personable, responsible and hard-working individuals to represent his business.
If the Bristow Orange Leaf does well, Manning hopes to expand the franchise throughout northern Virginia. However, he chose Bristow first, because it is his own neighborhood and he knows there are many families and individuals that want a healthier alternative to ice-cream.
Orange Leaf at Braemar Village will open in mid February. Like them on Facebook to keep up with their progress.
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