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This week in salad: Just Salad, Coolgreens, Mixt, Salata put down new roots
People under 40 have increased the annual eatings per capita of fresh vegetables by 10 percent and frozen vegetables by 13 percent over the last decade. And it's a trend that fast casual salad-centric chains, including Just Salad, Coolgreens, Salata and Mixt are enjoying as each announced expansion plans this week.
July 19, 2019 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Millennials and Gen Zers are eating their veggies. In fact, people under 40 have increased the annual eatings per capita of fresh vegetables by 10 percent and frozen vegetables by 13 percent over the last decade, according to NPD group. And it's a trend that fast casual salad-centric chains, including Just Salad, Coolgreens, Salata and Mixt, are enjoying as each announced expansion plans this week.
North Carolina welcoming Just Salad
New York City's Just Salad has signed a deal with Cattell Street Brands to open at least five Just Salad locations in North Carolina by the end of 2020.
"The Just Salad brand is especially well-suited as a national franchise option, and the business model also happens to be one of the most attractive in the restaurant industry," CDO Paul Rittenberg, said in a press release about the 38-unit chain. "After 12 years of doing business, the Just Salad concept, brand, and team are primed for franchise operators to introduce us to new consumers around the country."
Founder and CEO Nick Kenner said the chain is ready to become a larger player when it comes to franchising.
"Until now, few quality fast casual concepts have opened up to franchising, and we're finally ready to fill that void in the marketplace," he said. "We look forward to announcing partnerships with other top-tier multi-unit franchise operators in the coming months."
Coolgreens opening in Omaha
Coolgreens CEO Robert Lee said his Oklahoma City-based salad and sandwich chain has executed an area development agreement with Sanus Fieri, LLC to bring three locations to the Omaha area. The first will open by the end of the year.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to have Joshua lead the way into Omaha," Lee said about Sanus Fieri's owner, Joshua Vollertsen. "Coolgreens aligns with partners who are passionate about serving and educating their communities on the benefits of healthy living; Joshua and his team plan to do just that. Joshua and Omaha are both a perfect fit for Coolgreens."
Mixt hitting Sunset Boulevard
California's Mixt is setting up shop in Silver Lake, its third Los Angeles location, in a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly outpost on Sunset Boulevard, according to a company press release.
Rooted in seasonal and locally sourced produce, Mixt launched in 2006, in San Francisco and became a Certified B Corporation in 2018.
Salata enters 7th state
Salata has opened its first restaurant in Louisiana in Lake Charles, marking the Houston-based chain's entry into its seventh state and 86th location nationwide.
"Growing across and within states that are contiguous to our home state of Texas is part of our strategic expansion plan," David Wheeler, Salata's chief development officer," in a company press release. "Our southern markets have welcomed Salata to their communities and Lake Charles is a natural progression of the brand as it expands outwardly beyond our core market of Texas. We will continue to develop within Louisiana in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Then as we develop east into Mississippi and Alabama, we will intersect with the growth taking place in Atlanta and Florida."
The Lake Charles location features Salata's new restaurant design, making it only the second Salata in the country with the updated look. At 2,800 square feet, it sets the standard for what new Salata locations will look like going forward, according to the release. Some of the features of the Lake Charles Salata include:
- Seating for 77 inside and additional seating for 22 on a large patio space.
- Dining neighborhoods intended to suit guests' various needs, preferences, moods and times of their visits, including: a power aisle for to-go orders and third-party delivery; a quick, in-and-out area for lunch at a table or window bar; a community table for dining with friends; a lounge area and a more traditional area for having dinner in a booth with family or friends.
- A glycol tea tap system, which will keep Salata's organic teas perfectly chilled at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
Salata plans on opening franchise locations in additional new states, including Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arizona, and the company will expand within existing states. In 2019, Salata has 20 locations planned nationally and a goal of securing 25 franchise agreements, according to the release.
About Cherryh Cansler
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