How The Salad Station Became a Family Affair In Northeast Arkansas Thanks to Husband-And-Wife Duo Travis and Twana Budnik

Twana Budnik is no rookie in the restaurant industry—she’d been working in restaurants since she was 20 years old. So after having to relocate to Jonesboro, Arkansas from Cambol, Missouri in 2015 as a result of husband Travis Budnik’s job relocation, Twana was looking for employment opportunities in her new community.

“We [Travis and I] were looking for new opportunities since moving to Jonesboro to get more involved in the community,” Twana said. “Restaurants are what I know and once we learned about The Salad Station, it really stood out to us.”

So, just how did the newcomers in town learn about franchising with The Salad Station?

“My sister, Denise ‘DeDe’ Miller is an Assistant Manager for The Salad Station in Alexandria, Louisiana, with her best friend,” Travis said. “She called me and told me that Mike Jackson, DeDe’s brother-in-law, said ‘they just opened and were setting franchise records’. DeDe explained to us how she went through training with The Salad Station’s Scott Henderson, founder and CEO of the brand, and learned a lot of valuable information.”

After experiencing The Salad Station brand first hand, the then-stay-at-home mom and electrical engineer duo realized there was nothing like it in the area and became sold on the brand’s build-your-own, pay-by-the-pound concept. “The overall concept is healthy—and good for our first business in Jonesboro. There’s nothing like it around here,” Travis added.

Twana and Travis Budnik signed an agreement to open their first The Salad Station location in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with an expected opening date sometime in April–June 2020. The couple thoroughly researched different real estate options for their The Salad Station location and according to Twana, an important aspect to factor into their location is a place that is well-suited for all residents, including students, families and Jonesboro visitors.

The Budnik’s Salad Station franchise will be a true family affair as Twana will be running the day-to-day operations with the support of Travis, as well as their two children, Justin and Ashley—who both have children of their own. “I will be running The Jonesboro Salad Station with Travis as my silent partner,” Twana said. Travis is currently a project manager at Seaman’s Energy, which, according to Twana, takes up a great deal of his time—which is why she’s tapping her children for help with the franchise. “My daughter, Ashley, is in nursing school but plans to help us run the business on the side.”

After their Jonesboro location is up and running, the Budniks hope to sign on with the brand for two more locations in the Northeast Arkansas area. “We’ve thrown a few ideas out there, but mainly are talking about a second location in Jonesboro, or in the town next to us, Parabol.”

John Mike Heroman, The Salad Station’s Head of Franchise Development touts the Budnik’s decision to expand the brand in the Northeast Arkansas region. “We’re excited about the Budnik’s signing in Jonesboro,” he said. “The market in that area really has nothing like The Salad Station—whether it’s our always-fresh, locally sourced ingredients, or just the build-your-own salad, pay-by-the-pound concept, it’s one that’s lacking in the area. We really have high hopes for the Budniks and the Jonesboro location and we’re excited to have them hit the ground running.”

Since its founding in 2012, The Salad Station has been providing customers with a welcoming atmosphere in which they can enjoy fresh and delicious salads of their own creation. The Salad Station continues to raise the bar in fast casual concepts thanks to its daily hot bar, over 120 fresh toppings and menu innovations such as on-the-spot chop-and-wrap options. The brand opened its doors to franchising in 2015 and has since proved to be a concept that will continue to capture market share because of its simplified business model, flexible operations, family-friendly hours, low cost of entry and innovative approach to healthy eating.

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.