Fresh Kitchen planning second Baton Rouge location

Fresh Kitchen co-owner Ryan McNeil and chef/co-owner Daniel Dreher. Photo by Collin Richie

The Settlement at Willow Grove will get some fresh, to-go meal options later this season.

Fresh Kitchen will open its second location in the development’s Village Center, directly across from Bistro Byronz. The new location could be open as soon as “the end of July or first of August, barring no hiccups,” according to co-owner Ryan McNeil.

McNeil and chef/co-owner Daniel Dreher opened the first Fresh Kitchen late last summer on 7474 Corporate Blvd., Suite 108.

Fresh Kitchen is a health food restaurant that offers prepackaged and portioned meal options and salads.

The new location is about 600 square feet and will offer a full menu. McNeil says the restaurant is working on around 15 new items. The new menu will be introduced in tandem with the second location’s opening.

McNeil and Dreher had been working on the second Fresh Kitchen for a couple of months. Looking at stats and demographics of both the community’s development and the Fresh Kitchen brand, a Willow Grove location made sense to the business owners. It is just the first step in expansion throughout the Capital City.

McNeil says more locations could be coming sooner rather than later.

“We’re eyeballing a couple of other options for locations,” McNeil says. “We’re thinking a third, possibly fourth, depending on what space is available. Downtown could be a possibility, but it all depends on what space is available. I don’t think we could ask for better support from the community.”