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The 10 biggest limited-service salad/healthful restaurant chains in AmericaThe 10 biggest limited-service salad/healthful restaurant chains in America

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

November 15, 2023

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Limited-service salad/healthful was the fastest-growing restaurant segment in America last year, with its 23 chains in the Top 500 seeing systemwide sales growth of 17.4% in 2022.

Every year, Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential partner to present The Top 500, the definitive sales ranking of restaurants in America.

One element of this data is restaurant segment, meaning each can be broken down by systemwide domestic sales, units, and estimated sales per unit. NRN has been analyzing the Top 10 restaurant chains in each segment by sales, and today we’re talking about limited-service chains serving salads or other healthful foods.

There were 23 such chains in the full Top 500, and all of the 10 largest grew systemwide sales — all by at least 6.5%, one as much as 38.3%. The largest chain in the group broke $1 billion in systemwide sales. Nine of the companies grew estimated sales per unit, and seven added net new units in 2022.

There were some shuffles in the bottom half of the list, including a newcomer to the Top 10 at No. 7.

Click through the gallery to see the 10 largest limited-service salad/healthful chains in America.

About the Author

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Managing Editor

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director.  Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.

Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. 

Email Leigh Anne at [email protected] 

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: 

  • Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)

  • Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)

  • Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)

  • Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)

  • Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)

  • Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)

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