Lemonade Makes the Very Obvious Pivot to Poke Bowls

Just when one thought Los Angeles was at full poke capacity, a very major player in the city’s fast casual scene hopped on to the raw fish bandwagon. Lemonade, the restaurant chain known for its cafeteria-style seasonal menu of salads and sides, has launched a set of poke bowls to its menu.

Reps for the restaurant suggest that “poke newbies” go for the spicy tuna or Ahi tuna and avocado options. There’s also a “not so ordinary poke” in the wild salmon and Ahi dish with toasted coconut, white corn, Thai spices, and Maui onions. Solid move from a business point of view, but perhaps a bit too on the nose.

With 28 locations across California, Lemonade just adds another drop to the bucket of poke restaurants that have proliferated across the LA area. There seems to be no end to the number of poke shops opening in Los Angeles. But the real question is, how sustainable is this poke bubble, for both restaurants and, more importantly, the fish itself.

• Eight Great New-School Poké Places in Los Angeles [ELA]