Why The Salad Station Is A Concept That Will Continue To Capture Market Share In the Ever-Growing Fast-Casual Restaurant Space

Since it began franchising in 2015, The Salad Station has been providing franchisees with a simplified business model, flexible operations, family-friendly hours, a low cost of entry and an innovative approach to healthy eating. The salad franchise provides customers with around 120 fresh toppings and a daily hot bar—all guided by its motto of “Fresh, Full, Clean”.

Through the use of fresh, local ingredients and commitment to emphasizing its roots in family farming and local agriculture, The Salad Station is able to provide guests a healthy alternative to traditional restaurant brands. It comes as  no surprise that American’s love to dine out—and spending big bucks doing so—but now, they seek out healthier options on the menu. According to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Annual Report, the restaurant industry is projected to reach $863 billion in sales by the end of 2019. The report also indicates that consumers want healthy food options, along with local sourcing and foods that are responsibly grown, harvested and prepared.

This consumer emphasis on a health-conscious lifestyle choices allows The Salad Station to be a top contender in the ever-growing fast-casual restaurant space.

“People are dining out now more than ever and it’s really important to us that we provide them with healthy and fresh ingredients,” said Scott Henderson, Founder and CEO of The Salad Station. “We truly believe in our product and it’s really something special that we get to share it with both franchisees and guests.”

Creating healthier lifestyles isn’t just for The Salad Station’s guests; it’s also for franchisees. The Salad Station franchisee Greg Hagin, who is based in Gulfport, Mississippi, noted that he and his wife invested into the salad franchise to kick-start their own health-conscious lifestyles.

“The concept is something that we really believe in,” Hagin said. “I’ve lived my whole life in Mississippi and it feels like, culturally, this part of the country is overlooked or left behind and really does need options like The Salad Station. I want to get us ahead of the curve in terms of supplying healthier food options.”

Although The Salad Station offers a large variety of fresh and locally sourced option, it does so for a price that doesn’t break the bank. Other similar build-your-own-salad concepts tend to appeal to only one type of crowd. Either consumers end up spending an arm and a leg for a salad with local, fresh ingredients, or they sacrifice quality and flavor for a cheaper price tag.

The brand fills this gap in the market by combining the best of both worlds—high-quality ingredients without the premium price tags. The Salad Station is a concept that is approachable to all generations and budgets.

The Salad Station’s ability to create a personal connection to its guests is another reason it remains a top contender in such a hot industry. These days, capturing market share isn’t just a matter of getting consumers to purchase a product—even if you are catering to a growing demographic that is more health conscious. It’s also a matter of brand intimacy and establishing an emotional relationship between the consumer and brand.

The brand aims to build a strong connection to its respective communities by creating a welcoming atmosphere and offering guests genuine hospitality. Due to the operational simplicity of The Salad Station’s business model, it allows the brand to hire employees for personality, creating a memorable dining experience and providing the strong emotional relationship consumers crave between themselves and brands.

“Creating a memorable and welcoming experience for each and every guest is an extremely important part of The Salad Station’s business model,” Henderson said. “We value providing our guests a dining experience that is characterized by smiling faces just as much as we value providing them with local, fresh and healthy ingredients.”

In addition to creating a memorable dining experience for guests, The Salad Station also builds a strong connection to its local communities through service opportunities. The brand’s philanthropic arm—#LettuceHelp—is a group effort across the brand to promote good in each store location’s community and to directly support people and organizations.

The Salad Station’s commitment to serving consumers who want to live a more health-conscious lifestyle, as well as its use of high-quality ingredients without the premium price tag and ability to create personal connections in its local communities, all translate to a business model that will continue to be a top contender in the industry.

The brand invests heavily in franchise development and franchisees have the opportunity to join at a pivotal time of growth and development. With over 20 locations in operation and an additional two locations set to open by 2020, The Salad Station is looking to partner with hard-working, family-focused individuals that are eager to dedicate themselves to growing with the brand.

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.