Salad And Go closing all locations permanently after bankruptcy filing

A popular healthy fast-food chain that once promised to make salads as convenient as burgers is shutting down for good after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Salad And Go, the Arizona-founded drive-thru chain known for its affordable salads, wraps and breakfast burritos, will permanently close all 70 of its remaining restaurants on August 5, bringing an abrupt end to a business that just a few years ago was one of America's fastest-growing healthy dining concepts.

The closure follows a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by parent company And Go Concepts in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on August 4.

At its peak, the company operated 146 locations across Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma after expanding rapidly beyond its home state. 

But following months of financial struggles and earlier rounds of closures, the final remaining restaurants in Arizona and Nevada are now shutting their doors for good.

The chain was founded in Gilbert, Arizona, in 2013 with a simple mission: offer fresh, healthy meals at fast-food prices through drive-thru-only restaurants.

Its bright orange bowls of salads, wraps, breakfast burritos and lemonades quickly developed a loyal following, particularly among customers looking for a healthier alternative to burgers and fries without paying premium prices.

For years, Salad And Go was viewed as one of the restaurant industry's biggest success stories, expanding steadily across Arizona before private equity-backed owners accelerated growth into Texas, Oklahoma and Nevada in 2021.

But court filings suggest that aggressive expansion ultimately proved too much.

According to bankruptcy documents, the company cited a series of factors behind its collapse, including opening stores that lacked the visibility and drive-by traffic enjoyed by its Arizona locations, expanding faster than consumer awareness could grow, and carrying expensive overhead costs from its centralized kitchen operation in Garland, Texas, which reportedly cost between $15 million and $20 million annually to operate.

The company also blamed rising operating costs, higher fuel prices, weaker consumer spending and ongoing lease obligations for previously closed stores.

Executives said the chain was also hit by an industry-wide slump following July's Cyclospora outbreak.

Although Salad And Go's produce was not implicated in the foodborne illness outbreak, the company said widespread media coverage reduced consumer confidence in leafy greens across the fast-casual restaurant sector.

In court documents, the company noted that average customer traffic at some competitors fell by between 3.1 percent and 11.5 percent after news of the outbreak emerged - a decline it said could be devastating in a low-margin business.

Mike Tattersfield, Salad And Go's chief executive, described the closure as an emotional moment.

'This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for and loved Salad And Go,' he said.

'Our mission was brought to life every day by an extraordinary team and embraced by guests who made us part of their routines. We are proud of what we built together and grateful to every team member, guest and partner who believed in it.'

The company echoed those sentiments in an email sent to customers announcing the closures.

It said: 'Thirteen years ago, Salad And Go was founded on a simple, bold belief: everyone deserves access to delicious, nutritious, and affordable healthy food.

'While Salad And Go earned the support and loyalty of a deeply passionate community, the business was ultimately unable to overcome sustained pressure on consumer demand, past strategic growth challenges and rising costs.'

The announcement sparked an outpouring of sadness online, where thousands of loyal customers reflected on the chain's rise and fall.

Across Reddit, many longtime diners argued that the business changed dramatically after private equity investors took control several years ago.

One commenter wrote: 'This doesn't surprise me. Salad And Go was bought out by private equity in 2020 and some of their locations changed a LOT. That's why the price of everything went up and quality went down. The family that used to own them sold it to open Angie's. Angie's is what Salad And Go USED to be in quality and pricing.'

Another added: 'Private equity butchered Salad And Go and is the reason they failed. The original concept and ownership was amazing... The quality of produce diminished, portions decreased, service went downhill. Maybe the parasite outbreak tipped the scales, but this seemed inevitable.'

Others lamented losing one of the few genuinely affordable healthy fast-food options.

'This was my go-to lunch spot,' one customer wrote, while another said: 'A decent salad at that price point is hard to come by.'

Several users expressed hope that Angie's Prime Grill - launched by Salad And Go's original founders after they exited the company in 2021 - might eventually take over some of the now-vacant restaurant sites.

The founders themselves described the closure as 'heartbreaking.'

Posting on Instagram, they wrote: 'Thirteen years ago, we started Salad And Go with a simple belief that great-tasting, good-for-you food should be affordable for everyone.

'We dreamed that anywhere there was a McDonald's, there would also be a better and healthier alternative that people could afford.

'Although we exited in 2021, watching the company announce the closing of its remaining locations is heartbreaking.'

At restaurants across Arizona on Wednesday morning, customers queued one last time before the chain served its final meals. Some said they were scrambling to find another affordable healthy lunch option.

'Right now, we've got to figure out what we're going to do for dinner and lunch because we eat here a lot for healthy alternatives,' one customer told local media.

Another added: 'I'm heartbroken. I'm here almost every day. This was an opportunity to have a good, satisfying, non-expensive meal on a daily basis.'

Employees told local reporters that many stores planned to remain open until they simply ran out of food before locking their doors for the final time.

With all remaining Arizona and Nevada restaurants now closing permanently, Salad And Go becomes the latest restaurant casualty in what has already been a bruising year for the fast-food and casual dining industry, as rising costs, cautious consumer spending and fierce competition continue to squeeze even once-promising brands.