Salad and Go adding 2nd location SALAD AND GO
Healthy fast-food eatery is looking to expand with another Gilbert site
“Healthy fast food” might sound like an oxymoron to some, but the concept is catching on quickly in Gilbert as Salad and Go prepares to expand its leafy-green vision into a second location by January.
The local company plans to build a drive-through restaurant near Cooper and Warner roads, just south of the Fry’s-anchored shopping center on the southwestern corner. Architectural designs for the building were approved by Gilbert’s Design Review Board last week.
Salad and Go is searching for a third Gilbert location farther south and east — perhaps in the area around SanTan Village mall — and wants to have that store open by April, founder Roushan Christofellis said.
The company opened its first store near Gilbert and Guadalupe roads in February and now serves hundreds of drivethrough and walk-up customers each day.
Salad and Go’s new Gilbert location will have a larger covered patio and two windows for walk-up customers, but the company has no intention of adding interior seating to its 650-square-foot micro-concept.
Smaller stores help keep operating costs low, allowing Salad and Go to instead invest more money into its ingredients, Christofellis said.
During the first eight months in business, Christofellis said the company has learned several lessons that will be incorporated into future locations.
“This hasn’t really been done before, so we didn’t have the benefit of a template laid out for us,” Christofellis said. “We’ve really had to learn as we go, and the Gilbert community has been so patient with us.”
The night before opening in February, for example, Christofellis had estimated the restaurant would sell 200 or 300 salads on its first day. They planned for 400 salads, just in case.
By 7 p.m. — an hour before closing time — Salad and Go ran out of food, having sold more than 500 salads.
“We were so nervous to tell people that we ran out,” Christofellis said. “But customers told us that was great news. They were glad we were so busy.”
Along with experience has come greater efficiency, Christofellis said. When Salad and Go opened, the average wait for a customer was nearly seven minutes. Now, the average “ticket time” is down to1minute 40 seconds.
The improvements have helped Salad and Go earn glowing customer reviews, boasting a 4.5-star rating on Yelp while collecting 3,200 fans on Facebook.
In August, Salad and Go added breakfast items to the menu and now opens at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays. Breakfast customers often grab a lunch salad at the same time, Christofellis said.
Within five years, the compa- » Address: 743 N. Gilbert Road. » Store hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. » Prices: $5.50 for salads and wraps; add $2 for chicken, prawns or steak. » Website: saladandgo.com.
» On Twitter: @SaladandGo. ny hopes to have 40 locations with a presence in several Valley cities. Eventually, Christofellis would like to expand Salad and Go beyond Arizona but does not want to sell franchises.
Creating a healthy fast-food option is a personal mission for Christofellis, but she hopes to start a movement that will spark other entrepreneurs to embark on a similar calling.
“We hope it starts a new trend for people to realize it is possible to get something healthy at a drive-through.”
Christofellis is also a founding member of Be Healthy Gilbert, an organization promoting health and wellness. The group is holding a health-oriented festival Nov. 2 at Gilbert’s Freestone Park.