L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. – A local tennis coach is looking for success in another arena – the Lehigh Valley food scene – with a tasty concept known for its “fresh, flavorful” eats.
A new location of Bango, a quick-service restaurant focusing on healthful and tasty options including salads, grain bowls, poke bowls, acai bowls, smoothies and more, is set to open this spring at 1042 Mill Creek Road Suite 35 in Lower Macungie Township, franchisee Craig Schwartz told 69 News.
A new location of Bango, a quick-service restaurant focusing on healthful and tasty options including salads, grain bowls, poke bowls, acai bowls, smoothies and more, is set to open this spring at 1042 Mill Creek Road Suite 35 in Lower Macungie Township.
Ryan Kneller
Schwartz, head coach of Lehigh University men’s tennis team, is a big Bango fan and excited to open the first Pennsylvania location of Bango as well as the brand’s first location outside of New York.
Bango began as a single eatery in New York in 2017, and in less than a decade, the company has grown to include more than 10 others in the Empire State, including several on Long Island and in Westchester County.
The Lower Macungie eatery will occupy a soon-to-be-renovated space that previously housed a Cost Cutters hair salon in the West Valley Marketplace.
An exact opening date has not yet been determined, but Schwartz is hopeful for a May debut.
Schwartz, a resident of Macungie, moved to Pennsylvania a few years ago from North Carolina, where he served as head coach of Appalachian State University’s men’s tennis team.
Following his move to the Lehigh Valley, Schwartz began seeking additional ways to serve the community and learned about Bango through a relative.
“When you’re coaching, you’re kind of like running a business – you have budgets, you’re recruiting, you’ve got staff, and so on,” Schwartz said.
“So, I started exploring various businesses, and I got connected through my brother-in-law with someone who’s a small business banker on Long Island just to pick his brain. He asked what I was looking to do, and I told him that I was looking to do something in the healthier side of the food industry just based off my background of being an athlete and coaching other athletes. He asked if I ever heard of Bango, and I hadn’t. He said the business just started franchising, and he knew the CEO if I wanted to connect with him. So, I got connected with Bango CEO Ryan Thorman, and the rest is history.”
Bango’s menu features “flaninis” – handhelds served on pressed flatbread – such as chicken fajita and chicken pesto; breakfast wraps such as the “B.A.E.” (scrambled egg, bacon, avocado, shredded cheddar cheese and sriracha honey); and avocado toast and protein toast (avocado, hard-boiled egg, everything seasoning and salt and pepper).
A new location of Bango, a quick-service restaurant focusing on healthful and tasty options including salads, grain bowls, poke bowls, acai bowls, smoothies and more, is set to open this spring at 1042 Mill Creek Road Suite 35 in Lower Macungie Township.
Ryan Kneller
There are also build-your-own and signature bowls, including cold bowls such as the Bango Bowl (acai base, oats and honey, strawberries, banana, blueberries, coconut and honey drizzle) and Pink Dragon (pitaya base, vanilla nut, pineapple, strawberries, banana, coconut and honey drizzle); and warm grain bowls such as Harvest (brown rice, shredded kale, roasted chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, goat cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, toasted almonds and balsamic vinaigrette) and Mediterranean Avocado (warm quinoa, chopped romaine, roasted chicken, cucumbers, roasted beets, pickled red onions, feta cheese, sliced avocado, pita chips and roasted red pepper tzatziki).
Other menu highlights include salad bowls such as sweet potato Cobb and Caesar crunch; marinated salmon and tuna poke bowls; and fresh fruit smoothies.
Schwartz labels the chicken avo ranch flanini (roasted chicken, sliced avocado, red onion, bacon, shredded mozzarella and lemon basil ranch) as a personal favorite selection.
“[Bango] prides itself on everything being made fresh daily,” Schwartz said. “We have our own recipes, and even the dressings are made fresh daily. So, it’s all healthy options that taste really good.”
The Lower Macungie eatery will feature seating for around 15 guests, and takeout, delivery and catering also will be available.
A new location of Bango, a quick-service restaurant focusing on healthful and tasty options including salads, grain bowls, poke bowls, acai bowls, smoothies and more, is set to open this spring at 1042 Mill Creek Road Suite 35 in Lower Macungie Township.
Ryan Kneller
The forthcoming Bango location will operate next to a Papa John’s shop and will join other neighboring eateries, including Takkii Ramen and Uno Taqueria, in the West Valley Marketplace.
The new restaurant also could be the first of multiple Bango eateries in the Lehigh Valley.
Schwartz is considering opening additional Bango locations in the coming years, but for now, he’s focused on getting his first restaurant off the ground.
For Bango’s full menu and additional information, visit bangobowls.com.