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A Class of ’19 alum designs the eateries in the health-conscious Sambazon chain, beloved for its açaí bowls and smoothies

By Melissa Newcomb

Among the many dining options at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport—the world’s busiest, with more than 108 million annual passengers—is an eye-catching storefront where the mounds of strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, and other fruits create a dramatic burst of color.

It’s an outpost of Sambazon, which sells health-conscious offerings like açaí bowls topped with fruit, granola, and nuts, as well as smoothies and energy drinks.

A bright yellow mango smoothie in a SAMBAZON cup with pineapples and mangos around the cup. — Sambazon makes smoothies, açaí bowls, and more.

An overhead view of four acai bowls with fruit, granola, coconut, and other toppings on them and around the bowls. — Sambazon makes smoothies, açaí bowls, and more.

The quick-service restaurants can also be found in numerous other airports, on college campuses, and even in a Major League Baseball park.

And one of the creative minds at their helm is Hotelie Amanda Friedman ’19, who helped turn Sambazon from a single, underperforming store near San Diego into a thriving chain—popular on social media, and with more than a dozen locations nationwide.

Friedman has helped turn Sambazon from a single, underperforming store near San Diego into a thriving chain.

“People want that healthy product,” says Friedman of the açaí—a dark purple berry, rich in antioxidants, that’s frozen and puréed to form the basis of bowls and smoothies. “They want something that’s delicious with fresh fruit instead of a prepackaged sandwich or a salad in a plastic box. Plus, it’s very Instagrammable.”

The SAMBAZON acai store instead John Wayne airport in Orange County, CA. — At John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA.

Friedman serves as director of design and development for the restaurants, whose other locations include MLB’s Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres); the University of Connecticut and UCLA; and airports in Miami, Orlando, Dallas–Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, and Toronto, its first international spot.

People want that healthy product. They want something that’s delicious with fresh fruit instead of a prepackaged sandwich or a salad in a plastic box.

“Everything that the customer sees, touches, hears, and feels while they’re in the store—that is me,” says Friedman, who’s based in Orlando, FL. “One of my favorite parts of the job is just traveling casually through an airport and seeing Sambazon. I say to myself, ‘Oh my God, that’s my store.’”

The counter at a SAMBAZON store, featuring containers of strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes as well as a pile of banana and dry toppings including granola. — Friedman designed the counter space inside all the stores.

Sambazon is short for Sustainable Management of the Brazilian Amazon—a nod to the source of the chain’s flagship ingredient.

As Friedman explains, the açaí is hand-harvested by local farmers, who climb the slender palm trees and cut down clusters of berries. The fruit is then transported on the Amazon River to one of Sambazon’s two processing facilities.

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One of my favorite parts of the job is just traveling casually through an airport and seeing Sambazon. I say to myself, ‘Oh my God, that’s my store.'

In addition to supplying its restaurants, the company also sells bulk açaí to major chains such as Tropical Smoothie Café and Joe & the Juice.

Its own line of frozen açaí products is carried by grocery stores including Costco, Whole Foods, and Publix.

Amanda Friedman smiles for a photo with Touchdown. — With Touchdown at Hotel Ezra Cornell ...

Amanda Friedman at commencement in her regalia with Professor Bruce Tracey. — ... and with Prof. Bruce Tracey at Commencement.

But Friedman’s focus is on Sambazon’s growing chain of in-person eateries—including seven new airport locations expected to open by July 2027.

“We pride ourselves on the ‘food theater’ experience: the fresh fruits, the dry toppings like granola—it’s all right on the counter,” she says. “Even the prep of washing and cutting the fruit is done in front of the customer.”

We pride ourselves on the ‘food theater’ experience: the fresh fruits, the dry toppings like granola—it’s all right on the counter.

Friedman’s passion for hospitality and customer service was sparked at an early age.

As a family legend has it: as a child visiting Walt Disney World, she walked into the swanky Grand Floridian resort toting a Mickey Mouse balloon, marched up to the front desk, and asked how she could get a job there.