Salads are at the core of many successful chains, including Chopt, Chicken Salad Chick, Just Salad, Salad and Go, Salata, and Sweetgreen, but they have roles to play on virtually every menu.
Though they don’t tend to be top sellers at chains that don’t specialize in them, they do help negate the “veto vote” of customers who are looking for something lighter, or higher in fiber, or at the very least something that makes them feel good about themselves. If in a party of six, five people want burgers and chicken sandwiches but the sixth person doesn’t, you’ll lose all six sales if you don’t provide something for everyone.
Additionally, some studies have indicated that, even for customers who want something indulgent, offering a salad makes them feel better about a restaurant, regardless of whether they ever intend to order it.
Salads also are a great way to highlight local produce or reflect seasonality, something that a growing number of consumers are interested in.
Take a look at some of the innovation that occurred in the salad category in 2024.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
