Franchising

Crisp & Green making Arkansas debut

Provided

March 20, 2023

On the heels of inking its largest development deal to date, Steele Brands, a Minnesota-based company known for establishing and developing healthy lifestyle restaurants, will debut its Crisp & Green concept this spring in Arkansas. Slated to open in Bentonville in April, it marks the first of five Crisp & Green restaurants planned for The Natural State.

"As we embark on our most ambitious development year in company history, our Crisp & Green mission remains as it was when we began: to provide world-class food and hospitality for our guests, and become an integral part of their local communities," Steele Smiley, founder and executive chairman of Steele Brands, said in a company press release. "We are strategically growing with dedicated franchise partners who are as invested in the brand and community as we are — with the same conviction for improving the lives of our many guests through nourishing food and a warm, welcoming place to gather in their own communities."

With the Bentonville opening, Arkansas will become Crisp & Green's eighth state, a number the brand is on pace to double before year's end. The five-unit Arkansas expansion is part of a multi-market development agreement with The Green Guys, which will kick off in Bentonville and spread throughout Arkansas and North Carolina.

"Bentonville is the perfect gateway for Crisp & Green's expansion in Arkansas because residents value an active lifestyle, which aligns perfectly with the brand's mission to foster healthy living in and outside the kitchen," The Green Guys franchise partner Tony Airoso said in the release. "Bentonville's active residents love spending time adventuring through the great outdoors, and Crisp & Green's healthy and convenient salads, grain bowls, smoothies and more are the perfect on-the-go options for fishing, hunting and mountain biking, as well as for busy professionals who want nourishing food fast. Our restaurant will also offer a catering menu featuring individual bowls and large party-sized bowls ideal for corporate lunches and social get-togethers."