TL;DR
Salata Salad Kitchen has signed an agreement for three units in Lubbock with brothers Charles and Randy Warren, who plan to open their first restaurant in fall 2023. The brand is rapidly expanding across the nation, especially in Texas, with a goal of reaching 100 locations by the end of the year.
Charles and Randy are brothers that are both highly involved in the Lubbock community and felt strongly that the quick, convenient and affordable format of Salata would be a great addition to West Texas. They grew up in the restaurant business shadowing their father, who owns and operates many Sonic Drive-In locations across the South Plains. As existing fans of the Salata brand, the Warrens plan to open their first restaurant in the fall of 2023.
“Randy and I have been huge fans of Salata for many years,” said Charles. “The vibrant menu and uplifting atmosphere are what kept us coming back, and it’s clear that those elements are what have produced such a loyal fanbase over time. When looking for our next business venture, Salata was the obvious choice for us and through the onboarding process, the support from the entire Home Office team has been incredible. We’re thrilled to be bringing the highly anticipated concept to our community and can’t wait to open our first location later this year.”
Houston-based Salata offers built-to-order salads and wraps alongside soups, teas, and lemonades, empowering guests to create their ideal meal in an accessible way. With more than 50 fresh toppings available on the menu including fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins prepared in-house daily and house-made salad dressings, Salata has established a loyal following by providing customizable options for any lifestyle.
Salata has been growing rapidly across the nation on its road to 100 locations, but especially in Texas. In fact, the brand has already opened 3 restaurants in 2023, all in its home state of Texas. With another 17 openings slotted for the year; the brand is expected to reach 100 locations by the end of the year.
“It's so exciting to see skilled individuals like Charles and Randy show interest in developing our growing concept,” said Julie Davis, VP of Franchise Development at Salata. “The duo’s lengthy experience in restaurant operations and entrepreneurial mindset make them the perfect franchisees to bring our concept to Lubbock. We’re confident that the Warren’s embody our brand’s mindset of love, purpose, and gratitude and will convey that message to the Lubbock community.”
Salata has maintained its place at the leading edge of the fast casual restaurant category with tech-enabled advancements. Continually looking to evolve and find new, innovative ways to meet the needs of its guests and franchisees while staying true to its brand, Salata recently launched a systemwide restaurant “Refresh” program. Officially launching in 2022, the program guides existing franchisees in updating the brand’s legacy restaurants with a completely new look and feel, which offers the clean and fresh ambiance guests have come to associate with the salad kitchen’s menu and ingredients.
The new, crisp design is as appealing to operators as it is to guests with a separate online order station, offering a quick and easy pickup option and increased operational efficiencies for franchisees and their teams.
Salata Salad Kitchen is a fast casual salad franchise founded in 2005 by Berge Simonian in Houston. The brand was developed to provide quick, healthy meal options to guests. The menu features more than 50 fresh toppings and house-made dressings for guests to customize their salads and wraps so they can eat, feel and live the way they want. With no complex or intimidating ingredients, the options are simple and familiar for customers of all backgrounds. Topped with excellent customer service, the Salata experience is simple, playful and genuine.
The brand began franchising in 2006 and has now expanded to more than 90 locations in Texas, Georgia, Southern California, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
In this story
This story was originally published in Franchising.com on April 19, 2023. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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