South Jersey Woman Makes Her Mark In Healthy Fast Food

Deb Lutz was the first female to open a franchise of the b.good healthy fast-food chain. She did it in Marlton in 2014. The next year she opened a b.good in  Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.Two weeks ago, she began serving b.good burgers, salads, smoothies and fries in a new Mt. Laurel franchise.

Deb Lutz’s b.good franchise in Mt. Laurel. Photo: Courtesy b.good

Only about 20 percent of all U.S. food franchises are owned by women. Counting the b.good unit Lutz plans to open in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this summer, she will own four of the Massachusetts-based chain’s 32 locations. She is b.good’s only female franchise owner and has exclusive rights to the brand in the greater Philadelphia area.

“Yeah,” she says. “It’s just me and the guys.”

Launched in Boston in 2003 by childhood friends Anthony Olinto and Jon Ackil, b.good aims to make fast food healthy and tasty while using local ingredients, making dishes from scratch and keeping prices affordable.

Menu items, including the veggie burger, at b.good. Photo: Courtesy b.good

The simple menu, which changes 6 or 7 times a year, offers kale and grain bowls ($9.59) filled with fresh veggies, proteins and cheeses ($8.49-$8.99); burgers and sandwiches ($6.99-$7.49); smoothies ($5.99); and sides ($2.99-$5.29) such as hand-cut fries and crisp veggies, all made with locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible.

The crispy sweet-potato fries at all three of Lutz’s present shops are made from spuds from Spina & Sons farm in Salem; spinach and spring mix for salads from Dan Graiff farms in Vineland; and buns baked by Wildflower Bakery in Philadelphia.

“We are even hyper-local,” says Lutz, “with indoor or outdoor herb gardens at each location.”

These provide ingredients for the yogurt sauce, dressings, bowls like the curry and grilled avocado, the citrus salad and a three-greens smoothie.

Lutz entered the food business with little experience “other than just loving to eat,” she says. She grew up in Marlboro and Holmdel, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and went on to a 20-year corporate career in branding and product development.

“I decided I wanted to do something more connected to the community,” she says, “but I had no retail experience and thought a franchise would give me a blueprint.”

Many years of preparing healthy meals for her husband and two daughters, who are now teenagers, made her receptive to the b.good concept.

“I believe the community has welcomed b.good so whole-heartedly,” she says, “because we offer a fast, but healthier, alternative for people with a busy lifestyle who care about what they eat.”

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