SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Acai berries are hard to come across, but they are growing in popularity. If you have not tried the berry, now is your chance as Purple Banana, Syracuse’s First Acai Cafe has opened. Its become so popular it is now expanding its menu.
On Marshall Street, you can find a wide variety of cuisines, such as Japanese with Bleu Monkey Café or even the All-American burger at Five Guys, but Purple Banana stands out from the rest.
“A lot of places around here, I don’t want to name names, but like Five Guys and pizza places, that stuff is just not good for you,” said manager Dan Jackson who is a good friend of Owner Luke Nicoletti.
Nicoletti, who is a resident of the Syracuse area, always wanted to be a businessman but never knew this business would be in his future.
“It is fun, it is colorful, it is healthy, morally I can feel good about it, and there is need for it in the area,” Nicoletti said.
The shop has a wide variety of bowls, smoothies, and now juices for students to indulge in.
“These Acai shops are big in other countries and cities, and Syracuse did not have one, a lot of these college kids come from areas where these acai shops are, and so there is a need here,” the optimistic young businessman said.
Nicoletti, Jackson, and the rest of the Purple Banana team are knee-deep in emails from people interested in working for them and said that the response to the new place has all been positive.
The current hours of the new establishment, open since February, are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop extended its hours from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. because of the high demand.
