Brandon Barksdale and Sharisse Barksdale-Lane are the brother-and-sister duo behind the fast-casual healthy food provider Greenbar.
The Maryland-based business was created to fill the void of healthy food options available for takeout and delivery. The siblings came together for another business venture after previously collaborating on other businesses including a food truck.
After a soft launch on food delivery platforms early last month, the Barksdale siblings opened the doors to Greenbar’s flagship restaurant on Nov. 16, Travel Noire reports.
They used their life experiences growing up in Maryland and traveling around the country seeing the food desert firsthand to create a company aimed at bridging the gap between access to healthy food in impoverished communities.
“We want to ensure that clean food is always affordable and accessible, to our community and beyond!” Brandon and Sharisse said.
“The goal in opening Greenbar was to provide healthy food options to otherwise underserved communities (as it relates to healthier dining concepts) and address health and other social inequalities. Farm-to-table, clean, accessible and approachable food was our priority.”
With an objective to highlight the fast-food swamps that are heavily promoted in underserved communities, Greenbar was designed in a way that would add equity to the Black community in the form of balanced and healthier food options.
Greenbar’s menu items include Passion Bowls and Build Your Own bowls made with locally sourced ingredients based on the season like kale, quinoa, chickpeas, and much more. The eatery also offers competitive price points in an effort to provide more access to healthy food.
“We are really excited about giving kids in the community other options besides McDonald’s or Wendy’s,” Brandon and Sharisse said.
“We also want to make it easy for parents to procure food for the entire family in one location. We have taste tested the kids options with the pickiest of little eaters, so we’re sure kids will love our meals!”
