Jamba Juice Unveils One-of-a-Kind Concept Store In Pasadena

Jamba Juice unveiled its one-of-a-kind concept store that is unlike any of the company’s 870 retail outlets at an exclusive ceremony Thursday. It features a sleek interactive bar area, a modern test kitchen, a spacious wifi-enabled seating area, and an extensive menu that goes beyond delicious smoothies.

“The key to capturing today’s consumers is to provide them with unique and memorable retail experiences. The concept store’s interactive bar, test kitchen and other innovative elements will be unique to anything customers have experienced in the industry,” said Jamba Juice President and CEO James D. White.

The concept store dubbed the Innovation Bar is the “sky’s the limit” approach to what the company can create by testing out new products at only this unique location. The store is company owned unlike most which are franchise owned and operated.

“The Jamba Concept Store will allow us to push the boundaries of the brand and enable us to innovate in three key areas: product development, technology and the customer experience,” said White.

Set in the heart of Old Town Pasadena on the corner of Raymond and Colorado at the site of the original number 19 store, the Jamba Concept Store serves as a research and development lab of sorts in which Jamba will create and test new food and beverage concepts with the ability to obtain real-time feedback from the store’s customers.

“This store is going to set us up for years to come for how we can continue to better serve our guests and better roll out systems, designs and products that can benefit our franchisees,” explained Jamba Juice Senior Director of Operations Matt Kafka.

The menu includes items never before seen at Jamba aimed to satisfy cravings for healthy hunger including southwestern style quinoa bowls, artisan hummus toast with vegetables, homemade sweet potato chips, pressed juices to name a few. All of the items are made exclusively in house, daily. Vegan options are also in abundance to accommodate anyone’s tastebuds and dietary restrictions.

The Innovation Bar is the first of it’s kind for the company helping to kickstart a new way to utilize a high traffic location to its fullest.

“It was a no-brainer to select this location in Pasadena. It’s the original location of our nineteenth Jamba store that we see as being in a cool hip and hip place in Southern California. We think that the customers in this area will get what we are trying to do,” said Kafka.

The Innovation Bar’s eye catching aesthetics were commissioned by Los Angeles architect and designer Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture Firm.

“The big picture is that we were tasked with creating new ways that symbolized freshness and naturalness that falls in line with Jamba’s core beliefs. We kept thinking, ‘what would that look like with contemporary design?’”, explained Bestor.

The interior is laid out in an open loft fashion featuring high ceilings and a contemporary design as seen by mirrored photographic wall art, LED screens with motion video greetings and sleek designs that seems to influenced by a minimalist approach.

According to Bestor, the space is roughly doubled in size than the average Jamba Juice locations across the country.

The National Football League’s Washington Redskins tight end and fellow Jamba Juice Franchise owner Vernon Davis made an appearance at the soft opening Thursday.

“This is one of the things I’ve always dreamed about. Just being able to walk up to a bar at Jamba Juice and sit here and enjoy what it has to offer is a great thing. I look forward to it and I know everyone in the community looks forward to it,” said Davis.

According to Kafka there are no plans to open a secondary Innovation Bar just yet.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” said Kafka.

The Jamba Juice Innovation Bar opens its doors after ten months of preparation this Monday. The official grand opening will be July 14.

Jamba Juice Innovation Bar is located at 64 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.