Mixt Green founders buy back conceptMixt Green founders buy back concept

Lisa Jennings

The founders of the Mixt Green salad chain have reacquired the concept after selling it three years ago.

Terms of the deal, which closed in January, were not disclosed.

David Silverglide and Andrew Swallow, two of the original partners who created the San Francisco-based brand in 2005, said they wanted to bring Mixt Greens back to its roots as a healthful fast-casual concept with an environmentally friendly emphasis and sustainably sourced ingredients.

Silverglide and Swallow sold what was then a three-unit chain in 2009 to Seattle-based O.M. Holdings Ltd., an entity owned primarily by global investment fund Inventages Wealth Management.

Under O.M. Holdings, the company grew to nine units, at one point entering the Washington, D.C., market, although three units there later closed.

Silverglide, who is now Mixt Greens’ chief executive, said he and Swallow acquired the assets of the six remaining units in San Francisco and Los Angeles, both markets where they plan to grow the brand again.

The two have also brought back other members of the original management team, including Tony Alcala, director of operations, and corporate chef Matt Brown.

An NRN Hot Concepts winner in 2011, Mixt Greens is known for salads with high-quality ingredients like sushi-grade coriander-crusted ahi tuna, prime flat-iron steak, soba noodles and white-truffle potatoes, as well as seasonal produce that is grown locally and organic where possible.

Mixt Greens has an average check of $10 to $11, Silverglide said.

Declining to comment on how O.M. Holdings managed the brand, Silverglide said he and Swallow plan to work on improving the menu, as well as investing in some rebranding and updating the restaurants’ design.

Meanwhile, Silverglide said he and Swallow are also preparing a new concept, Split Bread, that will be operated separately. The new restaurant, which is scheduled to open in July, is another fast-casual venture, although not salad-related. Silverglide declined to offer details.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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