Revitalive Cafe – Bringing Optimal Health & Wellness to Newburyport, MA + Impromtu Website Tips

I’ve been to Newburyport only one time prior to the trip. It was a few years ago and was a day trip with some friends from grad school. We had an awesome time wandering around this adorable little town. Unique shops on every corner, drinks overlooking the water, walks on a nearby beach. Oh, what a day.

When I learned that there is now an all-vegan restaurant here I couldn’t wait to go back. It’s off season right now so it wasn’t terribly crowded this time around (perfect!), and I was also there on a week day so there were even fewer tourists (hoorayz!). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with crowds or tourists. But when it comes to seeking out vegan restaurants I’d prefer to have nothing in my way. ;)

Revitalive Cafe – 99.9% raw vegan

They carry a chocolate bar brand that has honey in it. But all of the products made by Revitalive are 100% raw and vegan.
50 Water Street
Newburyport, MA 01950

Before I dive into this post I just have to say, what IS it with these awesome, awesome raw vegan restaurants outside of big cities? I’ve got more posts coming up from a few more places outside of Chicago, and not too long ago I posted about Borrowed Earth, Prana, and B’Gabs. I look forward to raw restaurants as it is because it means a healthy break from the heavier foods I’ve enjoyed on the road so far. But I’ve also met the most generous, kind, compassionate, and friendly people at these restaurants too. There’s something in the air. Something really grand is happening with these raw restaurants. I haven’t decided what the formula is yet but I can tell you that between the quality of food and the love that’s so clearly put into it, cooked vegan restaurants better watch out. The raw movement is comin’ for ya. ;) (teehee!!) No, but seriously. These places. Wow. So wonderful on so many levels.

Speaking of wonderful, let’s get to Revitalive Cafe, shall we?

After ‘snapping’ a few photos of the Cafe I was greeted at the counter by Anna Forkan, co-owner of Revitalive. With a welcoming attitude Anna asked a few hey-let’s-see-if-this-person-knows-raw-food questions. Nothing intrusive mind you, and I don’t think others would pick up on it readily. She was very subtle and easy to talk to and after a few minutes of chit chat about vegan food we jumped into talking about Will Travel For Vegan Food.

For some reason, on this day I was a little nervous to talk about the trip. But I swallowed the nerves, told them to take a hike, and ended up having one of the most uplifting conversations, with a restaurant owner and fellow vegan, I’ve had in a long time. Anna and I ended up sitting and chatting for nearly two hours while I slowly munched on Revitalive goodies. We talked about the trip, about owning a restaurant, about marketing, about becoming vegan, and about career choices. It truly was lovely.

I learned that Anna had spent some time abroad working as an engineer. She has done volunteer work and found herself working at a raw restaurant at some point, which is what sparked her interest in that direction. She’s been vegan for over ten years now and she, along with Revitalive co-owner Kristen Overlock, have done an outstanding job of bringing healthy living to Newburyport.

Okay, let’s get to some pics and then I want to tell you more!! :)

Green Lemonade with Spinach and White Bean Soup. The soup was warmed up and was thick, creamy, and perfectly filling.  Before leaving town I also had a couple of their other juices. Every one I had was delicious. I actually spent one full day only drinking their juice, no solid foods. Mini cleanse! It was great. :)

You know me and springs rolls, right?! :) These rolls were great (fresh carrots, cucumbers, basil, and mung beans) and their dipping sauces were out of this world. The sauces are sweet and sour, and almond chili. I loved them both!!

This is the Un-Tuna Wrap – fresh ‘un-tuna’ (seed-based) with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions and fresh organic pickles served in a coconut-flax wrap with a side of kale chips. I loved that the wrap itself didn’t fall to pieces when I picked it up. You know how it goes, sometimes with raw food it’s over dehydrated and just gets crumbly. Not this one. It was great and the filling was wonderfully flavored. Mmmmm! By the time I remembered to take the photo I had eaten half of the wrap and most of the kale chips. Oopsies!

This is the Harvest Bowl – quinoa, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, kale, cranberries and pecans with cranberry vinaigrette. So, so, so, so delicious!!

Dessert? Dessert! I saved this one up and ate it over the course of a few days. It was just too rich and delicious to devour in one sitting. This is one of the Magic Bars. The chocolately goodness on top was crazy delicious. So rich and creamy. (((drools)))

They also deliver freshly made products throughout Newburyport. So nice!

Before leaving Newburyport I stopped by to grab a few things for the road. This whole decal thing just chokes me up. Every time. Yes! Yes, I was there! And I love your cafe!! :)

It’s so much more than food! In addition to the Cafe Anna and Kristen run Revitalive Health & Wellness Center. The Center provides wellness coaching, colon hydrotherapy, body rejuvenation, far infrared sauna treatments, healthy foods and cleansing. The Wellness Center is located in The Mercantile Building on Pleasant street in Newburyport.

We’re talking a complete package here. I absolutely love that they offer living foods in a seemingly unassuming touristy town outside of Boston. But I also love that it’s so much more, it’s everything from the food to full body wellness. So. Cool.

Website Bonus Points

Yes, I have to mention this because it’s me! Revitalive has a great website. It’s easy to navigate, provides the right amount of information without flooding the viewer with too much content or ‘noise’ as a result of too many colors or objects or what have you.  I like that they include high quality photos of some of their menu items. This is particularly important because I think many people have questions or blocks about what raw food actually is. Being able to see it is a big bonus. Additionally, the color scheme is pleasant and is perfectly tied into their physical location. Well done, ladies! :)

I wasn’t planning to go here but…while it’s on my mind…for those of you who may be interested, here are key must-haves that I look for (especially at a glance) on restaurant-specific websites. Believe it or not these factors can make or break someone’s decision to visit your restaurant in-person. Don’t underestimate the importance of your business website!

• The first things I want to see are the address, hours of operation, and contact info. I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve visited, since starting the trip, that either don’t provide these things (at all!) or have them hidden off of the home page.  Make it easy for your customers to find this info. Don’t make them work for it. That takes away from all the awesomeness that is your business.
• Typically, our eyes move down a website in the shape of a “F.” That is to say, we start in the upper left hand corner of a page, scan across the top, scan down the left side, and halfway(ish) across the middle of the page. Ever notice where most businesses put their logo and navigation links? Put the most important information in the “F”.
• Since I do 95% of my networking (and word spreading) via social media (as most people do these days), the next thing I look for are links to a restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter pages. I do this because if I ever want to mention the business I want to link to them to make it easier for my friends and followers to jump on and “like” that business page too. I also do this because when I link to another businesses page it alerts that business. BAM! Networking opportunity with a new business and helping to spread the word among friends at the same time. Twofer!
• Next up, the 3C’s: clarity, color, and content. I’m looking for clear, clean messaging. In other words, a page flooded with to much in the way of words, pics, or anything really can make it difficult to read and find the important details, like hours, location, and menu. Color scheme is only valuable if you’re looking to create a cohesive brand image. Therefore, it’s always important! Don’t go crazy with colors. Select a few that best represent you and/or your biz and stick with them. And I wouldn’t go beyond 2-3 colors total. It can be difficult to get a clear message if it’s lost in a multi-color maze. Finally, keep the content on your website concise and relevant. We do want to know “about” you and your biz but we don’t want a story that spins off into five different directions that are not directly related to your restaurant. On a similar note, too little content can translate as lack of interest or understanding of your own biz. Find the balance by thinking about what YOU look for when you’re navigating on someone elses site.
• Photos, photos, photos. If you’re going to include pictures on your website (which you absolutely should!), whether they’re part of a blog or images of your menu items, or even of you, they must (MUST!) be high quality. If you have to pay for someone to take profesh pics of your restaurant then so be it. People make grand judgements on many things in life based on imagery. It literally pays to have images that represent the quality of what you have to offer. You put so much work into running your business and providing quality food. Don’t skimp here!
• Update your website at least once a week. Whether you’ve included a blog (which is a nice, organic way to pull traffic to your site), or you have new menu items daily, keep that dang thing up to date! I’ve encountered numerous sites that are so out of date I can’t even tell if they’re still up and running.  Updating your site regularly catches the attention of search engines. Therefore, updating your site = driving increased search engine optimization (SEO) without spending a penny.

The next point would be about the overall look, feel, and design of the site. That could take a while. I will refrain for now. In the meantime, are there any vegan restaurants who have websites that rock your world? Leave ’em in the comments below! :)