Fairfax Circle is playing a key role as a national restaurant chain unveils a new identity.
The second Z!Eats restaurant in the U.S. is scheduled to open at the Scout on the Circle Apartments in Fairfax City on Dec. 12, according to a spokesperson.
Marking a new era for the brand formerly known as Zoup!, Z Eats has tailored its menu toward health-conscious customers with a variety of different dining options, expanding beyond the company’s previous focus on soup.
“Z!Eats is proudly establishing itself as a plant-forward brand, offering delectable and health-conscious fare along with an elevated overall dining experience,” Ted Asbury, chief marketing officer of parent company WOWorks, said earlier this year.
Founded by two spice merchants in Southfield, Michigan, in 1997, Zoup started as a chain of soup-and-sandwich eateries in the Midwest and was acquired by WOWorks in 2022.
The chain’s revamped menu still includes a dozen different soups, along with 14 sandwiches, seven salads, and a variety of mac and cheese, grain bowl and flatbread options.
Using a concept that Fairfax diners might be more familiar with from Panera Bread, Z Eats lets diners “pick two” to receive smaller portions of sandwiches, soups, salads, mac and cheese and flatbreads. Customers can also indulge in three different soups with the chain’s new “tasting flightz,”
The chain’s menu caters to the strictest diets, offering vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
“Our goal is to create a space where everyone can come together to enjoy delicious meals made with fresh, nutritious ingredients,” franchise owner Kevin Young said.
To commemorate its opening in Fairfax City, the restaurant will donate 20% of all proceeds from its first day to Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services (CAUSE), an Arlington-based nonprofit that offers programs to wounded and sick military service members, according to a Z Eats spokesperson.
“I want Z!Eats to be a place that not only serves great food but also gives back to the community and veterans that support us,” Young said.
The new restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The eatery will also open at 11 a.m. on Sundays, but it will close at 6 p.m.
All Zoup locations will be rebranded as Z Eats by the end of 2024. The company’s only other Northern Virginia restaurant in Sterling closed this summer, though its “temporarily closed” listing on the website suggests it will reopen at some point as Z Eats.
The chain has expressed interest in growing to 500 restaurants nationwide over the next five years.
