How Four Franchisees Found a Fulfilling Employment Opportunity by Choosing to Franchise with The Salad Station

The Salad Station was founded in 2012 with the idea of providing customers with a welcoming atmosphere in which they could enjoy fresh and delicious salads of their own creation. Today, The Salad Station provides customers with over 100 toppings and a daily hot bar and continues to innovate its menu by providing options such as on-the-spot chop and wrap options. The use of fresh, local ingredients and the brand’s roots in a family and farming atmosphere combine to make a welcoming experience for all who enter.

Since opening its doors to franchising in 2015, The Salad Station has provided a simplified business model, flexible operations, family-friendly hours, a low cost of entry and an innovative approach to healthy eating; ultimately resulting in satisfied franchise owners. 

Among the brand’s successful franchise owners across Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, four franchisees of The Salad Station; Garrick Robert, Elizabeth Raymond, Gurjit Sandhu and Greg Hagin came from diverse backgrounds in various careers and found meaningful employment as franchise owners. 

Garrick Robert joined The Salad Station as the Director of Franchise Operations in August of 2018 before becoming a franchise owner himself in 2019 and opening his own location in Metairie, Louisiana. It didn’t take long for Robert, who’s a veteran of the restaurant-industry to invest in the opportunity himself. 

Robert worked in restaurants throughout his entire career, including a 13-year run in franchise operations as well as owning and operating a Smoothie King for three years, while he worked at the Smoothie King corporate office, prior to joining the team at The Salad Station. The franchise owner will open his second location with the brand in Kenner, Louisiana by the end of 2020 and additionally owns and operates three of The Salad Station’s salad-making vending machines, “SALLY”, expanding his service reach to customers throughout the market.

“This is truly a unique franchise opportunity given that the concept originated from an entrepreneurial family of very hard workers, coming out from a background in farming,” said Robert. “Overall, those values really resonate with our brand.”

Elizabeth Raymond worked in a managerial role at The Salad Station in Mandeville, Louisiana for three years prior to jumping at an opportunity to franchise with the brand in her hometown of Slidell, Louisiana with her husband.  

Having transitioned from a team member to owner, Elizabeth Raymond is thankful that the BYO salad franchise gave her an outlet to demonstrate a determined work ethic and business ownership for her family. 

“I’ve worked hard since I was very young to own my own restaurant, and at 25, I’m extremely proud to say that I do, alongside my husband,” said Raymond.

As the owner of 34 Boost Mobile stores and an extensive background in business ownership, Gurjit Sandhu was looking for an opportunity to diversify his franchise portfolio. The established, multi-unit franchise owner recognized a lack of dining options in the area that were healthy, affordable and satisfying and opened his first location in Mobile, Alabama in August of 2019. 

Sandhu has found his experience as a franchise owner of The Salad Station rewarding, stating that customers in the community have approached him to thank him for bringing this restaurant to Mobile. Sandhu hopes to open a second location in Mobile, so that those traveling from the east side of the city can have a much more convenient commute in their pursuit of a flavor-packed BYO salad. 

“We contine to hear from our customers that The Salad Station is a concept that the area really needed,” Sandhu said. “There were many options of similar kinds of food, but really nothing that offered a healthy, valuable and satisfying meal at an equally satisfying price point, which is similar to many areas throughout Alabama.”

For Greg Hagin, his decision to franchise with The Salad Station originated from a desire to be more health-conscious. Hagin, who worked at a plant that manufactures titanium dioxide for about 20 years and his wife experienced health issues; diabetes and high blood pressure and ultimately decided to make several lifestyle changes, which included their eating habits. 

Trading in fast food for healthier-for-you options, the couple travelled to The Salad Station’s D’Iberville, Mississippi location and were instantly hooked on the brand’s self-serve, pay-by-the-pound concept. The Gulfport native jumped at the opportunity to provide the community of Gulfport, Mississippi with a health-conscious and affordable dining option. 

“The concept is something that we really believe in,” Hagin said. “I’ve lived my whole life in Mississippi and it feels like, culturally, this part of the country is overlooked or left behind and really does need options like The Salad Station. I want to get us ahead of the curve in terms of supplying healthier food options.”

The startup costs for a franchise with The Salad Station range from $198,650 to $354,900. The franchise fee is $32,000. To learn more about franchising with The Salad Station, visit https://thesaladstation.com/franchising.