“A few years ago, quick-serves came under fire because they were not offering healthy alternatives amid the obesity epidemic,” says Sara Gillis, senior manager for Technomic. “Quick-serves and fast-casuals are finding success with salads now. They are positioned at good price points and as fresh, rather than prepackaged. The ingredients are becoming more upscale and used as a way to differentiate from competition. For instance, Wendy’s added warm chicken to drive the dinner daypart.”

For Shane’s Rib Shack, the consumer demand and taste for salad was hard to ignore, Thompson says.

“Our core is barbecue, but people now don’t want french fries with their meals,” he says. “We saw a high demand, and we wanted to add something, but we didn’t want to go too far.”

At Shane’s a 60-40 mix of iceberg and romaine, along with cucumbers, tomatoes, and mild cheddar cheese topped with a serving of its barbecued meat is meeting customer demands. Additional salad offerings are likely to appear on the menu in the future.

“Salads are a big hit here, and because it’s such a popular request, it will always be something that’s evolving,” Thompson says.

Tackling Trends

Challenging what can be considered ubiquitous salad toppings, like chicken and steak, can emphatically distinguish one entrée from another.

Ethnic trends are among the most striking, according to Technomic’s salad report. While Southwestern and Asian flavors have been growing in prominence, Mediterranean-influenced salads, particularly Greek salads, are gaining distinction as well.

For example, the report mentions the Greek Tavern Salad with Grilled Chicken or Shrimp from Dallas-based Dave & Buster’s ($8.49). The dish features crisp lettuce, imported feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cucumber, tomato, radishes, red onion, and banana peppers. The salad is tossed with a Mediterranean dressing and topped either with a lemon-herb grilled chicken breast or garlic­-and-lemon grilled shrimp.

“Guests are looking for high-quality ingredients,” says Jeff Levine, president and CEO of Salad Creations, a 50-store franchise based in Margate, Florida. “They are looking for ethnic flavors. They want choices. They want to see it made in front of them, fresh to order, and they are looking for good value for their money.”

Salad Creations offers more than 40 ingredients, from avocados to dried cranberries, and about 16 dressings. Yet, equally important to ingredients is providing an attractive price point to the tune of $5 to $7 with its Sensible Sizing menu, says John King, vice president of marketing.

“We see that as an integral part in promoting our value,” King says.

“We want to be the antithesis of supersizing,” Levine says. “This is a smaller salad, but we offer the option of larger salads.”

Visitors have the choice of creating their own salad or ordering one of 11 signature salads such as the Chinese Chopstick, which features spring mix, grilled teriyaki chicken, mandarin oranges, Chinese noodles, and spicy Asian peanut dressing. Another popular signature salad is made with wild Alaskan salmon, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, red onions, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Levine and King both note that dressings require frequent research and development.

“Dressings are what make salads taste good,” Levine says. “We have the standards, but we worked hard on upgrading our dressings. Right now, we are testing out a pomegranate-vinaigrette and a chipotle ranch.”

The chipotle ranch includes one of the hottest ingredients in foodservice—açai. Along with açai, pomegranate, hazelnuts, ginger, chickpeas, and pears are very popular for salads and allow for a variety of combinations.

“Salads are becoming as complex as any other category,” says Thomas John, executive chef and senior vice president of food and beverage for Au Bon Pain. “People used to go for chicken Caesar or Cobb salads, but now people want something different. They are aware of the new flavors, the Mediterranean and the Asian influences, and that influences the menu.”