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Luxury dessert lounge sips into college

The youth-market concept serves handcrafted fare and drinks inspired by flavors from all over the world.

January 29, 2014 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The words "luxury" and "college student" don't often go together, but Dlush, a luxury beverage and treat lounge, is hoping to tempt students at the University of California San Diego with its new flagship location that opened there last week on campus.

The "youth-market drink and treat concept" serves handcrafted drinks and fare inspired by flavors from all over the world, Dlush founder and CEO Jeffery Adler said. They include XTC, fresh-squeezed orange juice, strawberries and bananas mixed with pineapple sherbet; Thai Iced Tea, half and half poured over sweetened Thai tea; and the Dulce de Leche Latte. Click here to see a variety of menu items.

The chain, which now has nine locations, also serves a variety of fast casual menu items that meet consumers' demand for both rich and healthier choices, Adler said. Options include salads, fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, a Tofu melt and several desserts, including ice cream options and Vava Balls, fried doughnuts rolled in sugar.

"Since the introduction of Dlush in 2001, our goal has been to create a youth movement that inspires youth to discover and share their innate greatness through acts of social responsibility," Adler said. "We are honored to have been selected to be in the heart of the campus."

The new 2,000-square-foot lounge isn't just about making a profit, said Adler, who is proud of the brand's partnership with the campus because it strives to feature "socially innovative" businesses. For example, Dlush is rolling out the The Dare to Dream Foundation, which gives a drink to a needy kid for every drink purchased. The company is seeking to distribute drinks to a set of pillars including kids in music, entertainment, sports and education but that doesn't mean it won't circulate drinks to kids outside that realm, Adler said. What is not distributed physically will be given via gift cards.

Adler wants Dlush to be a place where people connect, so he has specifically designed it to inspire people to "dream and live big." The campus flagship lounge is a social affair, he said, with tabletop whiteboards, chalkboard surfaces and iPad docking stations to enable students to share and exchange.

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About Cherryh Cansler

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Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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