An Interview With Martita Mestey
Don’t listen to the naysayers — Everyone told me that this restaurant concept would never work. If you believe in something — do it anyway! As an example, my parents were the biggest opposition at the time as I was leaving my established x-ray career that left behind a pension, insurance, a 401K and a degree I had invested in. They were concerned that I was throwing away my life for something that was not guaranteed to succeed- now look at us!
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Evonne Varady.
Evonne Varady co-founded Clean Eatz in 2013 with her husband, Don, to inspire healthier lives through balanced, accessible food and motivational support. As a personal trainer, her journey began by meal-prepping for clients, which soon led to Clean Eatz — a fast-growing health-focused cafe and meal prep franchise with 100+ locations across 23 states. Known for their expertise, the Varadys also host The Founderz Lounge podcast and lead the Clean Eatz Foundation, supporting childhood obesity awareness.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?
In 2008, I was inspired to begin our restaurant journey when I noticed there weren’t many health-focused restaurant chains, and I found myself focused on dieting trends. For myself, I knew that when I went out with my friends, I had great intentions of ordering healthy menu items to keep up with my goals for the month, but then found myself leaning towards chips, salsa and margaritas. This is why I wanted to create a concept that whatever you selected on the menu — there were guiltless choices that were also delicious — that was also a place like Cheers, where everyone knew your name and made healthy-focused life decisions to support balanced lifestyles.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
As someone committed to a healthy lifestyle, I often felt like I was stuck in a box, craving pizza, Chinese food, or mac & cheese but wanting to avoid the guilt. That’s why Clean Eatz focuses on creating healthier versions of these classic comfort foods — so our customers can meet their health goals while still enjoying their favorite dishes.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or takeaway you took out of that story?
This is a funny one — when we first opened Clean Eatz, money was tight, and we were trying to stretch our budget as much as possible. Unfortunately, a typo slipped through on our menu, turning the ‘Wasabi Crab Wrap’ into the ‘Wasabi Crap Wrap!’ We’d gotten a great deal on printing, so we had 10,000 copies and ended up using them for nearly two years! Surprisingly, the mistake turned out to be memorable ‘press’ — it even made it to segments on Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, showcasing funny restaurant mishaps. The takeaway? Sometimes, even mishaps can bring positive attention!
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
Of course — the hardest time I think I faced was working with my spouse, Don, who co-founded Clean Eatz alongside me. We have had a lot of kitchen food fights with each other and it’s the lesson that I’ve learned from today is to stay in your lane and that words cannot be taken back in life. This lesson set me up for the ultimate success with our Clean Eatz franchisees. To overcome this obstacle, I made sure that when communicating with franchisees I did not fly off the handle or say things that could not be taken back. It’s important as a restauranteur to not let your emotions get in the way and to listen to others. You always need to listen — I think that as a restauranteur we always think our ideas are the best, but sometimes others have a valid point or idea to add to ours.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
That’s a great question — our most popular dishes are Mac & Cheese, so it’s about creating options that people love and giving them a healthier version to enhance their lifestyle. This has come to life in multiple menu items such as cauliflower crust pizzas or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
I am a tried-and-true carnivore, and I enjoy steak or beef shreds, so with that being said one meal on the menu I love is our Cowboy Shepard Pie. Its features shredded beef, barbeque sauce and delicious Mashed Potatoes, which is another favorite of mine!
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
My inspiration and daily creativity boost come from food magazines & websites, like Delish.com, trying new restaurants throughout the country and of course watching hours of shows on The Food Network.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now?
As far as menu innovation and expansion, we’re currently working on our breakfast sandwich line, which will make a huge impact on people on the go. We know that some people can’t use a fork in a bowl while they are driving to work, so we are developing the most convenient menu items for them. We are also working on overnight oats as you can never go wrong with protein-filled oatmeal — it’s just a staple in life. Another sweet addition that we are developing is Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches with our very own protein icing formula! On the business side, my husband and I have scouted out and brought a CEO to the company, Eric Wyatt, who has over 30 years of restaurant and retail industry experience. He will be focused on expanding our brand’s footprint across America through strategic innovation, operational excellence and franchise growth.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
I think you should always reevaluate your four walls and carefully watch your numbers to identify if something is not working then let it go. In our industry, we always try to hang on to everything and if it’s not going to work for your concept do yourself a favor — perform a gut check — look at your menu — see what’s not working and take it off your menu and tell yourself you gave it your best effort.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?
- Don’t listen to the naysayers — Everyone told me that this restaurant concept would never work. If you believe in something — do it anyway! As an example, my parents were the biggest opposition at the time as I was leaving my established x-ray career that left behind a pension, insurance, a 401K and a degree I had invested in. They were concerned that I was throwing away my life for something that was not guaranteed to succeed- now look at us!
- Do your own thing because originality pays off — we’ve had so many copy catters towards our concept and they’ve tried hard to take over in our revenue streams — one that they lean towards is our grab ‘n go, but I know our overall customer experience always brings then back to us. We have fresh hot meals that you can dine in and enjoy each and every day. We also have options where you can open a fridge to take home a meal for your family or meal prep for your entire week.
- Be open to everyone and don’t confine yourself almost in a box — Don’t let the least amount of people make the loudest voice in your establishment. For example, every time we open a new store, we always have all types of people walk in — organic, vegans, vegetarians — and always be open to everybody. As an example, diet trends may come and go, so don’t base your whole business on one trend when you should branch out to attract all walks of life to your restaurant.
- Pick the right people to be in your corner — Choose people with the same mindset, and that doesn’t just mean mentally like Don, and I were. We are a lifestyle and restaurant concept, so for example, we wanted to make sure we have people in our corner who are active and take care of themselves in life. Another example is that people who are right for your business don’t always match in their resumes, but they can be properly trained if they follow your passion.
- Be humble — The saying goes you always think that you are bigger than what you are in life. I remember going through an ego check when we were at 50 locations and not understanding why people didn’t know who they were when we thought we would be a big deal. In the restaurant industry, you are going up against a lot of big names, but when you know you are providing quality health-conscious items it means the world.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
That’s an easy answer for me — our new Turkey Burnt Ends taste like a smoked brisket or everyone’s favorite BBQ restaurant item, Burnt Ends. The turkey gets all the flavor of a brisket without the sodium, fat or calories of the traditional BBQ dish.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
For me, this movement would be to help end childhood obesity. Children are so impressible, so it is important to teach them the importance of a healthy lifestyle so that they make good choices. We established The Clean Eatz Foundation with a mission to raise awareness and money for efforts combating childhood obesity. Funds are raised through a series of nationwide campaigns and initiatives and earmarked for purposes meant to further the foundation’s mission.
After raising $45,000 at our annual franchise conference late last year, a partnership was formed with Camp Pocono Trails, a health and wellness summer camp, wherein Clean Eatz financed the camp fees for 10 kids from around the country. And last September marked the foundation’s 2nd annual Go Bananaz smoothie campaign; a month-long fundraiser that commits a portion of sales from the limited-edition smoothie to the foundation’s efforts, which in 2025 will include helping to pay for the college tuition of five different students entering health and wellness-related fields of study.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Evonne Varady of Clean Eatz: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.