May 22, 2018
Honeygrow/Honeygrow
The new Honeygrow stirfry box, designed by Philadelphia street artist Amberella.
If you’re a fairly consistent customer at Philadelphia-based fast-casual chain Honeygrow, you may have noticed the stir-fry and salad franchise swapped traditional stir-fry boxes for disposable to-go bowls toward the end of last year.
The shift was met with some not-great responses from the noodle-loving community. Though Honeygrow noted that meal portions were the same whether served in a bowl or box, some customers simply weren’t convinced.
@honeygrow not a fan of the new to-go bowls. The noodles stick and they are pretty flimsy. Liked the box and pouring it into a plastic bowl. Stir-fry was still awesome as usual.
— Chris O'Connor (@CallMeCart) December 14, 2017
@honeygrow bowl doesn’t fill me, box was perfect #BringBackTheBox #andSCbbq
— Matt (@matt__7_) January 2, 2018
@honeygrow why did you guys take away the boxes and replace them with these tiny bowls!?!!!?!? There is way less food in the bowl than there was in the box yet the price stays the same. Im not wit it. 😤
— Cozy Jawn👼🏾 (@__TEYA___) May 9, 2018
Now the bowl era is over. Honeygrow announced Monday the chain’s “iconic” stir-fry box will return immediately, its debut coinciding with Honeygrow’s first-ever collaborative artist series.
The returned stir-fry boxes will be adorned with the work of various artists, beginning with work from Amberella, the woman behind Philly’s famous Goth and Power Hearts murals. Emblazoned on the sides of Honeygrow’s new stir-fry box will be one of Amberella’s hearts, “YOU GOT THIS” boldy written on the carton.
🖤 YOU GOT THIS 🖤
— honeygrow (@honeygrow) May 21, 2018
our iconic stir-fry box has returned to all locations, now featuring custom artwork by Philadelphia-based artist Amberella as part of our featured artist series. Learn more about Amberella + the return of the box on the blog: https://t.co/PvfvfE5ttP pic.twitter.com/Ze8jgxnQDc
“The ‘YOU GOT THIS’ Power Heart felt like the perfect fit for the stir-fry box,” Amberella said in an Q&A on the Honeygrow blog.
“Not only as a literal comment about your delicious Honeygrow in hand, but also as a positive affirmation to walk out the door with you for the rest of the day. I hope that people enjoy this literal pick me up.”
As the artist collaboration series continues, Honeygrow will tap artists in the chain’s other markets, which includes Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, and several other regions.
“I’ve long admired Amberella’s work on walls, tunnels, and alleys,” said Justin Rosenberg, CEO of Honeygrow, in a statement.
“It’s amazing how her art subtly touches the entire city with simplicity and boldness in both message and design, typically inspired by perseverance.”
Expect to see Amberella’s design at Honeygrow now through the next several months. You can also catch her work (and take a lot of selfies with it) at the Philly Pop Photo Exhibit, starting this weekend through July 8.
