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Local Gainesville business owner Melanie Floyd believes she found the key to success by creating an innovative business plan for her restaurant, Gainesville Hub. The restaurant is now in its second year and is thriving.
She believes the key was creating an environment that not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, but also a culture that sets her apart from her competitors.
Floyd, 34, opened the local nutrition restaurant in early 2022 with her husband Manuel “Manny” Floyd, 39. Their goal was to start a business that combined their passion for nutrition and fitness with a loving culture based on building personal connections with people. their customers and staff.
“Protein bars are everywhere,” she said. “This culture is very hard to find, especially in Gainesville. It’s the love, the love of being different, that makes us different. I saw this as an opportunity to make a difference in the community.”
Located on Southwest Second Street in downtown Gainesville, the Gainesville Hub offers a welcoming environment to relax, study, and enjoy a variety of dining options. You can find classic protein shakes and protein smoothies in a variety of flavors. Both are meal replacements. Acai bowls, churros, and waffles are made to the customer’s wants and needs, with multiple fruits, drizzles, and toppings to choose from.
Once through the door, customers are greeted by a hopscotch drawing on the ground and directed to a service counter. They are always greeted with “How are you doing?” Tell me,” Floyd said, as if he had known them all his life. That’s the kind of culture she promotes in her own business.
“It’s a culture that we’ve created,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about. Apart from this being our business, we don’t think of people as transactions. We see people.”
Brittany Jones, 23, a University of Florida graduate, frequented the Gainesville hub during her college years. She makes sure to visit every time she returns to Gainesville from West Chester, Pennsylvania.
“The shakes are delicious and healthy, so I really wanted to come back,” Jones said. “But I also did it because I love giving my business to great people.”
The Floyds are quick to point out that culture is important, but the products they sell have to be top-notch. In contrast to many other local nutrition businesses, Gainesville Hub offers a unique variety of foods that leave customers wanting more. This restaurant is known for its all-plant-based, high-protein, low-calorie menu.
Sophomore Emily Paraiso, 20, visits Gainesville Hub frequently because of its friendly environment and healthy food. She also credits them with promoting a healthy lifestyle.
“They’re very active in promoting healthy food options on social media,” Paraiso says. “They are happy to answer any questions about ingredients and focus on high-protein selections.”
Hamza Ahmed, 18, a college freshman, first visited the Gainesville hub after a friend recommended it. Now, she’s encouraged more of her friends to come along and have fun. “I understand Açai,” Ahmed said. “The waffles are delicious too.”
As a result of Floyd’s marketing-oriented business plan, total sales have increased from $120,000 in the first year to $300,000 in the past year.
Business plans are not always successful for families. Mr. and Mrs. Floyd began their business careers in their hometown of Miami.
She was an X-ray technician at a hospital, but decided that working life might not be for her. She and her husband decided to open a protein bar inside a boxing gym.
When COVID-19 hit, our business took a hit and we had to let go. Health is very important to families and that is what inspired this business idea.
“Nutrition leads to longevity,” she said. “You can have as much money as you want and have any career you want, but health is always important.”
With inflation rising, they saw an opportunity to give the nutrition business another try, but this time they wanted to try something new elsewhere.
“This was our ticket to doing something adventurous, so we sold our property, closed our eyes, picked a random location in Florida, and landed in Gainesville,” she said. .
Floyd received a lot of criticism from friends and family, who asked him why he would leave a stable job at a hospital to move to Gainesville. She said she decided to ignore their opinions and do what she wanted.
“I believed in ourselves,” Floyd said. “You can never follow other people’s opinions. Don’t let other people’s opinions determine your future. So we just went for it.”
After leaving behind their lives in Miami, the Floyds landed in Gainesville with no prior knowledge of the city. They wanted to live in a diverse college town. Floyd said he believes the energy of college students “feeds off.”
She also credits the city of Gainesville’s support for small businesses as a driving force in her decision to move there.
Success here didn’t happen overnight. As they started experimenting with recipes, they both contracted the coronavirus and lost their sense of taste. I had to rely on the help and advice of others to make sure the menu choices were delicious. Recipes take time to develop, and the popular acai bowl took nearly two years to perfect.
The success of the business allowed them to open a second restaurant called The Hub at Newbury on West Newbury Road. Gainzville Hub is best known as a husband-and-wife-run, family-friendly restaurant.
However, things changed as the couple had to manage both restaurants. Ms. Floyd focused on the Gainesville Hub, while her husband managed The Hub in Newberry. As a result, they recently decided to close their second location and reunite the husband-and-wife team.
“It was Manny and I who built it,” Floyd said. “We built this love, this family in our Gainesville hub, and the minute the second store opened, people felt uncomfortable that we weren’t there.”
In Floyd’s eyes, the ups and downs have been worth it for the Floyd family, he said, adding that the business has affected him “emotionally, financially, mentally and spiritually.”
Her husband said the business is also impacting their children’s lives.
“We had to learn how to run a business we had no experience with before,” he said. “Our children’s lives have been affected as well, and they have learned about hard work and how to run a business.”
Floyd said the goal is to have more in the future, adding: “We’re understanding more about determining location and demographics and understanding the financial aspects of it.” She hopes to open in other college towns as well.
As the business begins its second year, Floyd is looking forward to new adventures and partnerships, including opening on the UF campus.
“We want to leave a legacy by leading others and showing them the way,” Floyd said. “We also want the Gainesville Hub to be an opportunity to taste new things, feel good, and be more open to the health and wellness community.”
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