Saladworks, LLC is a restaurant

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

that serves made-to-order entrée salads, wraps, soups, and sandwiches. Saladworks restaurants are categorized as

fast casual A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States and Canada, does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast food restaurants, with fewer frozen or processed ingredients. It is an intermediate concep ...

, and the company markets its menu as a healthy alternative to other fast food fare. The franchise currently operates 110 restaurant locations in 15 states and is developing locations internationally. It continues to develop exclusively through its Multiple Unit Development approach, focusing on development in metropolitan areas throughout the United States. The

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

also has stores in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

History

Saladworks was founded on October 1, 1986, by John Scardapane, who served as the company's CEO until 2015. The first Saladworks opened in the

Cherry Hill Mall The Cherry Hill Mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), was originally known as Cherry Hill Shopping Center, commonly reported as the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of the Mississippi River in the ...

, the success of which inspired the opening of 12 additional locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Saladworks began franchising in 2001, and by 2007 had 88 locations in eight states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, and Illinois. Today, the franchise operates over 100 restaurant locations in 18 states and has announced plans to expand into new markets in the United States and internationally. On February 17, 2015, Saladworks filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition and listed Commerce Bank and Metro Bank founder

Vernon Hill Vernon W. Hill II (born August 18, 1945) is an American businessman, the founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, a UK retail bank with 77 stores, and assets of £7.4b ($10.6b). He was also the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of ...

as a major creditor. The bankruptcy filing said it was looking for an investor. Saladworks was acquired by Centre Lane Partners in June 2015, and promoted Saladworks president Paul Steck to CEO, replacing founder John Scardapane.

Recent changes

Restaurant redesign

In October 2008, Saladworks began a major branding change, unveiling a new design prototype. Existing restaurants that have adopted the new design, as well as all new Saladworks locations built around the new design, have been dubbed “3G Restaurants” by the company. Changes include refrigerated salad display cases, the omission of menu boards, diffused artificial lighting to emulate daylight entering through skylights, and a higher level of design consistency across all Saladworks locations.

Recent programs

Signature Series

In January 2008, Saladworks launched its Signature Series, which had four celebrity chefs creating a line of seasonal salads

True Nutrition

To increase the nutritional values of its menu and ensure all pre-made signature salads averaged less than 500 calories, Saladworks unveiled ''True Nutrition'' in April 2010, a new menu with over 50 salad ingredients such as avocado, edamame, and chick peas.

Industry ranking

In 2012 Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Saladworks #416 of the top 500 franchises in America. The company was also included as one of "10 Great Franchise Deals" in an article by Daniel P. Smith in QSR Magazine."Franchise Deals"
''QSR Magazine''.

References

External links

Official website
{{Fast-food chains of the United States Restaurants established in 1986 Restaurant franchises Restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants in Pennsylvania Fast-food chains of the United States Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Companies based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania Fast casual restaurants 1986 establishments in New Jersey Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015