IU student opening restaurant

New Jersey native Joshua Gold came to Indiana to study business three years ago. Now the junior is putting school on hold to start his own business -- Mixed Greens Restaurant and Juicery. \nAfter working at a small pool cleaning business last summer, Gold decided it was time for him to try his hand in an entrepreneurial role since he had been interested in business for many years. \n"I decided I was motivated enough and dedicated enough to start my own business," Gold said. "The question was where to start."\nAfter recalling several instances of not being able to find a healthy restaurant in Bloomington, Gold began to consider how he could possibly improve that aspect of the city. \n"I could not name a healthy eatery that delivered great-tasting food," he said. \nThen on the advice of his mother, Gold sampled a new salad restaurant that had recently opened near his home in Manalapan, N.J. Gold was instantly hooked and approached the owners about possibly opening up a location in Bloomington.\n"Two weeks later I presented them with a business plan and explained my goals and where I saw the business going, as well as the opportunity I had with the networking of being a college student," he said.\nOnce Gold began to set the groundwork for opening the restaurant, he was presented with the opportunity to open his own place or buy into a franchise like Mixed Greens. Gold, however, thought Mixed Greens would offer everything he wanted in a Bloomington restaurant.\n"I wanted to deliver great-tasting food that was healthy for you and upon consuming did not leave you feeling down, rather left you feeling energetic and a 'good' full," he said. "I wanted to offer food where you can order any way you wish and it is prepared fresh."\nGold, 21, is now scheduled to open the second installment of Mixed Greens May 10 in Bloomington at 601 N. College Ave. under the Tenth & College building. Gold said the busy area of town would be a great location for a new restaurant.\n"I live on College Avenue and saw the heavy traffic volume, the proximity of downtown apartment complexes as well as the courthouse and town hall," he said.\nGold is putting school on hold while he focuses his attention on his new duty as the owner of Mixed Greens. \n"I put finishing my Indiana degree on hold while I venture into this business," he said. "School will always be there but the opportunity for this I saw as being now."\nGold is the sole proprietor of the new restaurant which is being funded by his family, mainly by his father who took over a residential and commercial burglar and fire alarm company more than 20 years ago.\nMixed Greens will offer everything from omelets, protein pancakes, yogurt parfaits, energy wraps and muffins to soups, wraps, smoothies, fresh squeezed juices and wheat grass shots. The menu will also include a variety of salads, each one served with heated pita bread, which can be used to make a pita pocket salad. \nThe goal of Mixed Greens is to provide a place to eat great-tasting food without worrying about what's being added to the food, he said. \n"After you eat our food, you won't get thirsty because we don't add salt, you won't get heartburn because nothing is fried, and you won't get tired because everything has protein," he said.\nMixed Greens will offer full local delivery and upon approval, will accept Campus Access along with all major credit cards and cash.\nGold's future plans include opening other locations in Bloomington as well as in other college towns where students are looking for a healthy place to eat and don't have many healthy options.\n"I have been told of plenty of areas in the Midwest that have patrons interested in healthy eating but are not offered a restaurant that satisfies their demand and my goal is to fill their needs," he said.\nA few of Gold's friends are currently planning on opening a third location of Mixed Greens at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Like Gold, they enjoy the idea of a healthy place to eat and see the potential the restaurant can hold.\n"I don't see healthy eating as a trend," Gold said. "I see it as the eating movement of the future"