Chop Stop Franchise

Chop Stop is a fast-growing, low-cost chopped salad concept with 11 years of sales history and regional brand recognition throughout Southern California. The brand was conceived from founder Mark Kukis’ frustrated craving for chopped salads and nowhere to buy them.

Taking matters into his own hands, Kulkis joined forces with Joey Gonzalez, a veteran restaurant operator with over 30 years’ experience. In 2011, they opened the first Chop Stop in Burbank, California. After seeing immediate success, the team proceeded to open an additional location each year after that, culminating with their Franchise Training Center Restaurant in Glendale, California in 2016. This was also the year the brand began franchising, and it has been expanding rapidly through franchising ever since.

Today, there are 18 Chop Stop locations in California and Nevada. Chop Stop began actively marketing their franchise program at the beginning of 2018, signing 16 new franchise agreements in three states, with the goal of having 100 locations open in the next five years.

Franchise growth pause

However, as of January 2024, Chop Stop has paused franchise applications. “The demand for franchises is so high, however, we’ve had to temporarily pause applications,” the brand writes on its website, encouraging interested parties to fill out a form to get on the waitlist.

The Chop Stop business model is centered around a streamlined design. The brand says that its build-outs are “faster, easier and less expensive than most other restaurants.” Chop Stop locations are compact (1,100–1,500 square feet), designed to save money on both rent and construction costs. The brand also does not require a hood, any cooking equipment or a grease interceptor (subject to local regulations). Often, an easier “retail takeout food” designation will work, rather than a full restaurant permit.

Designed for speed, the Chop Stop production line is located in the back of the restaurant, out of view of the customer. This efficiency enables the brand to get salads out faster during busy lunchtime rushes. Restaurants can operate efficiently in any number of locations, from malls and airports to regional power centers and freestanding drive-thru’s.

Competitive advantages

Additional competitive advantages Chop Stop operators enjoy include:

• The average time from the start of order to receiving food is just over three minutes.
• Proprietary food products, such as dressings
• Difficult-to-replicate chopping preparation
• Easy to transport, deliver and eat on the go
• Being a part of the healthy eating segment, which is growing rapidly

Earnings for Chop Stop owners are not publicly available. The total estimated investment to open a Chop Stop is $375,000 - $699,000, according to Entrepreneur. The franchise fee for Chop Stop is $35,000.