All vegan: Sweet EMOtion, Brunch Box to serve sweet treats, breakfast classics downtown
A line of nearly a dozen ice cream enthusiasts stood in anticipation for the grand opening of a beloved downtown vegan restaurant on Friday afternoon.
Sweet EMOtion, formerly housed within a walk-up window at The Outland Complex, opened its new brick and mortar location on Friday at 2 p.m. Now located at 211 E. Walnut St., the restaurant welcomed a steady stream of customers, eager to order their favorites or try out this week's specials: a Daylily Shake and Pineapple Dreamsicle, served in a cup or cone.
In the new space, Sweet EMOtion is joined by Brunch Box, previously known as Whipped Cream & Other Delights. Brunch Box will host its grand opening on Sunday.
Though the restaurants share the same space, they operate under different hours. Initially, Sweet EMOtion will be open Friday through Sunday from 2-10 p.m. and Brunch Box will be open Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both restaurants plan on expanding their hours in the future.
Seth Kean opened Sweet EMOtion in the street-facing walk-up window at The Outland Complex in November 2020. The restaurant became popularly recognized for its all-black oat milk vanilla ice cream and fun flavors like Cookiebrew (chocolate ice cream swirled with Mudhouse cold brew), Blue Sunday (blueberry pancake) and Butterbeer (vanilla ice cream with Flying Cauldron Butterbeer). In October 2021, Kean expanded the Sweet EMOtion brand to Kansas City.
The original Sweet EMOtion walk-up window closed in late February in anticipation for the new store. The new location is two stories (initially only the first floor will be open) and includes plenty of seating, whereas the walk-up window only provided two tables with stools outside.
"We loved our walk-up location; that's always where my heart will be, but we needed another space for growth," Kean said.
The Sweet EMOtion menu is entirely vegan, featuring build-your-own cups and cones, ice cream floats, slushies, ice cream sandwiches and an array of signature flavors, all inspired by pop punk music.
Bentley Bowman, who was the first in line on Friday afternoon with her mom Joellyn Travis, ordered a Crunch Crunch Crunch (inspired by Paramore's song "Crush Crush Crush"). The signature treat includes vanilla ice cream, M&M's, pretzels and Reese's Peanut Butter Sauce. Bowman said she enjoys Sweet EMOtion because it is one of few 100%-vegan restaurants downtown.
In addition to the all vegan menu, Kean said he wants to offer a different type of nightlife space.
"Me, as someone who doesn't drink, I want something besides a bar," Kean said. "There's a lot of people who went into sobriety over COVID who just want to go out, want to be social, but want to do something else."
While Sweet EMOtion will be serving up sweet treats in the evening, Brunch Box will be open throughout the morning, also serving an entirely vegan menu. Rachel Velasco began operating Whipped Cream & Other Delights out of her home four years ago and is excited for the opportunity to rebrand and open in a true restaurant space.
Initially, Brunch Box will offer grab-and-go breakfast options, like breakfast sandwiches, tacos, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, potatoes and chia pudding. Down the line, Velasco said she hopes to expand the menu to include more brunch and lunch options. Unique to the area, Brunch Box will will also be the only restaurant to serve vegan fried doughnuts and whip cream in Springfield.
Sweet EMOtion and Brunch Box will keep folks updated with specials and expanded hours on their social media pages.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SweetEMOtion, Brunch Box host grand opening this weekend
