Fresh owner Bill Conroy has owned the Sierra Vista restaurant for 10 years. After not being successful in selling the business, Conroy has decided to close the eatery.
Fresh owner Bill Conroy has owned the Sierra Vista restaurant for 10 years. After not being successful in selling the business, Conroy has decided to close the eatery.
MARK LEVY HERALD/REVIEW
Bill Conroy stocks the Fresh cooler with drinks prior to opening last week in the Plaza Vista Mall.
Photos By MARK LEVY HERALD/REVIEW
Sierra Vista’s Fresh is closing down. The restaurant’s final day of business will be July 1.
SIERRA VISTA — As of next week, the restaurant Fresh will officially close its doors to the public at the Plaza Vista Mall.
Owner Bill Conroy has been running the business for the past 10 years and is looking to move to a new path. Conroy got started in the food business to allow for alternative food options that provided variety.
“I wanted a salad that was quick and not a Chili’s or Applebee’s sized portion,” Conroy said, “but not a McDonald’s salad so I wanted something in between. There was nothing to really find that was available and I figured how we can do something like this.”
Fresh has been sale for six months and despite there being interest from prospective buyers, Conroy said there’s been no official bites. He is selling his restaurant equipment.
“I think restaurants are difficult to run right now,” Conroy said. “They have been for a couple of years.”
Conroy explained that labor and supply chain issues, along with inflation, are indubitably reasons why an entrepreneur may be reluctant to start up a business at this time.
July 1 is the official last day for Fresh. The idea originated as a food truck concept and initially made its home base at The Mall at Sierra Vista before its current spot at the Plaza Vista Mall.
“Running the business at the mall is a lot like running the business in the food truck,” Conroy said. “The kitchen is small and everything outside of you is taken care of for you by somebody else so you figure out how to make that process work.”
Fresh’s menu consists of a variety of paninis, wraps, salads, soups and smoothies. The Sierra Vista Turkey Guac is known as a customer favorite. Conroy said there was a lot of time spent on fine tuning the sandwich recipe, which became a hit.
After volunteering at Buena High School, Conroy started teaching and learned that education is a path he wanted to take. Aside from being a small business owner, Conroy teaches business courses to students and wants to continue working in education.
However difficult times can be during economic cycles, Conroy encouraged prospective entrepreneurs to make momentum in starting up the business.
“It’s easier than you think,” Conroy said. “I think more people need to do it. I think people just get scared but as long as you can organize things in your mind and be nice to people, it’s not that hard to do.”
Conroy used to operate a pet store in Sierra Vista and is always open to new opportunities.
“I would never say never to anything,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do next, I get restless and come up with ideas and do different things.”
Conroy said he wishes he could see Fresh continue its operations with the extraordinary customer support it has but said it is time to close.
Fresh originally was going to have a rice and noodle concept in an adjoining space connected to the restaurant, but Conroy said it didn’t take off and he closed it in 2020.
Manager Jessie Plutchak has been working at Fresh for the last four and a half years. She found a Facebook post one day where Fresh advertised that it was hiring and she has been with the establishment since.
“It’s a really neat idea being a healthier place in Sierra Vista,” Plutchak said. “I really enjoy working with Bill, he’s been really good to me.”
After Fresh closes, Plutchak plans to attend college in the fall and hopes to work for another locally-owned business if she stays in the food service industry. She said what she will miss most about the job is the regular customers.
“I’ve really gotten to know everyone, all of our regulars here,” she said. “It’ll be unfortunate not to see them every day.”
