In June of 2017, April and her husband Brian Sellers moved from Columbus, MS to Meridian. Shortly after moving here, April was missing home and especially missing a local meal prep service she used in Columbus. That’s how
Clean Plate
was born! April turned something that was a necessity to her into something she could help others with.
On January 18th of this year, they just celebrated their 2nd birthday in their new location on 1101 B Street in downtown Meridian. I sat down with April last week to see how business was going and do a little Q&A.
When you first got started, you were only offering delivery—correct?
“Yes. I cooked twice a week, took pre-orders twice a week, and delivered twice a week! We grew so fast that I decided we needed a store front so that we could serve more people daily. We still offer local, FREE delivery Tuesday through Friday for those who want us to bring the yummy food to them! We will deliver to your home, school, office, etc.”
Now that you have a store front, what has changed?
“Having a store front has brought new challenges and a big learning curve for us! We now have a lot more interaction with our customers and have been able to reach more people who had never heard of us.”
What advice do you have for someone looking into opening their own business?
“This is not for the faint of heart. Owning a restaurant has a lot of legal things that most don’t think about! There is the Health Department, State Regulations, etc. that we had to meet. But if you can barrel through it—it’s so worth it in the end. Since Christmas, I have worked 7 days a week and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
What’s your favorite part about owning Clean Plate?
“I get a good cry at least once a week when someone comes and tells me that I’ve changed their life by changing their health. People tell me that by changing to clean eating and eating my food, I have helped lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, their diabetes are easier to control, and they sleep better. This is why I do what I do! Helping people get their health back makes all of the hard work worth it.”
Even though owning her own business has brought new challenges and learning curves, April couldn’t see herself doing anything else. We think that’s a win-win because she is doing what she loves, and making us food that is SO delicious and good for you! April you rock and Meridian is lucky to have you!