The University’s two Juice Laundry locations — one in Newcomb Hall and one in the Athletic and Fitness Center — announced Sept. 29 that they would be closing Oct. 3, leaving students with little notice about their departure. Reactions to the announcement among students were mixed, with some disappointed at the loss of a nutritious option that was part of the U.Va. Dine plan, while others felt indifferent given the menu’s relatively high prices.
Juice Laundry first came to Grounds in 2019, opening its initial location in the AFC. Two years later, the location in Newcomb Hall opened in 2021. The locations operated as part of the University dining plan, offering dining dollars — a tax-free currency that can be used as payment at dining locations across Grounds — as a payment option.
Although both on Grounds locations have closed, Juice Laundry is still open at its off-Grounds location on Preston Ave. The juice bar provides a variety of organic and plant-based smoothies and cleansing juices to its customers, and is one of few places on Grounds that offers fruit smoothies in exchange for dining dollars.
In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, Juice Laundry co-founder Michael Keenan wrote that Juice Laundry opened its Newcomb Hall location with hopes of supplying a health-conscious food option to the University community. A few menu options include “Clean Green” juice with kale, spinach and cucumber, a “Super Smoothie” bowl with blueberries, goji berries and bananas and a Cold Brew Mocha Latte.
Keenan explained that the decision to close was a result of experiencing operation difficulties with U.Va. Dine, although he declined to specify what these difficulties were.
“We decided to close our locations on Grounds because, due to various constraints we were increasingly facing, it became untenable to continue operating these locations at the high standard we expect and demand (for our customers and our team alike).” Keenan wrote.
On behalf of U.Va. Dine, Gheretta Harris, the University’s associate vice president for business services, wrote in a statement that the decision to close the locations came from Juice Laundry, not the University. Harris also noted that the departure did not breach any kind of contract with the University.
“Any of our sub-contractors can provide 30 to 45 days’ notice of intent to discontinue the contract. There are no contract expiration dates,” Harris wrote.
Keenan said that a concern about the closure is that it limits the amount of healthy food options available to University students.
“We're sad and disappointed that accessing healthy, natural, life-giving, 100% organic food and drink options will, once again, be more difficult for students on Grounds.” Keenan said.
The University community has previously expressed concern about the lack of healthy food options at dining halls and the relatively low access to grocery stores, especially for students without cars. The closest grocery stores to Grounds are in the Barracks Road Shopping Center, which is a 25 minute walk and a 9 minute cycle ride away from Grounds.
Second-year College student Anika Shah said she was disappointed by the closure, as she would often go to Juice Laundry after a workout or a long week of classes. She said she was surprised by the sudden departure after being told of the shutdown by a friend and soon after seeing a sign posted on the Juice Laundry door.
“I thought [my friend] was pranking me … I was really confused,” Shah said. “And then I walked by it a week later, and it had a sign. There was no [prior] announcement [from Juice Laundry or the University] or anything, at least I didn’t see one.”
Shah said that she was disappointed to lose the healthy options provided by the on Grounds dining spot. As a vegetarian, Shah said that Juice Laundry was a nutritional option for her in her dining plan.
“I think Juice Laundry was a really good resource, especially when you're living on Grounds and there's not much access to fresh fruit,” Shah said. “A lot of people appreciated Juice Laundry [as a way to] to get their nutrients in, especially me last year, because I don't eat meat.”
Alternatively, second-year College student Liv Kidd said that she would not miss having Juice Laundry as a U.Va. Dine option. Kidd does not have a dining plan this year, but she said that Juice Laundry’s prices struck her as high her first year.
“[The closure] doesn't affect me at all,” Kidd said. “I only went once … I always thought it was too expensive. I don't have a dining plan … I would rather go somewhere on the Corner.”
According to the online menu for Juice Laundry’s location on Preston Avenue, 16 ounce smoothies tend to be in the price range of $9 to $10 and smoothie bowls tend to be between $12 and $13. Juice Laundry’s 17 ounce juices are all $11.50.
Corner Juice, located off Grounds on the Corner, similarly offers organic smoothies and juices. A 12 ounce green juice at Corner Juice, with spinach, cucumber, pineapple, lime, apple and ginger is $9.85, about 80 cents per ounce. Juice Laundry’s similar green juice, with kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, apple, parsley, ginger and lemon is 17 ounces and $11.50, about 70 cents per ounce.
Similar to Kidd, second-year College student Samantha Wooldridge said that she feels indifferent about the sudden closure. As a student on a U.Va. Dine meal plan, Wooldridge said that she prefers other on Grounds dining options to Juice Laundry because of its pricing.
“Juice laundry was expensive, and I feel like there's other places that are cheaper, and you just get more food for what you're paying.” Wooldridge said.
Keenan wrote that while there are no current plans to re-open a location on Grounds, Juice Laundry is not completely closing the door in their partnership with the University, and is always open to new opportunities for the franchise. According to Keenan, students can visit their off-Grounds location on Preston Ave, which he said has an even larger organic menu.
Some students are speculating about what will fill the place of Juice Laundry, with some hoping it will be replaced by a similar healthy food option. Looking forward, Shah said she would appreciate if U.Va. Dine replaced Juice Laundry with another nutritious food option, such as Corner Juice.
“I was thinking that Corner Juice could potentially be a replacement … I do hope at the least, it is replaced with another smoothie [or] juice bar situation,” Shah said. “Even if it's not exactly that, something that does have fruits [and] vegetables.”
Juice Laundry’s Newcomb location has been replaced by The Stress-Less Zone, a food pantry for students with allergies to gluten, peanuts or tree nuts, provided by local businesses.
On behalf of U.Va. Dine, Harris said that the Juice Laundry location in the AFC will be replaced, but did not provide a timeline of when or what business would replace them. Harris also clarified that the University is looking to provide other healthy food options at the AFC.
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