How Heart Beet Happened

As you may already know, Heart Beet is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Ocean City.  For this reason, I decided to interview co-owner Kelsey Coyne. I wanted to know more about her and the restaurant itself. Here is how the interview went:

Let's start off with an introduction. What is your name and where are you from?

• My name is Kelsey Coyne, I originally am from Northfield and was an OC lifeguard for 5 years which is why OC was where we choose to put Heart Beet. Now I live in Haddon Heights, NJ and ocean city in the summers.

What is your education history?

• I went to Mainland High School and then went off to West Virginia University to study forensic science.  Going into my junior year I switched majors to marketing and with minors in communication and public relations. 

Are you yourself vegan? When did you make the switch and why?

• I switched to being vegan about 3 years ago and about a year ago I switched to vegetarian. I was a bodybuilder and after eating so much chicken and fish I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore and decided to become vegan. I switched to vegetarian because I noticed I wasn’t eating protein during the days so I added in eggs. I still don’t drink milk or dairy but I eat eggs and occasionally cheese.

Have you always dreamed of opening a restaurant?

• My sister Ashley started heart beet Westmont. I was extremely unhappy with my job so I quit and worked for my sister. I told her we should open one in OC and we did. My mom and stepdad have two restaurants so we are used to working in the business. But to answer your question no, I was hoping to not be in the restaurant business.

When did you first open Heart Beet in Ocean City, what made you choose this location?

• In all honesty, the location was a last resort. We had our eye on two other properties and offers in on one before the deal fell through and then the other location was a battle. This was our only choice and last summer it was small and not ideal but this summer we expanded and are working with what we have. Each year we will make improvements until it’s exactly how we want it.

What are your main goals and biggest aspirations for Heart Beet?

• My main goal is to have it where everyone can come and get what they want and never have to worry. I want it to be one of the top vegan restaurants on the east coast and for people to travel to come to us. I want heart beet to be a known name.

How is Heart Beet committed to the environment and conservation?

• Being a restaurant is hard as it is to be environmentally safe but we try our best. We recycle what we can, we use paper straws, compostable containers, plates, and utensils. 

How has Ocean City specifically helped your business?

• Ocean City gives us a new crowd of people to target every day, every week and every month. It’s a town where you won’t have regulars because they are only there for a short period of time.

What is your favorite menu item (both food and smoothie)?

• Favorite food is the buffalo cauliflower sandwich and smoothie is a toss-up between the Cookie Monster and cinnamon roll.

Do you think your customers are predominately vegan, or do you think there is a lot of diversity?

• It’s rarely vegans who come in. It’s always a variety of people. Mostly gluten-free but we do get a few vegans. It’s mostly people just looking to eat healthily.

I feel like this interview really gave me insight into Kelsey Coyne and her journey to opening Heart Beet. I think it is very important to get to know your local businesses, especially your favorites! I am very glad to have all this information about Heart Beet and will keep it in mind every time I visit.