Quick Bites: Box Bistro in Berlin brings healthy, portioned and delicious grab ’n go to Greater Hartford
It’s a challenge to balance work and life, staying active at the gym and eating healthy.
For James Bannon, however, he saw opportunity.
“While I was teaching, I saw a need for prep and healthy eating,” said Bannon. “People that were spending their time in the gym and not seeing the results as quickly as they’d like.”
Bannon worked as a chef instructor at Branford High School for 12 years and a CrossFit coach for 10. He grew up with family that cooked most meals at home, helping his grandfather with dinner after school when he was young. He knew his macronutrients, proteins, fats and carbs. Most of all, he wanted to help.
“They didn’t have the time or know-how to prepare meals for themselves to accelerate their wellness goals,” says Bannon. “I decided to do it full time, creating Box Bistro as a meal-prep company that serviced gyms in the central Connecticut area.”
A medley of meals to choose from
When it comes to choices, you’ve got more than a few at Box Bistro.
“We have about 50 different meals, and the menu rotates twice a week,” says Bannon. “Six new meals come out Sunday and five come out Thursday. The rotation takes about a month to see the same meals back around again.”
What sort of meals? You’ve got Peruvian chicken with peppers and onions, sweet potato, and yogurt sauce; green tortilla chicken chili with basmati rice; turkey stuffed peppers with whipped feta sauce; beef stew over olive oil mashed potatoes; BBQ pulled chicken with cauliflower mac & cheese and apple slaw; and a turkey chili with butternut squash.
“We want to give them variety so they’re not eating the same meal,” says Bannon. “We want to keep them interested. The last thing we want is for people to get tired of their meals.”
Box Bistro caters to different dietary restrictions and choices as well: Paleo, Whole30, No Gluten Ingredients (NGI), Dairy Free (DF) and Keto friendly. Whether you’re thinking of stopping in for a quick bite or ordering a subscription, you can cater the meals as you please.
Bannon and his wife and co-owner, Holly, watch what they put into their meals, too. “We’re very selective about the ingredients we use. We don’t use any canola oil. We don’t use any soy. We’re excluding things like refined sugars or overly processed starches.”
Don’t miss out on their broths, smoothies and scones, either.
Weathering and evolving through the pandemic
Box Bistro opened its doors in 2015. Its market, however, has changed over the last seven years.
“Pre-pandemic, 60% of our business was online delivery to gyms,” says Bannon. “We had about 20 different gyms we delivered to.”
Gyms, however, were one of the first businesses to shut down with the onset of COVID-19. About 22% closed their doors through the pandemic, and many gymgoers have turned to home or online workouts instead.
For Bannon, that meant Box Bistro had to pivot toward storefront and subscription orders. “Our storefront picked up a little bit — definitely not the 60% we were missing. It was a shift.”
Box Bistro’s subscription service is customizable. You can choose how many meals you want to receive a week, even if it’s just one. You can select meals that fit your diet and avoid ones that aren’t for you. There are lunches and dinners with customizable side dishes.
“We do some home delivery to people that order from our site,” says Bannon. “A lot of people pick it up from our store, too.”
Above all else, Box Bistro’s stayed true to its commitment to helping customers eat healthier and reach their wellness goals.
“Box Bistro gives people that convenience factor, even if they know how to cook but don’t have the time or desire to do it. Eating this way was normal and it shows people there are other options out there.”
