Husband-and-Wife Team Bringing Toastique's Gourmet Fast Casual to the Twin Cities

Scott and Laura Seabloom, a husband-and-wife duo, are the newest faces behind the popular gourmet toast and juice bar franchise Toastique. With diverse backgrounds in retail technology and holistic health studies, the couple is ready to infuse their passions and life values into the rapidly-growing brand, and present a unique offering to their Twin Cities community.

Scott brings a strong foundation holding corporate roles in the retail technology industry. Laura was in the fashion world until she transitioned her career in 2012 and received her Master's Degree in Holistic Health Studies, her Health Coaching certification, and various yoga teacher trainings. Looking for a way to further align their passion for healthy living with their career, the couple began looking into franchise opportunities, spending several years waiting for the right concept to present itself.

“We’ve always talked about what it would be like to be our own business,” said Scott. “Our main focus was finding something that matched our lifestyle and our community.”

The Seablooms considered a range of different fast casual franchise concepts, but nothing felt like the right fit. When the duo found Toastique, it suddenly all fell into place.

"Healthy lifestyle is a big value for us, and simplicity is a big part of that — an easy way to get the good stuff into your body,” said Laura. “When I'm done playing pickleball, which I am obsessed with, I want to fuel myself with good food and juice. We loved the idea of bringing Toastique to our community.”

Toastique has carved out a unique lane by offering all the benefits of a typical cold juice bar but with the added micro-café toast concept. This puts the brand in a whole different category that reaches a much broader audience.

In addition to aligning with the Toastique culture, Scott says the quality and taste of the food was 90% of the reason they were drawn to the brand.

“When we tried the food, it really became a no-brainer for bringing Toastique to Minnesota,” Scott said. “There are a lot of restaurants out there that have healthier options, but when you take a foundation ingredient like bread or toast and see what they do with it, there is nothing like that near us. This is frankly a place we would both visit if we were traveling as a family. That was really the big selling point.”

But what really solidified their choice was the passion and involvement of the Toastique team, even as the brand saw rapid growth. "The team reminded us of us,” Laura said. “It doesn’t feel like we are a number; we are part of the team. We are all in this together and we know that they will be there to support us.”

The Seablooms could also see that demand wasn’t going away anytime soon. “We saw that this type of model could be profitable even during the pandemic,” said Scott. “The health industry is evolving and there is a huge market cap out there. We knew from a business and economic model it makes perfect sense.”

With the health food category more popular than ever before, people across America can’t get enough gourmet toast, in particular. Americans currently spend nearly $900,000 per month on avocado toast, up from just $17,000 in 2014, but very few restaurants specifically specialize in toast-based creations like Toastique. The smoothie and juice bar industry, worth almost $3 billion, is also on an upward trajectory. By combining the best of both worlds, Toastique stands out as a uniquely well-positioned concept in the health food category.

This synergy has led the Seablooms to commit to opening not one but three Toastique locations in the Twin Cities metro area. "We are working on the first location to ensure it fits the demographics perfectly,” Scott said. “But we believe our five-year plan extends beyond these three locations."

Looking ahead, the couple is excited about the potential to serve the community with gourmet fast casual options that stand out amidst the typical fast food establishments.

“If you find passion in what you do and love, money will follow,” said Scott. “As a franchise owner, we kept coming back to our core values. How do we want to manifest this in the business? Toastique helps us manifest that. We’ve been very busy this whole time, but we’ve enjoyed every second. That is because we can talk about the business at the dinner table and it doesn’t feel like we are talking about work.”

Scott and Laura’s story is not just one of entrepreneurial spirit but also a reflection of their life values and aspirations for the community.

“The Toastique team couldn’t be more thrilled to have such passionate advocates like Scott and Laura on board,” said Brianna Keefe, Founder and CEO of Toastique. "This is a great way to open a chic, inviting café featuring healthy, all-natural foods. For those passionate about health and wellness and desiring to serve their community, the time has never been better to join the Toastique family.”