La Mesa Souplantation Revival Scraps Old Location and Adult Day Care Collaboration

The long-awaited and long-debated La Mesa Souplantation-concept restaurant revival is taking a dramatic turn from previous plans.

The woman behind the business idea, Hannah Romita, told NBC 7 that the business will no longer be opening in the building that once housed La Mesa's official Souplantation restaurant — and it will also no longer share space with an adult day care center.

The business has split completely from Golden Life Adult Day Health Care Center, according to Romita. The restaurant's original concept featured a day care center for older adults which would open in the morning, close by afternoon, and open as a restaurant for the remainder of the day.

Despite the split, Romita is continuing with the business idea, planning to open in a new spot in the La Mesa or El Cajon area. As of January 2023, Romita is searching for the restaurant's new location.

Romita was previously business partners with Dmitry Braverman, who works with Golden Life Adult Day Health Care Center. NBC 7 reached out Braverman about the split, but he declined to comment.

When is the Souplantation concept restaurant opening?

"As soon as we get the lease, as soon as we sign the building. From there, it's going to be fast," she answered. "It's going to be nine months from the day we sign the building," Romita said.

"When I started my business the first time, it was here in El Cajon. That's where I planned," Romita said.

"Then I moved to La Mesa and in La Mesa I met the community that requested the business itself from me, in person, so this is why I didn't want to go far from here," Romita said. "For me, they are my priority."

When NBC 7 last spoke with Romita in September of 2022, the decades-old location needed a serious upgrade to meet modern building codes.

Menu changes

Unlike the original Souplantation, Romita's restaurant menu will be plant-based and vegetarian with a focus on healthy foods. They will keep the soups, ice cream and beverages, Romita said. The omission of meat is intended to keep the menu environmentally friendly and simple, Romita said. Cheese and eggs will still be included.

As Romita emphasized previously to NBC 7, a sense of "community" will be a heavy ingredient for the new restaurant.

Should the new business be successful, Romita would potentially be interested in franchising.

She feels specifically grateful to the followers of her Facebook page for the business.

"I want to thank the community on Facebook. They are following with me and they are understanding my steps and I'm just grateful for serving such an amazing, positive community," Romita added.