LottaFrutta opens late June at Avalon; additional locations in the works

Grand opening set for July 4th
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Rendering of LottaFrutta at Avalon

Myrna Perez_Lotta FruttaLottaFrutta Gourmet Fruit House and Market will open at Avalon in Alpharetta at the end of the month. The order-at-the-counter restaurant will be identical to the original Auburn Avenue location in terms of menu—at least at first. Owner Myrna Perez says there will always be Cuban-style sandwiches, fresh-cut fruit, smoothies, and salads, but since the Avalon spot will serve dinner in addition to breakfast and lunch, her team may adapt their offerings based on demand. They will also offer catering and delivery.

A grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 4th to coincide with the fireworks display at a nearby park, and LottaFrutta may sell picnic baskets packed with vegan ice cream, smoothies, and popsicles for the celebration.

The new space will be larger than the original location at 1,200 square feet. It will have a small patio facing Avalon’s courtyard and be designed to have the same essence as the original but with a more polished touch, Perez says.

“We want to convey this vintage Mexican-Cuban space where fruit has always been a staple core,” she says.

The space will be decorated with old, hand-painted Mexican tiles with fruit designs, wooden crates, vintage fruit coasters and artwork, and a deconstructed popsicle/fruit cart from Mexico. The ceiling will be painted like a bright blue sky with clouds in the center.

When Perez founded LottaFrutta in the Old Fourth Ward in 2006, she built her own tables and painted her own walls. But because she has expansion plans in mind, she says she needs to streamline the process. “LottaFrutta 3 is going to be the footprint for many more LottaFruttas to come. We have to have a very structured brand package,” she says.

She says she’d like to have a LottaFrutta in Athens, as well as Decatur and Reynoldstown. She’s also looking into locations in California, Texas, New York, and Chicago—particularly in airports. “By 4th quarter we’ll likely be ready to open up our doors to investors and go from there,” she says.

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