How These The Salad Station Franchisees Found Record-Breaking Sales During the Pandemic

Since starting to franchise in 2015, The Salad Station, a self-serve salad franchise based in Hammond, Louisiana, has been appealing to franchisees who want to provide fresh, healthy food options to their community. Now, customers are increasingly demanding healthier food options, and The Salad Station franchisees are seeing record-breaking sales as a result. Husband-and-wife duo Greg and Tracy Hagin, for example, opened at the height of the pandemic, but have since built an impressive following in their area of Gulfport, Mississippi.

Discovering The Salad Station Brand

While the Hagins are the first to admit they didn’t always follow a vegan or vegetarian-leaning lifestyle, a decision to improve their physical health a few years ago led them down a new lifestyle path. With a fresh dedication to healthier living, Greg, who has diabetes, and Tracy, who has always struggled with high blood pressure, quickly discovered a new favorite restaurant: pay-by-the-pound concept The Salad Station. 

“My wife and I have been trying to be more health-conscious in the last couple years,” Greg said. “All of our kids know that we’re on this kick, and my stepdaughter saw a flyer in the mail about The Salad Station location 20 minutes away in D’lberville.”

The Hagins were blown away by The Salad Station’s wide range of menu options and hot bar, and soon realized how easy healthy eating could be — and how necessary it was for the rest of the Gulfport community.

Although Greg was just a few years away from retiring from his career in manufacturing, and he and Tracy had plans to drive a camper around the country, their love of The Salad Station brand gave them the idea for a new adventure: franchise ownership.

“Our dream was to start a business that would give people a healthier option for food,” said Greg. “The more my wife and I have read regarding food, the more we learned that the right diet can fix everything.”

Why Franchisees Love The Salad Station’s Core Values

The Salad Station offers fresh, local ingredients in a family-friendly atmosphere that reflects the brand’s farming roots. The Hagins knew they’d be able to leverage the brand’s pay-by-the-pound model to design meals that were both healthy and satisfying, while also cutting back on waste.

“The Salad Station mission is just something that we believe in,” Greg said. “I’ve lived my whole life here in Mississippi. It feels like, culturally, this part of the country often feels left behind, and I want to get us ahead of the curve in terms of supplying healthier food options. This part of the country especially needs options like this. We also appreciate the work-life balance The Salad Station affords us, and we share our brand’s family-centered, Christian values, such as being closed on Sundays.”

How The Salad Station Creates a Pandemic-Proof Business Model

The Hagins opened their location in the spring of 2020, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From day one, the Hagins saw massive success with their Gulfport Salad Station location.

“During the first week of ownership, we set an all-time sales record for The Salad Station,” said Greg. “We opened up when school let out, so we were able to find staff very easily. Additionally, the pandemic created a greater demand for easy and convenient food options, and our area saw a lot of storms, which meant contractors were busy and needed a reliable lunch option.”

The Salad Station positions franchisees for success with a simplified business model, flexible operations, family-friendly hours, a low cost of entry and an innovative approach to healthy eating. Since a store does not require the use of grills or other heavy machinery, managers can focus on hiring employees who will provide the brand’s signature excellent customer service. 

“We’re proud to bring The Salad Station to our community, and we’re thrilled to have seen such success over the past year,” said Greg. “It is clear the demand for healthy options isn’t going away, and we fully believe in The Salad Station concept.”

Now, The Salad Station team is looking to partner with hardworking, health-focused individuals like the Hagins who are eager to dedicate themselves to growing the brand. 

The startup costs for a franchise with The Salad Station are around $200,000. To learn more about franchising with The Salad Station, visit https://saladstationfranchise.com