Saladworks, the nation’s first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept, honored its franchisees at the 2010 Saladworks Annual Franchise Convention, held Tuesday, March 16, at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The convention revealed Saladworks’ 2010 strategic, operational, and marketing plans, and celebrated the hard work of its franchisees.
The convention’s biggest award winner was Josh Burton, a multi-unit franchisee from New Jersey, who took home the night’s highest honor – Top Operator of the Year and $5,000. Burton was the first operator to complete Saladworks’ new, “3G” store model and has been actively involved within the system. “I grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where Saladworks was founded, and I followed this company since I was in grade school,” Burton says. “I signed on three years ago and have always aspired to win this award.”
Additional multi-unit operators, the team of Jim DiFillippo, Jeff Jones, Paul DiFillippo, and Mike Kamenar, who have various locations in the Southern New Jersey market, took home the Best Multi-Unit Operator award. New franchisees David Miller, Michael Horn, and Shawn Horn of the Cedar Crest Saladworks in Allentown, Pennsylvania, were given the Rookie of the Year award, honoring the location’s excellent catering and delivery services.
Saladworks franchises with more than one million dollars in annual sales were inducted as members of the prestigious Gold Club, and those with $850,000 in annual sales reached Silver Club status. Other awards included best in local store marketing and customer service.
“We’re proud of the success of Saladworks over the past year,” says Saladworks founder and CEO John Scardapane. “We’re building and opening new stores across the country, we’ve achieved positive comparative store sales, and we’ve proven that our concept is still successful in this economy. Our convention was a great way to celebrate the hard work of our franchisees and home office staff. It’s our collaborative efforts that continue to make us America’s best salads.”
