The Salad Station Is Bringing Healthy, Eco-Friendly and Nourishing Options to Florida

The Salad Station, a pay-by-the-pound salad concept that offers fresh ingredients, minimal waste and exceptional value to its customers was founded in 2012 by now-president Scott Henderson with the support of his mother and business partner Cindy Henderson,. Coming from a long line of farmers, the Henderson family—who own both Liuzza Farm Produce and Berry Town Produce—started The Salad Station with a commitment to a bountiful salad bar that is always “Fresh, Full, Clean”, contributing to the family-owned-and-operated franchise’s footprint of nearly 20 units and growing.

After starting to franchise in 2015, The Salad Station has been providing franchisees with low overhead costs, family-friendly hours, streamlined and flexible operations and a fun approach to healthy eating. As the company continues to expand, The Salad Station is looking to partner with hard-working, family-focused franchisees to open stores throughout the United States.

Now, fueled by an untapped market and consumer demand for healthier, fresher ingredients at an affordable, pay-by-the-pound price, The Salad Station is focusing its expansion efforts in the state of Florida. Guests have already embraced The Salad Station’s location in Tampa, Florida, influencing corporate’s continued development in larger cities throughout the state.

“Florida is an economically prosperous, high-growth state that presents an untapped market and unique opportunity for development,” said Scott Henderson. “As a younger, millennial demographic continues to migrate to many of the state’s college towns for the semester, The Salad Station is well-positioned to meet the growing demand for a self-serve, pay-by-the-pound approach that benefits guests by bringing purpose to their bowls and reducing waste while also supporting franchise partners through a low-cost labor model.”

Along with this low-cost labor model, The Salad Station provides franchisees with an overhead investment cost that starts at under $200,000 and flexible, family-friendly work hours in which the restaurant is closed at 7:30 p.m. during the week and all day on Sunday.

“The ideal franchisee for The Salad Station is a family-oriented, health-focused ‘hometown hero’ with a strong connection to their community,” said Henderson. “Although we offer multi-unit ownership, we prefer franchisees don’t open their second location until after a few months of successful operation.”

With a state-wide population that is growing by nearly 2% annually, Florida’s metropolitan areas are expected to only become denser. According to Henderson, the Salad Station concept works well in these areas, taking advantage of real estate in affordable, high-traffic office buildings rather than expensive, downtown retail space. The Salad Station leadership team is targeting several of Florida’s major cities for development, including Tampa, Pensacola, Orlando, Tallahassee and Gainesville.

“In all of these cities, young professionals and college students are looking for healthy options,” said Henderson. “Not only is there a need for healthy restaurants in these college areas, but younger customers are looking for complete control over their food selection. Our Salad Station locations in Louisiana college towns such as Hammond and Lake Charles have proven to be very successful.”

The Salad Station continues to build out from its core in Louisiana, making a name for itself as a nationally-recognized leader in the pay-by-the-pound salad segment. With a goal of 40+ locations open by the end of 2020, Henderson believes Florida will introduce a range of burgeoning new markets, with territories in multiple cities that position franchisees for success.

While the brand is expanding, the salad concept is staying true to its farming roots with a commitment to fresh ingredients, sustainable operations and exceptional value that does everything full of heart.

The Salad Station franchise investment ranges from $198,650 and $354,900. To learn more about franchising with The Salad Station, visit https://thesaladstation.com/franchising.