Nation's Restaurant News: How Saladworks is Capitalizing on the Healthy Eating Trend

Americans are eating healthier, and as the next generation embraces salads as more of a main dish for lunch and dinner, franchise brands like Saladworks are finding ways to tap into that trend and stand out in a booming segment.

When Patrick Sugrue joined Saladworks as CEO last year, he had a plan to refresh and revive the more than 30-year-old brand, and in a recent article in Nation's Restaurant News, he said that included enhancing the brand's menu by bringing on Executive Chef Andy Revella.

“I really felt like we needed a culinary touch on our salads,” Sugrue told NRN. “Someone who could bring in new flavors, toppings consumers were craving. Andy has really brought it.”

Seasonality is king currently, and Saladworks has introduced a spring lineup that includes black beans marinated in jerk seasoning, roasted tri-color carrots, brightly colored and slightly peppery watermelon radish, and Crazy Slaw - made with a sweet Asian-style chili sauce.

“Seasonality is the most important thing,” Revella told NRN. “People come to salad because they want to eat better. They want new flavors, but they don’t want them just linear; they want depth of flavor.”

Same store sales are up eight percent at Saladworks over last year for the franchise brand that is nearing 100 units across the U.S.

Brian Jaeger is a Vice President of Media Relations at No Limit Agency. Brian joined No Limit Agency after seven years working for local television news stations in Florida, four years at WCJB in Gainesville and three years at Bay News 9, the 24-hour local news station in the Tampa Bay area. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he studied journalism and telecommunications.

He brings a journalist’s viewpoint to the public relations field, and when he’s not busy telling the stories of No Limit Agency's brands, you can find him writing, on a karaoke stage, or cheering on the Gators.