Happy + Hale Pop-Up Redefining Healthy “Fast” Food

A new local healthy bowl pop-up concept is changing the way we think of “fast” food.

What if a shipping container and a $10 bowl could make a dent in the obesity crisis? That’s precisely what local wellness warrior Tyler Helikson of Happy + Hale hopes to accomplish with his innovative new Happy + Hale pop-up across the street from Smoky Hollow dubbed 70 & Sunny.

The outpost at once brings an avant-garde approach to accessibility while staying true to its fast-casual health-conscious MO of “retaining exceptional health and vigor,” and the belief that “when we eat better, we feel better. When we feel better, we act better. When we act better, our communities become better.” 

But those ideals typically come with a price. Quick and easy menu selects from the likes of Happy + Hale—in addition to similar fast-casual concepts like Cava, Diced and Chopt—typically run almost double their largely unhealthy fast-food counterparts like McDonald’s, long targeted as driving the obesity epidemic (hey, Super Size Me doc).

In essence, it’s a calories-per-dollar conundrum. Produce and real foods composed of nourishing ingredients you can pronounce tend to be pricier than a burger mashed with myriad additives. As a matter of fact, a study by the Food Foundation found that, over the past two years, the price of healthier options has increased at twice the rate of less-healthy selects—and better-for-you fare is more than twice as expensive per calorie as junk food. 

With 70 & Sunny, Helikson hopes to turn that longtime imbalance on its head, sparking a new wave of affordability and accessibility serving the trifecta: healthy, delicious and nourishing.

“Our food system is so severely broken that it costs much less to eat hyperprocessed food-like substances than real food from the Earth,” maintains Helikson. “People are busy and need food conveniently, and that’s what we’re trying to solve. If we can be part of the change to reduce the climbing obesity rate in this country, [this] certainly can be a success.”

Officially launching early April, the Happy + Hale-branded steel box filling in a long-empty parking lot on Harrington Street will essentially act like a Happy + Hale express featuring just three bowls—two signature and one create-your-own with your choice of base, protein, toppings and sauce made from minimal clean ingredients—all priced at an even $10. 

This model also answers the call of simplifying choice and price exhaustion. To boot, Helikson hopes to work with the City to initiate a pilot program enabling patrons to apply vouchers to purchase meals from healthful establishments such as his, furthering that equal opportunity notion. 

What it ultimately comes down to is that eating healthier should be a lot easier than it is. “I really want to be at the forefront of this change,” says Helikson. And, hopefully, others will take note and follow suit.
@happyandhale