1851

How did the concept of the Salad Station come to be? 
My family ran a farm in Louisiana and my mom was a co-founder of Berry Town, a retail outlet for fresh produce. Many states in the South knew us for our strawberries as we were the largest strawberry farm in the state of Louisiana. Throughout high school, I worked closely with local businesses, supplying them with products from the farm and eventually ended up taking over a steakhouse that I&rsquo;d been working closely with.&nbsp; I didn&rsquo;t ever want to be locked into one box so I started working with my mom in order to combine our hobbies and careers into something new. We wanted to take out all of the aspects of our businesses that we had struggled with; staffing, long hours, etc. We combined our skills that we&rsquo;d gained throughout each of our professional experiences and created our dream job&ndash;&ndash;a self-serve salad concept consisting of overwhelmingly full, fresh and clean products.

After opening our first two stores, with lines out the door and averaging about 500 people in our stores daily, we realized that this was something special and thought, &ldquo;What if we offered this dream job as a possibility for others to pursue?&rdquo; That&rsquo;s when we knew we wanted to give others the opportunity to enter this business. We were confident that we had a proven concept and we went hard to work.

What are you doing well right now? What are your brand&rsquo;s differentiators?&nbsp;

Salad Station isn&rsquo;t your average salad bar. We offer over 100 toppings, which is triple the amount of other build-your-own salad companies. Our pay-by-the pound concept was something my mom was very passionate about because she hates waste&ndash;&ndash;so you&rsquo;re getting what you pay for. We wanted to make sure what we served matched our environment, so when you walk into any of our locations, you&rsquo;re experiencing a clean meal in a clean and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. Our produce is cut fresh on-site and bar is constantly being refreshed and refilled. We hold the brand to a very high standard.

Today, we are dedicated to providing the best tools to our franchisees, whether it&rsquo;s marketing, operations, support, etc. We want to simplify the business model for the franchisee so that they have the best chance of success.

What does your ideal Salad Station franchisee look like?

Salad Station&rsquo;s ideal franchisee is someone known as a &ldquo;hometown hero&rdquo;. We&rsquo;re looking for individuals that share our values; family, faith, fresh and fun and are looking for someone that is looking to create their legacy in their community with our proven concept. Most importantly, we&rsquo;re looking for hard working individuals that are able to dedicate themselves to growing the brand with us.&nbsp;

How does Salad Station support franchisees?

We like to think that we have the best franchise director of franchise operations in the country, Garrick Robert. Unlike many franchises, we plan to have one consultant for every 10 - 12 locations. We&rsquo;re always trying to streamline operations in the interest of the success of our franchisees. Franchising allows us to volume discounts that save our franchisees 10-12% in cost.

What has been some of Salad Station&rsquo;s most important milestones since it started?

I would have to say our first big milestone was the opening of our first location in June of 2012. Seeing the thinking, planning and hard work come into fruition was really something special for our family. The line was out the door at our first location nearly every day and everyone was so excited about this new concept coming to town. We were doing so much business at the first location that we decided to open up a second location nearby and just months later, in September, our doors opened at our second store. After understanding that we could really scale this concept, we put an FDD together, which was in 2014. In 2015, we had sold our first franchise unit.&nbsp;

What growth plans does the brand have in the coming years?&nbsp;

Today, we&rsquo;re at nearly 20 locations and plan on opening another 5 - 10 locations by the end of the year. There are a lot of exciting opportunities coming up for us in the next few years but looking ahead, I really think that our next milestone will be when we hit 100 units. We&rsquo;re running, gunning and working as hard as we can to build this brand and bring the concept to as many communities as we can

Q&A With Salad Station President and CEO Scott Henderson

1851 Franchise

Salad Station’s president and CEO explains how he went from being known for his farm-fresh strawberries to the founder of a unique salad franchise that allows customers to get creative.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

qa-with-salad-station-president-and-ceo-scott-henderson

Paris Baguette

Paris Baguette: The Category Winner Outshining Both Bakery and Eatery Concepts

paris-baguette-the-category-winner-outshining-both-bakery-and-eatery-concepts

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers - 2024 EOY Report - 1851 Franchise

Comfort Keepers® Celebrates a Year of Growth and Transformation in 2024 — Refocuses on Franchise Development

comfort-keepers-celebrates-a-year-of-growth-and-transformation-in-2024-refocuses-on-franchise-development

Atomic Wings

Atomic Wings Set to Open First Virginia Location in Virginia Beach on January 18th

atomic-wings-set-to-open-first-virginia-location-in-virginia-beach-on-january-18th

Edible

Edible - How Edible Franchisees Can Thrive in Non-Traditional Locations - 1851 Franchise

How Edible® Franchises Can Thrive in Non-Traditional Locations

how-edible-franchises-can-thrive-in-non-traditional-locations

Edible - Existing Real Estate - Smart Conversion Opportunity - 1851 Franchise

How Edible® Is a Smart Conversion Opportunity for Existing Real Estate

how-edible-is-a-smart-conversion-opportunity-for-existing-real-estate

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

Login

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

QSR Magazine: Big Chicken Targets Global Expansion

qsr-magazine-big-chicken-aims-for-global-growth

Starbucks Strike Brews Opportunity for the Next Coffee Franchisee

starbucks-strike-brews-opportunity-for-coffee-franchise-hopefuls

I Heart Mac and Cheese - Franchisees Sue I Heart Mac and Cheese - Franchise News - 1851 Franchise

Restaurant Business Online: Franchisees Sue I Heart Mac and Cheese

restaurant-business-online-franchisees-sue-i-heart-mac-and-cheese

Consumer Sentiment Hits 8-Month High: What It Means for Franchises

consumer-sentiment-hits-8-month-high-what-it-means-for-franchises

Jersey Mike’s Hits 3,000 Locations Amid Unprecedented Growth

jersey-mikes-hits-3000-locations-amid-unprecedented-growth

The Top 25 Franchise Brands Santa Would Love for 2025

top-25-franchise-brands-santa-would-pick-for-the-nice-list

Franchise Deep Dive: Skinovatio Medical Spa Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data

franchise-deep-dive-skinovatio-medical-spa-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

100% Chiropractic's Mission to Transform Health Care Through Education and Wellness

100-chiropractics-mission-to-transform-health-care-through-education-and-wellness

The Ace Up Their Sleeve: How Ace Handyman Services Matters Found the Perfect Partner in Ace Hardware

the-ace-up-their-sleeve-how-ace-handyman-services-matters-found-the-perfect-partner-in-ace-hardware

Top 10 Franchises for New Year’s Resolutions

Top 10 Franchise Opportunities for New Year’s Resolutions

top-10-franchises-for-new-years-resolutions

Local Pet Health Advocates Have Big Plans for Pet Wants Franchise in Roanoke, Texas

local-pet-health-advocates-have-big-plans-for-pet-wants-franchise-in-roanoke-texas

Choosing the Right Franchise: Finding Your Perfect Match

choosing-the-right-franchise-finding-your-perfect-match

Q&A With Salad Station President and CEO Scott Henderson

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS