News

Hawaii's Fork & Salad coming stateside via California

June 28, 2019

Hawaii's Fork & Salad is making its stateside debut Friday at 240 W. Chapman Ave., in Orange, California. Located in the city's downtown area of Old Town Orange, the unit will also serve as the concept's mainland headquarters and franchise training facility, according to a company press release.
 
Founded on the Hawaiian island of Maui in 2016, by chefs Jaron Blosser, Cody Christopher and Travis Morrin, the eatery aims to make healthy food affordable and accessible with recipes inspired by the islands. After the first location opened in Kīhei, Maui, the chefs added a second location on the island and are now ready to hit the mainland via California.

"We were completely charmed by Old Towne Orange from the beginning," Morrin said in the release. "The way its culture not only respects the past, but also welcomes the future as an emerging area, makes it the perfect match for our mainland headquarters," said Morrin.
 
Fork & Salad offers more than 50 fresh ingredients, a variety of gluten-free selections, salads and sandwiches, build-your-own options and healthy beverages like housemade teas and organic kombucha. Each location also establishes local relationships with suppliers, sourcing locally as often as possible. Its Orange location will feature Santa Ana's Bread Artisan Bakery for sandwiches and salad breads and San Diego-based Bootstrap Kombucha on draft, among others, according to the release.
  
Fork & Salad has tapped Fransmart as its franchise development partner and is looking for experienced multiunit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in major markets. 

"In the franchise world, the next big opportunity for a concept to grow larger than 1,000 locations is healthy fast-casual," said Fransmart CEO Dan Rowe, who happened to drive past Fork & Salad the day it opened on Maui two years ago. "It was love at first sight. This concept is the perfect blend of craveable, healthy food, lightning-fast speed, a simple operating model and genuine Hawaiian soul. Customers vote with their wallets and numbers here are strong — there is nothing like Fork & Salad."