Dina Mitchell spent much of her career in the restaurant industry before starting PowerSoul Cafe. She worked for years as an operator and franchise owner tied to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, helping expand that system to hundreds of locations across the country. That experience shaped how she approached menu design, operations, and growth.
The idea for PowerSoul Cafe developed over time. Mitchell began working on the concept years before its launch, focusing on a menu built around gluten-free food and a mix of plant-based and other dietary options. She has said the project came from a desire to create a place that matched her own expectations for food and safety. Planning continued through the COVID-19 period, which influenced how she structured the business and its operations.
PowerSoul Cafe operates as a quick-service restaurant model. The menu centers on items such as smoothies, bowls, and prepared foods, with an emphasis on standardized ingredients and processes that can be repeated across locations. Mitchell drew on her earlier franchise experience to design a system that could scale through multiple stores rather than remain a single location.
The first locations were planned in Nevada, where Mitchell is based. Early growth followed a familiar pattern for restaurant ventures, with an initial rollout of a small number of stores and plans for additional openings. The concept was built with expansion in mind, including projections for a larger network of locations if demand supported it.
Public exposure added another layer. Mitchell brought the business to a wider audience through an appearance on Shark Tank, using that platform to present the concept and seek investment. That step reflected a shift from development into broader visibility, as the project moved from a long-planned idea toward a growing restaurant operation shaped by Mitchell’s background in franchise systems and food service.
