Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Fenster.
Hi Jeff, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I never set out to be an entrepreneur. Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, I don’t think I’d even heard that word, you were either a business owner or an employee. I went to law school and worked as a sports agent for a bit, but this was pre-Zoom, so the job meant flying everywhere for even a 10-minute meeting, and with a young kid at home, that got old fast.
So I took a job at ADP, the payroll company, and became the number one sales rep in the country within my first six months. When the company went back on a pay increase they’d promised me, I threatened to quit. They called my bluff, so I walked. I sold our house, moved my fiancée and daughter into my parents’ place, and started a payroll company called iChex out of my mom’s kitchen. A pissed-off 25-year-old who knew he could sell, that’s really where everything began.
From there I built and sold a few companies and ran a digital marketing agency with Neil Patel, who’s now an investor in everbowl. I founded everbowl in 2016. For years I refused to franchise, I told our first investors, Saruya Private Equity, I’d never do it, and they wrote me a check anyway. In 2020, I called them back and admitted I’d been wrong. Today we’re well over 100 locations nationwide, with another 100+ in development, and we’ve picked up partners like Jason Tatum, who invested, bought stores, and put an everbowl-inspired colorway on his signature Jordan sneaker. That pair still sits in my office.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
March 18, 2020, was probably the hardest day of my career. I had 28 corporate stores, had never franchised, and laid off every single employee in one day because I genuinely thought we were done. The next morning I called back three of them, two showed up, and we built a delivery concept in about 24 hours. That effort eventually landed us a QVC deal where we sold 70,000 boxes in seven minutes, ran 17 airings with 17 sellouts, and won Product of the Year in 2021. The demand from that run is what pushed customers to start asking us to franchise in the first place.
More recently, we got caught by something entirely outside our control. About half our sales come from açaí, which we import from Brazil during a strict three-month harvest window each year. Last year, that window lined up almost exactly with a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports. I had to decide fast: lock in pricing at the higher cost, or risk running out of açaí for franchisees who count on us for consistent pricing. Either way, it was a seven-figure decision made under pressure, and it forced me to learn import law and supply-chain structuring in real time.
Franchising itself has been its own education. Running 28 corporate stores across Southern California gave me confidence I understood the business. Opening in the Midwest, Southeast, and Pacific Northwest showed me how much distribution, marketing, and communication change once you’re spread across the country. I’ve had to rebuild how I think about my own role, from operator to a support system for people who’ve put their savings and their families’ futures into this brand.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
everbowl is an elevated fast-casual destination built around açaí bowls, toasts, smoothies, and other superfood-based options, all designed around a philosophy we call “unevolve” — moving and eating the way people were designed to. Our two rules for working here are simple: make friends and have fun. We sell smoothies and bowls, not cures for cancer, so we try to keep the stakes in perspective even when we mess up.
As a franchise, we handle real estate and construction ourselves through our sister company, WeBuild, so franchisees don’t have to become general contractors on top of running a restaurant. We also source and import our own proprietary açaí rather than reselling a generic product, which means what you get at everbowl, you get nowhere else. Our athlete and creator partners, including Jason Tatum and UFC champion Kamaru Usman, bought into the brand themselves, we don’t pay for endorsements. And we build the brand for people at every stage, whether someone’s just starting to make better-for-you choices or already deeply committed to that lifestyle. Everyone gets a seat at the table.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
A question I ask myself constantly: would you rather be right, or would you rather win? Putting ego aside and choosing to win has shaped how I handle everything; business, marriage, parenting. I also run a 5-minute pity party whenever something goes wrong. I set a timer, let myself feel whatever needs to come out, and when the timer ends, I write down what’s next and get moving. On March 18, 2020, that pity party ran closer to five hours, and I’ve made peace with that.
To any founder building a franchise, I’d say this: be deliberate about who you bring in. I tell every potential franchisee to actively look for reasons not to join us, because the good days will take care of themselves. What defines a partnership is how both sides show up on the hard ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.everbowl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everbowlcraftsuperfood/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everbowl/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfenster/
- Twitter: https://x.com/everbowl?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/everbowl-san-diego
- Other: https://jefffenster.com/
