Giardino Gourmet Salads continued its solid growth in 2016 by opening the first of a three-restaurant franchise deal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, market, making it the second Southern capital city that they have opened in two years.
“Our growth is attributed to our passion to provide customers with healthier eating options in a sea of not-so-healthy food. That has taken us to trademark the phrase ‘nutritional empowerment’ and use it as a way that encapsulates our mission,” says Julio Ramirez, a partner with Giardino Gourmet Salads. “We are excited about the growth we have achieved in 2016 and look forward to entering into more new markets in 2017.”
Giardino Gourmet Salads continues to provide customers with the nutritional empowerment™ that they need by sharing the calorie counts of menu items on their newly designed web site. In 2016, they also took a deep dive into their food and paper costs, and identified existing products with suppliers/distributors that have the same or better quality. This, in turn, has helped their franchise partners recover critical points on the food cost line.
“With the great support of the folks from Monkey Media Software, we are finalizing the launch of our online ordering platform, which will provide labor re-deployment opportunities and set us up for continued success with our overall sales efforts. This is just the next step in our evolution to provide enhanced customer service,” says Kenny Lugo, co-founder, Giardino Gourmet Salads.
Overall, Giardino Gourmet Salads continues to expand through locations, media efforts and enhanced services such as online ordering.
In 2016, the company launched its first TV advertising campaign in South Florida, showing the restaurants’ broad array of products. They will soon follow up with a second campaign focused on their menu offerings of grain bowls and customize salads. The 15-unit chain also is in the final stages of launching new developments in the South Florida areas of Naples, Fort Myers and the West Palm Beach through several multi-unit agreements.
