Two Atlanta locals are opening a meal prep service storefront in Atlanta this spring.
Shane Lucas and Sam Stowell are looking to open Project LeanNation (PLN), a meal prep service, at 701 Highland Avenue in Inman Park by the end of April. In addition to other services, the store will offer healthy, ready-to-eat and chef-prepared meals that will be available to buy in bulk or a la carte.
“You can order a variety of meals every week, pick them up, put them in the microwave, put them in the oven, put them in the air-fryer – it just makes it really simplistic,” Stowell said in an interview with Rough Draft Atlanta.
PLN differs from other meal prep or meal service kits in that it has brick and mortar stores all over the country. That community aspect is something that initially drew Stowell and Lucas to the business and made them consider opening their own store. Lucas said that while PLN functions as a meal prep service, the store provides an extra layer of togetherness.
“I think COVID really taught a lot of people that we can do things solo,” Lucas said. “Sure we can do it alone, but there’s so much more joy and so much more longevity when you do it together. Part of the brick and mortar is that’s a space for you to come and do this.”
Lucas and Stowell met in 2020 during a Barry’s Atlanta workout class – Stowell was taking, Lucas was teaching. Lucas had not yet moved to Atlanta, but the two are both part of the LGBTQ+ community and had some mutual friends. They hit it off quickly.
“The [LGBTQ+] community is very small and connected,” Lucas said. “So when you know one person, you know four people. You really use those networks and connections to further a friendship.”
At the time, Lucas lived in Charlotte, NC, which is where he became aware of PLN.
“I really loved the culture, the community, just the overall experience of what the brand offered,” Lucas said. “When I moved here, I just didn’t quite find that.”
Before Lucas moved to Atlanta in 2021, Stowell found himself often driving up to Charlotte to visit. While there, he also took an interest in PLN. It got to the point where he was shuffling meals back home after his trips, hoping they would keep in his car over the roughly four-hour drive.
“I started bringing meals back from Charlotte to Atlanta because they were so good,” Stowell said. “I was just like, we have nothing like this in Atlanta.”
So, the two decided to change that. They started thinking about the possibility of opening a PLN in Atlanta in early 2021, but it wasn’t until May of 2022 that things really started in earnest. And almost a year later, they’re just about ready to open.
Inside the store itself, patrons will be able to shop for meals, enjoy an in-store smoothie bar, and use technology called an InBody scanner, which tracks things such as weight, muscle mass, and other factors. Store employees will also be available to patrons to help connect them to whatever they might be looking for when it comes to their personal health goals, whether that be a workout class or a nutritionist in the city.
“We have people who can help you if you’re just starting your process with learning how to eat healthier,” Stowell said. “It makes it just a little more unique of an approach than ordering meals every week, getting them dropped off, and then that’s about it.”
When it comes to the PLN meals themselves, Shane said the focus is on protein.
“We believe a colorful plate is a healthy plate,” Lucas said. “Protein is a source and a tool to help fuel the body. That’s what we want our food to be, is fuel – we don’t want it to be punishment, we don’t want you to think you can’t eat something. We want to just educate you in a way to sustain your body.”
Food is only part of the focus, however. Both Stowell and Lucas emphasized how important the community aspect of PLN is to both of them.
“It’s a container to educate and connect people together,” Lucas said about the store. “The food is a great source, and we want it to bring people in the door. But what we want to also offer is, we have our connection to the community and we can help you find what you’re looking for.”
PLN is expected to open in Atlanta on April 29. The store will also offer a Founding Member’s discount, where the first 100 people to sign up will receive a lifetime discount. Starting March 18, those interested can use this link to sign up.
