---
title: "The story of a growing, Midwestern salad chain"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/8e1051e0-e753-40ce-a7cc-5a57068aad8a
source: "Restaurant Business"
original_url: https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/story-growing-midwestern-salad-chain
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
published: 2026-06-24T19:34:56.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:43:55.162Z
image: https://cdn.informaconnect.com/platform/files/public/2026-06/background/generated-image.png?VersionId=7f4m.Lemft6cHg3N6R2zHYwGtt_MM3MX
---

# The story of a growing, Midwestern salad chain

**TL;DR:** Crisp & Green, a Minneapolis-based salad chain, has 52 locations and dozens more under development in the U.S. The chain's founder and executive chairman, Steele Smiley, discusses the brand's strategies and future plans.

*originally published in Restaurant Business on 2026-06-24. [Read the original](https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/story-growing-midwestern-salad-chain).*

## Story

Can a salad chain thrive in the ever-changing world of healthy eating?

Steele Smiley is betting on it. The founder and executive chairman of the Minneapolis-based salad chain Crisp & Green joins the Restaurant Business podcast to talk about his brand’s strategies.

Crisp & Green has 52 locations and dozens more under development in the U.S. Smiley talks about the brand’s founding, and how he never envisioned becoming a restaurant operator.

Smiley started the chain after a career in the fitness industry and he talks about the learning curve that comes with running a restaurant.

We also talk about the changing demands of what is considered healthy and how a salad chain can compete in a world of protein. We discuss the company’s recent introduction of sandwiches and its supply chain as well as the brand’s future plans.

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## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- Restaurant Business (publication)
- menu expansion (topic)
- healthy eating (topic)
- Minneapolis (location)
- supply chain (topic)
- Crisp & Green (company)
- Steele Smiley (person)
- restaurant operation (topic)
- salad chain (topic)

---
Originally reported by Restaurant Business (https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/story-growing-midwestern-salad-chain). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/8e1051e0-e753-40ce-a7cc-5a57068aad8a).