Fresh Choice
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Fresh Choice was a chain of
buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...
-style
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which operated in
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,
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, and
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under the names ''Fresh Choice'', ''Fresh Plus'', ''Fresh Choice Express'', and ''Zoopa''.


History

The first restaurant was opened in Sunnyvale, California, on El Camino Real in the Cala Shopping center in the space that was once Calaway's Bar and Grill by Martin Culver, Brad Wells, and Ken Oppeltz in 1986. Opening the first restaurant for under $140,000 using funds from Martin Culver's home equity line of credit, a cash investment from Brad Wells, and the restaurant background of Ken Oppeltz, the restaurant was an immediate success. The lines out the door prompted the trio to quickly search for a second location, which opened in the Moffett Business Park. Shortly thereafter, the group was approached by a venture capital group, raised several rounds of financing for expansion, and expanded by opening in the Stanford Shopping Center and Valley Fair Shopping Center, both former restaurant locations. Over a few years, Fresh Choice expanded to over 50 locations in California, Texas, and Washington. Fresh Choice marketed itself as a healthier alternative to
fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
restaurants with reference to menu options that include choices relatively low in fat, carbohydrates, and/or calories. All restaurants featured 50 foot salad bars, 6 freshly made soups daily, artisan pizza, and breads. Fresh Choice obtained its produce from local farmers and tried to use seasonal, local, and organically grown produce. In 2009, the company embarked on a plan to grow many of its own vegetables. The ''
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'' Diners' Choice Awards voted Fresh Choice as the restaurant with the most health-conscious menu in 2008 and 2009. Fresh Choice was enrolled in PG&E's Climate Smart Program, through which Fresh Choice made voluntary charitable contributions that funded greenhouse gas capture and reduction projects to make its Northern California restaurants' energy usage carbon neutral. Additionally, Fresh Choice sponsored and participated in events such as the 2009 Sacramento
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, California International Marathon and health fairs. The former Gilroy location, which was a rebranded California Fresh restaurant, now operates as Fresh Choice under independent ownership.


Closures

In late 2012, Fresh Choice closed approximately half its locations. According to the '' Capitola-
Soquel Soquel (; Ohlone: ''Sokel'') is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, located on the northern coast of Monterey Bay. The population was 9,980 at the 2020 census. Geography Soquel is located a ...
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,'' Fresh Choice planned on re-organizing the restaurants into a new concept of Ă  la carte fare and charging people by weight for their salads. They would also have a beer and wine bar, a breakfast bar, and updated seating. Some locations that had been open for less than two years closed, and one location which was supposed to open in Stockton was permanently shelved, according to the company. On December 15, 2012, it was reported that all Fresh Choice locations would be closing permanently and that two of the Bay Area locations had been re-opened under the name "California Fresh."


See also

*
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*
Souplantation Sweet Tomatoes, operating as Souplantation in southern California, was a United States–based chain of all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants. The first location opened in 1978 in San Diego, California, where the company was headquartered. ...
(also known as Sweet Tomatoes) *
Golden Corral Golden Corral is an American restaurant chain which offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and grill. It is a privately held company headquartered in the U.S. city of Raleigh, North Carolina, with locations in 43 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. History ...
*
Sizzler Sizzler USA Restaurants, Inc., doing business as Sizzler, is a United States-based restaurant chain with headquarters in Mission Viejo, California, with locations mainly in California, plus some in the nearby states of Washington, Arizona, Neva ...
*
Souper Salad Souper Salad (stylized as Souper!Salad!) is an American restaurant chain based in Dallas, Texas. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant serving fresh salads, made-from-scratch soups, homemade breads, and more. All locations are in the Southw ...


References

{{reflist, 30em Buffet restaurants Defunct restaurant chains in the United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1986 Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Companies based in Emeryville, California 1986 establishments in California 2012 disestablishments in California Supermarkets based in California