Candace Kovar had been practicing psychotherapy for six years, but online sessions during the Covid pandemic left her feeling “really burnt out from it.”
So she and her husband, Austin, also a therapist, accelerated their plans to delve into entrepreneurship. She grew up working in her family’s Jet’s Pizza franchises but wanted something different.
When her search led to Washington, D.C.–based Toastique, “I got goosebumps. It was an intuitive gut feeling that this is the ride we’re supposed to be on.” Though the couple are based in Livonia, downtown Ann Arbor seemed to her the optimal site for Michigan’s first franchise of the gourmet toast and juice bar chain. It opened in August in a wide-windowed vintage storefront (most recently a T-
Mobile outlet) at the corner of E. Washington and Fourth Ave.
“It was just so bright, so vibrant,” Kovar says of her initial impression of the company founded in 2018. “Everything was clean. I loved that it was founded by a young woman. I love the team. I loved everything about it.”
Founder Brianna Keefe was on hand for the launch, telling the Observer that the pandemic only proved the viability of the concept, as consumer demand for their healthy offerings, such as ginger shots, made clear. The brand, named to evoke a boutique feel and provide a unique search term, began its expansion to owner-operated franchises outside the D.C. area in 2021.
Core to the menu are the eight topped toast offerings spanning six types of bread (including a gluten-free option). They range from the bruschetta-like tomato burrata to smoked salmon to the “PB Crunch”—house-made peanut butter with fruits, granola, honey, and more on walnut-raisin toast.
There’s also an assortment of fruit and granola bowls starting at $13, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, coffee and tea drinks, overnight oats, collagen iced lattes, and wellness shots. Frog Holler Produce supplies many of their fresh ingredients.
Kovar is keen to address the skeptics whose comments she’s seen online. “I’m open to anybody thinking, like, ‘Okay, $15 for an Avocado Smash?’” she says. “And I will defend it left and right. You can see our quality ingredients, the time and energy we put into every single item we make here.
“It is a little bougie. But it is so worth it. And it’s good for you.”
Toastique, 200 E. Washington. (734) 585–5965. Daily 7 a.m.–5 p.m. toastique.com/ann-arbor