On Friday, Sept. 19, downtown Auburn welcomed Southern Greens at its grand opening. The new bodega features customizable menu items and ready-made meals all with a focus on health and wellness.
The owner of Southern Greens, who prefers to stay anonymous, drew inspiration from northern bodegas and aimed to incorporate aspects of places like Trader Joe’s and Cava into their café. The market offers convenient ready-made meals, similar to Trader Joe’s, as well as custom, freshly prepared dishes like Cava.
“We don't have to have the name Cava or Trader Joes to provide that same thing that people want,” the owner said.
Southern Greens has connections with Boulangerie, a bakery that was previously located downtown but has since moved to permanently reside in Opelika. The Southern Greens owner worked with Boulangerie and recognized that their customers loved the soups and sandwiches on the bakery menu, so they decided to bring them to Southern Greens.
The new store's menu consists of customizable salads, smoothies and sandwiches, as well as other set menu items. Refrigerators line one wall by the front door, stocked with pre-made dishes for customers to grab on the go or prepare at home.
The interior of Southern Greens is bright and inviting and contains pops of color and greenery throughout. Students sit at large tables with laptops and eat lunch from the café. Originally, the name was going to be “Urban Greens,” but the owner decided against it, wanting to design it with more of a southern feel.
A colorful illustration with bold gold and white letters featured on the front window of new Downtown Auburn restaurant, Southern Greens, which reads “Grand Opening.” Taken on Sept. 18, 2025.
“We changed it to Southern Greens and made it look like a front porch," said the owner.
Southern Greens also offers meal plans tailored to students, in addition to dine-in and to-go options. Students can get plans through the restaurant by the semester, with options ranging from unlimited access to set plans. Meal plans cover both custom-made dishes and prepackaged meals from the refrigerators. The café also features a special tailgate menu available for order for game days.
These flexible plans truly cater to busy college students, as they provide a space for them to come and enjoy a delicious meal catered to all different kinds of appetites and preferences.
Looking ahead, the owner hopes to grow their meal plan program enough to begin donating plans to elderly and underprivileged Auburn residents. They also plan to host monthly Sunday vendor markets, giving local vendors a chance to set up pop-up shops inside the café. The space will be free for vendors to use as long as they order food during the event.
Southern Greens offers all employees the option to open their own franchise under the main management with no money down. By doing this, Southern Greens hopes to provide a space where they can support and empower their staff.
“Dreams by Fleetwood Mac,” a Southern Greens employee said when asked what the theme song for the store would be.
The most popular menu items include their custom options, as well as their wraps, with the chicken caesar wrap being one of the more popular items. The owner's favorite is their spicy ranch grilled chicken wrap, inspired by popular seafood boils.
“Picture seasoned boil butter combined with ranch, that’s what our spicy ranch is,” the owner said when describing the dish.
With its customizable options, healthy food and plans for outreach, Southern Greens isn’t just providing a space for Auburn residents but is also aiming to become a fun and healthy gathering place for the community.
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