Operations

Chopt rolling out contactless-only location

A rendering of Chopt's contactless store. provided.

May 13, 2022

Chopt, a fast casual salad chain is expanding its footprint next month in Virginia with a sustainable restaurant design set to open in the Ballston Exchange at 4201 Wilson Blvd. The store will have an energy-efficient HVAC system, smaller spatial footprint, energy-efficient kitchen wares and streamlined operations to lower overall energy consumption, Dennis Lee, VP of Development at Founders Table, the company that owns Chopt, said in a company press release.

"Sustainability is on everyone's mind right now and it's a focus for us as we build and design each new restaurant," Lee said. "We've invested in shrinking our environmental footprint, and made an effort to quantify the energy savings associated with the new store model; we look forward to seeing how our work can continue to evolve."

The 1,912-square-foot Ballston store seats 16 guests: 10 at the bar with views of the salad-making station and six in a large booth. The storefront will be the first Chopt to feature only contactless ordering. Guests may order via self-service kiosks or QR codes at their tables.

"We eagerly anticipate this opening, to see how our customers respond to the new store design," Julie Atkinson, Chopt's chief marketing officer, said in the release. "It's important to play our part in improving our environmental impact and we'll continue to make decisions with this in mind across all of our efforts."

Founded in New York City in 2001 by best friends Tony Shure and Colin McCabe, Chopt has 70 restaurants.