Las Vegas Cafe Owner Takes Gluten Free Fast Food Idea to Shark Tank

Dina Mitchell was resolute in her quest to appear on "Shark Tank."

When asked why she believed she was an ideal candidate for the ABC series, she confidently responded, "Well, I know I am. For a fact."

Mitchell dedicated 15 years to building her reputation as the owner of Tropical Smoothie Cafes in Nevada and Southern California. In 2024, she introduced PowerSoul Cafe, a certified gluten-free fast-food concept, launching three locations across the Las Vegas valley.

Her journey to "Shark Tank" began with a video application in December of that year.

"As a female, you have hair and makeup, and you wanna look great," Mitchell explained. "And you’re a perfectionist on top of it, you know. I was shooting it sometimes, like, 20, 30, 40 times, where you’re just exhausted. Then you submit it, and they’re like, ‘OK, great. But we want you to redo it.’"

She estimates she repeated this process about eight times before satisfying the show's producers.

"I loved what I did with Tropical Smoothie, but I’m in love with PowerSoul Cafe," she said. "Because what I did is, I took everything I knew and did successfully, and I took it apart and put it all back together, rethinking every single step."

After selling her Tropical Smoothie Cafe interests in 2015, Mitchell spent five years traveling the world and conducting research. Being gluten-free by choice, she realized the scarcity of true gluten-free options, especially in the fast-food sector.

The turning point came in New Zealand, where gluten-free food "was just a part of everyday life, and they did it so beautifully," she noted.

During the COVID lockdowns, Mitchell immersed herself in her kitchen, learning traditional recipes and converting them into gluten-free vegan versions. If that wasn't feasible, she aimed for gluten-free adaptations, which worked for most recipes.

Once her vision crystallized, Mitchell created a financial spreadsheet.

"I put it all in and literally my heart beat out of my chest where I had to turn off my computer and go lay down. I was like, ‘Holy blank, I blank did it,’" she recounted. "‘This is it. This is a billion-dollar idea.’"

Realizing such ambitious ideas comes with significant costs.

"Our pizzas are made with ingredients imported from Italy that are grown without pesticides," Mitchell explained. "Our fresh mozzarella is made from small little farms all over Europe — some farms as little as just 10 cows grazing on grass without pesticides — produced Old World-style without citric acid."

The commitment to recyclable, reusable, and compostable packaging adds to the expense, as does ensuring products are "certified gluten-free."

"Oats grow next to wheat. Even though they’re naturally gluten-free, I can’t buy those oats," Mitchell elaborated. "I have to make sure that they are certified gluten-free, they are not grown next to wheat, that they’re also … not made on equipment that’s shared with wheat."

These stringent standards triple her ingredient costs, but Mitchell believes it's worth it to provide a safe dining option for people with celiac disease and other autoimmune conditions.

"People with food disabilities deserve a safe place to eat, and that is what I’m doing," she stated. "And I’m doing it 24 hours a day with a drive-thru."

Mitchell advanced to the final "Shark Tank" cut but was placed on the show's standby list. Producers indicated they would reach out if other entrepreneurs couldn't participate.

"It didn’t feel real," she said of the initial rejection. "It didn’t feel like that was the end result."

Determined, Mitchell offered to wait in the show's green room, ready with her products, every day of shooting, hoping for an opportunity.

Her persistence paid off. Mitchell's episode was recorded in June and is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. on April 15.

Regardless of the outcome with the show's investors, she's excited to expand awareness of her brand.

"In my mind, God doesn’t give away billion-dollar companies," Mitchell said. "You have to work for it."