DEEP DIVE
Trendy poke bowl restaurant to debut in San Antonio with 10 locations
Pokeworks is opening 10 area locations.
San Antonio is set to welcome a major expansion of Pokeworks, a rapidly growing poke restaurant chain from California. A new franchise deal will bring 10 locations of the popular Hawaiian bowl eatery to Alamo City within two years, marking the first Pokeworks storefronts in the area.
Motivated by a shared love of Hawaiian flavors, a group of friends founded Pokeworks in 2015. Like similar chains, it focuses on build-your-own rice bowls and salads customized with sustainable seafood and toppings like seaweed, edamame, and sesame seeds. The ingredients can also be stuffed inside a trendy poke burrito.
In addition to the raw fish dishes, the restaurant serves hot plates like charred teriyaki salmon and barbecued huli huli chicken. The plates come with sides like furikake macaroni salad and can be beefed up with add-ons like garlic Spam musubi.
According to a press release, the locations will be run by former Olympic swimmer Agustin Guzman. The entrepreneur is also developing several outposts in the Rio Grande Valley.
"I've experienced success across varying industries, but what sets Pokeworks apart is their momentum — it's a high-performing brand that's constantly improving, innovating, and growing," said Guzman, via the release.
Pokeworks operates almost 70 locations spread throughout the United States, Taiwan, and Canada, with plans to expand to Mexico. Its current growth trajectory will almost double the number of stores.
The chain has put down Texas roots in Houston, Dallas, and El Paso, but the closest Pokeworks to San Antonio are currently in the Austin area. The press release did not share which areas of the city the business is targeting.
