Mellow Mushroom Brings Its Tasty Pizzas (And Much More) To Wellington Story by Chris Felker • Photos by Julie Unger
Much to the delight of the crowds that swarmed the restaurant for its grand opening, Mellow Mushroom has opened its new Wellington location. It couldn’t have come soon enough for the folks who were peering through the windows and knocking on the door for weeks before the March 16 opening, said Sean Russell, co-owner of the Atlanta-based chain’s third location in Palm Beach County. Located along Forest Hill Blvd. in front of the Mall at Wellington Green, Mellow Mushroom is a wide-open, bright eatery filled with enticing scents wafting through the air. “We were unbelievably overwhelmed,” Sean said of Mellow Mushroom’s opening days. “It was a very big turnout.” 88 may 2015 | wellington the magazine
“Wellington has been waiting a long time,” added his wife Kathy, co-owner of the restaurant. The couple, originally from Columbus, Ohio, were new to the restaurant business and the area. They had to not only learn the business and Mellow Mushroom’s systems for sales and marketing, but also hire staff, participate in their training, choose a design for the 5,000-square-foot space, then put all the pieces together. The result is meant to be an inviting, comfortable space. “It was designed to be a very rich, high-end barn,” Sean said. “So when people walk in, it makes them feel just warm and comfortable, like they don’t want to leave.” There are reminders of equestrian sports everywhere one looks, to carry
through the theme. Kathy researched décor and found artists to help them achieve their vision, which Sean said the chain then “mellowizes.” “Mellow Mushroom has an entire art department to bring the look and the feel of the community into your restaurant. No two are alike,” Kathy explained. “Our art director came in, looked around and said, ‘This place makes me feel like it’s hugging me.’” The first thing that draws your eye is the huge, colorful equestrian mural with riders and horses stretching the length an entire wall above the windows, but there are hints everywhere of the area’s fascination with life in the saddle. The same Clearwater-area artist who created the mural on canvas in his stu-