Strong Hearts Cafe will bring its eclectic vegan food to the Hill when it adds a new location in Marshall Square Mall.

The new location is slated to open by Dec. 1, said Devan Coon, a manager at Strong Hearts Cafe’s location on East Genesee Street. The store will primarily accept to-go orders to accommodate for the store’s small dining space and the high volume of traffic Coon expects to see from Syracuse University students and nearby hospitals. He said the cafe would like to open the new location as soon as possible and has set a target date for December.

The store will also feature a smaller menu, with “quickly prepared items” such as salads, sandwiches, the cafe’s famous milkshakes and a new smoothie menu that is unavailable at its main location, Coon said. He added that the store’s menu may expand in the future to offer breakfast options.

“It will be a focus on getting people in and out as fast as possible,” Coon said. “It’s very busy in that location for lunch and stuff with the hospital and SU being very close.”

The cafe will occupy the space formerly owned by Syra-Juice Juice Bar & Eatery. In June, Syra-Juice was seized by New York state for not paying almost $3,000 in sales tax. Syra-Juice owner Leah Davis paid the taxes and said she planned to reopen the store shortly after. Coons said the store was closed a few months ago.

Davis still maintained a lease at the location after Syra-Juice closed, Coon said, adding that Strong Hearts Cafe had wanted to expand for a few years and saw the space as a “great opportunity.”

Coon said the hours at the Marshall Square Mall location will be more limited than the other location. The new location will most likely close by 7 p.m., earlier than Strong Hearts Cafe’s main store, he said. The store is currently hiring for both part-time and full-time positions.

“I’m excited myself because I’ve been a manager here for two years,” Coon said. “We wanted to expand and we felt like it was time.”

Published on November 11, 2013 at 11:34 pm

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu