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Can Kelly Roddy breathe new life into Saladworks?
Saladworks has faced its share of challenges over the last few years including a decline in sales, which was one reason it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015. The chain, however, has hired Kelly Roddy, former Schlotzsky's CEO, in hopes of turning things around.
August 22, 2019 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Saladworks has faced its share of challenges over the last few years including a decline in sales, which was one reason it filed forbankruptcy protection in 2015. The 92-unit chain — acquired by Centre Lane Partners for nearly $17 million the same year — has hired former Schlotzsky's CEO Kelly Roddy in hopes of turning things around. Centre Lane had first brought Patrick Sugrue on as president in 2016, and Roddy is ready to take the baton.
"Candidly, I think this is going to be a lot of fun," Roddy said during an interview with FastCasual. "Saladworks is perfectly positioned for growth. The brand has a strong foundation with a dedicated franchisee base and home office team. With healthy eating on the rise and consumers becoming more and more aware of the food they eat as part of their overall well-being, Saladworks is poised for explosive growth and to be a national success."
For Saladworks, it's about enhancement, said Roddy, whose focus will be on franchisee profitability and growth. He's on a mission to improve operations, increase top-line sales through menu and marketing and increase profitability through cost reduction and purchasing efficiencies.
"I am looking forward to helping bring on new and qualified franchisees that want to build Saladworks in growth markets as well as expanding our presence in non-traditional channels like airports, universities and grocery stores," he said. "We expect a 20% lift in store growth by the end of 2019, and will continue to see double digit growth in the coming years."
Saladworks has been implementing the latest technology tools to benefit customers and franchisees, including a state-of-the-art learning management system, enhanced online ordering platform and third-party delivery options.
"The proven Saladworks model positions franchisees for unit-store level profitability, volume expansion and tech advancement. We have plans to grow the brand unit count at high double-digit rates every year," Roddy said.
With nearly 20 stores slated to open by the end of the year and a continued partnership with nontraditional venues, such as airports and universities, Saladworks might pull it off under Roddy's leadership, considering that his tenure at Schlotzsky's brought 10 consecutive years of positive comp growth and repositioned the brand as Schlotzsky's Austin Eatery. The rebranding featured handcrafted food and beverage offerings, an eclectic design, and an emphasis on increasing accessibility through third-party delivery, catering, take-out and drive-thru efficiencies.
He contributed the success to great franchisee development and a team that focused on working on initiatives that matter.
"I spent some of my favorite years at Schlotzsky's and am proud to have worked on repositioning the brand from a sandwich deli chain to a high-quality eatery with more than twice the average volumes in sales," he said. "We focused on franchisee profitability and made the units stronger and better positioned for the customer of the future. After many years of growth and the roll out of the new Austin Eatery concept, the brand is poised for unprecedented growth. I'm proud of the franchisees and the team and am looking forward to their continued success."
Prior to his leadership in the restaurant space, Roddy led operations, sales and marketing at the San Antonio-based supermarket chain H-E-B.
About Cherryh Cansler
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