1851

With more than 30 years of experience, Saladworks is the nation&rsquo;s largest salad-centric restaurant with nearly 100 locations. Under CEO and President Patrick Sugrue&rsquo;s leadership, the brand has undergone a major overhaul in the last two years, working aggressively to set franchisees up for success while also delivering a product and atmosphere that customers want to continue returning to.

Recently, Eric Lavinder joined the team as the Director of Franchise Development. Now, the brand is setting its sights on growing the Saladworks family of franchisees.&nbsp; To appeal to franchise candidates, Saladworks&rsquo; leadership has worked diligently to make restaurants as profitable as possible.

A key initiative that&rsquo;s been in the works for over a year is around right sizing the footprint of Saladworks restaurants.&nbsp; The leadership team created a full size replica of a restaurant in vacant office space to determine what square footage was needed to service today&rsquo;s consumer.&nbsp; After including every team member, outside vendors, equipment purveyors, architects and consumers, Saladworks&rsquo; leadership realized they could shrink the footprint from around 2,400 sq. ft. to storefronts that are closer to 1,600 sq. ft.&nbsp; With a focus on queue space, speed of service delivery and takeout optimization and efficiencies in prep, Saladworks will be able to lower not only the initial project investment but the ongoing occupancy cost.

Orhan Veli, a multi-unit franchisee with four locations and plans to take over ownership of two more restaurants, has been a franchisee since 2012 and thrives in a 1,500 sq. ft. location. The previous owners originally had a Saladworks that was over 3,000 sq. ft., before moving it to a different part of the strip mall in a 1,500 sq. ft. operation. Veli purchased it and grew his business from the small footprint.&nbsp; Veli was recognized at the Saladworks Brand Summit as part of the million dollar store club.

&ldquo;I came in two years ago and it&rsquo;s grown by 20 percent,&rdquo; said Veli. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m also a Charley&rsquo;s Philly Steaks franchisee, and my first location for that concept was 425 sq. ft. When I transitioned from that to Saladworks, it always felt like the space was a waste. Our seats are never full to capacity, and we&rsquo;re paying for all this square footage but not truly utilizing it. We&rsquo;re obviously saving a lot of money on rent and it also becomes very efficient operationally and in staffing. When it comes to food costs, it&rsquo;s my best location. I&rsquo;m ordering so efficiently so there is a much smaller chance anything will spoil or go missing.&rdquo;

Veli is a prime testament to how Saladworks can be run optimally out of a smaller footprint. With the real estate changes, Saladworks was able to drop its total investment on the low end by more than $50,000. Saladworks strives not only to help franchisees grow their top line sales but achieve maximum potential on profitability.&nbsp; In 2016, the top tier of franchised location sales were an average of $1.1M, and in 2017, the top performers were above $1.2M in sales. See Item 19 of the brand&#39;s&nbsp;FDDs issued April 11, 2017, and April 10, 2018, for details.

As sales increased across the system due to a refreshed menu and upgraded interior, Saladworks celebrated nine consecutive sales of same-store sales growth. More impressively, this came at a time when many quick service restaurants struggled to see positive sales.

&ldquo;If you drive up and down Main Street, U.S.A., you&rsquo;ll see plenty of fast food restaurants, but options for healthy and convenient meals are few and far between,&rdquo; said Sugrue. &ldquo;As we track the growing trends across America, we know that more and more people are desiring cleaner eating and plant-based diets. We are meeting this demand with our fresh and innovative menu items.&rdquo;

For potential franchisees, tracking America&rsquo;s trend moving to healthier eating points to an ever increasing influx of guests in your restaurants, but there is another bonus for operators. Saladworks is an easy concept to operate. There are no hoods or fryers. It is an asset and equipment light concept that also makes it flexible for non-traditional locations.

&ldquo;We know airports work for us, so that&rsquo;s an option, and we also have proven that Saladworks does well on college campuses and even in a grocery store,&rdquo; said Lavinder. &ldquo;Our Temple University location has been wildly successful, so we&rsquo;re looking to duplicate that model on other college campuses. Our flexible platform lets franchisees operate successfully in a strip center or non-traditional locations. Franchisees can put these stores in areas with major foot traffic and have a chance to see a strong flow of customers.&rdquo;

With nearly 100 locations, primarily in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Saladworks franchisees have vast available territory in contiguous and emerging markets.

&ldquo;Saladworks is looking forward to expanding our presence to the Dallas and Atlanta markets. With corporate stores in both areas opening in 2018, we&rsquo;re actively looking for qualified franchise partners who want to fill in those metro areas,&rdquo; said Sugrue. &ldquo;Our concept is primed for franchisees looking for a lucrative opportunity because it&rsquo;s on trend, easy to run, and has plenty of strong territory and real estate availability.&rdquo;

Saladworks’ Corporate Team Setting Potential Franchisees Up for Success 

1851 Franchise

Smaller Real Estate Requirements and Non-Traditional Options, Desirable Territories, and Ease of Operations Makes the Brand One to Join Now

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

saladworks-corporate-team-setting-potential-franchisees-up-for-success

Pet Wants

3 Keys to Franchise Success with Pet Wants: Passion, Support, and Hard Work

3-keys-to-franchise-success-with-pet-wants-passion-support-and-hard-work

How This Health Care Professional Turned a Personal Pet Problem Into a Growing Business With Pet Wants

how-this-health-care-professional-turned-a-personal-pet-problem-into-a-growing-business-with-pet-wants

Lawn Doctor

Photo of former Lawn Doctor franchise owners Todd & Janis Rucker

Former Lawn Doctor Employees Journey Back to Ownership Led to Succession Success Story

franchise-resale-succession-success

FSC Franchise Co.

image of the brass tap and FSC Franchise Co's ownership effect

The Brass Tap: Why This Bar Franchise Thrives with Strong Margins and Evolving Offerings

brass-tap-franchise-margins-evolving-offerings

Keke's Breakfast Cafe

How Keke’s Breakfast Cafe Builds Local Demand Through National Marketing Leadership

how-kekes-breakfast-cafe-builds-local-demand-through-national-marketing-leadership

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 Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

The Top 10 Low-Cost Franchises With High ROI 

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Prince St. Pizza Partners With Dave’s Hot Chicken Franchisee for National Growth

prince-st-pizza-partners-with-daves-hot-chicken-franchisee-for-national-growth

KKR to Acquire Nothing Bundt Cakes in $2 Billion Deal -  1851 Franchise

KKR to Acquire Nothing Bundt Cakes in $2 Billion Deal

nothing-bundt-cakes-kkr-acquisition

FTC Settlement Puts New Focus on Franchise Disclosure Standards - 1851 Franchise

FTC Settlement Puts New Focus on Franchise Disclosure Standards

franchise-disclosure-violations-xponential-fitness-lawsuit-ftc

Applebee’s Franchisee Files for Bankruptcy as Dine Brands Moves to Acquire 53 Units - 1851 Franchise

Applebee’s Franchisee Files for Bankruptcy as Dine Brands Moves to Acquire 53 Units

applebees-franchisee-bankruptcy-neighborhood-restaurant-partners

Why Skilled Trades Are Emerging as the Economy’s Most AI-Resilient Careers

ai-skilled-trades-authority-brands

Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: A fast-casual restaurant brand serving made-from-scratch sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas rooted in Southern hospitality.


Newk’s Eatery Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2026

newks-eatery-franchise-costs-fees-profit

Beef 'O' Brady's Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2026

Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a family sports pub concept built around community, casual dining and lifelong local loyalty.

beef-o-bradys-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Visiting Angels Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2026

Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: Visiting Angels is a senior home care franchise focused on in-home support for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

visiting-angels-franchise-costs-fees-profit

BrightStar Care Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2026

Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: BrightStar Care is a home health care franchise that provides both medical and non-medical services.

franchise-deep-dive-brightstar-cares-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

How much can franchisees make? It’s a question many prospective owners ask before investing in a franchise. While earnings tend to be driven by variables such as industry, location and general management skills, a proper understanding of the key factors driving profitability can help franchise owners develop expectations that are realistic.&nbsp;Multi-unit franchisee&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mangesh-patel-9368569/">Mangesh Patel</a>, who’s readying the launch of six&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beefobradysfranchise.com/">Beef ‘O’ Brady’s</a> restaurant locations in the Macon, Georgia area, shares insights from his franchising experience.<h2>Understanding Franchise Income</h2>Keeping operational costs in check can have a major impact on overall earnings. Taking a proactive approach to expenses such as food and labor, as well as payroll and scheduling, can help align actual franchise income with general expectations for the business.“I just had a meeting with a couple of people, and they said, ‘You talked about a 25% profit margin, but I’m only doing 12%.’ So, I looked at the figures they sent me,” Patel said. “Their&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/calculate-restaurant-franchise-profit-2730476">restaurant</a> food cost was running at 37%, which should be around 30%. The national average is about 32%. If I do things correctly, my average food cost needs to be at or below 30%. And payroll should run around 18%. But many people run 25 to 28%.”So,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/unraveling-franchise-earnings-how-much-can-you-really-make-2723935">how much can franchisees make</a>? Here are five areas to consider.<h2>Practical Tips for Prospective Franchisees</h2><ol><li>Control Costs From Day One:&nbsp;It’s important to monitor payroll, food and supply costs closely. Overstaffing and inefficiencies can quickly reduce profits.</li><li>Plan For The Opening Surge:&nbsp;Traffic within the first few months of opening is likely to be higher. It’s important to adjust staffing and inventory accordingly, and pay close attention to how those levels change as time goes on.</li><li>Invest In Training:&nbsp;Properly trained workers can help reduce waste and improve overall service, which has a direct effect on net income.</li><li>Understand Your Market:&nbsp;Each market is unique and revenue potential will vary depending upon location, demographics and competition.</li><li>Track Metrics Regularly:&nbsp;Food cost percentages, labor ratios and weekly sales data act as key indicators operations may need to be adjusted.</li></ol><h2>What Profitability Really Comes Down To</h2>Patel notes that if franchise owners manage labor and costs properly, it’s not impossible to achieve strong cash flow even in the first year, bucking some franchising trends.So,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-much-can-you-make-as-a-franchise-owner-2724761">how much can franchisees make</a>? While results tend to vary, careful planning, disciplined operations and a proactive approach to assessing initial costs are essential. But by grasping and guiding the elements that drive franchise profitability, franchise owners can maximize overall business earnings, scaling a business that’s sustainable financially over the long term.Want to learn more about franchise opportunities on 1851 Franchise? Be sure to visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/power-rankings">Power Rankings</a> to read more on brands making moves.

How much can franchisees make? This guide explains what drives franchise earnings and how to manage costs, with expert tips from multi-unit owner Mangesh Patel on maximizing your franchise income.

How Much Can Franchisees Make? A Guide for Prospective Franchise Owners

how-much-can-franchisees-make-a-guide-expert-tips

Amada Senior Care Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2026

Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: Amada Senior Care is a non-medical home care, assisted living placement, and related senior-support services with multiple revenue streams.

Saladworks’ Corporate Team Setting Potential Franchisees Up for Success

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS