Salata, the salad bar concept specializing in tossed-to-order salads, will offer franchisees and customers new healthy-dining options with the introduction of a juicing station and free-standing yogurt bar at its Houston Galleria location.
Salata first tested the yogurt bar concept in a suburban Houston location, but the Galleria store will be the first in the chain to offer juices. The new features expand breakfast, snack, and dessert options for guests and open up a new daypart for Salata; the yogurt and juice bar at the Galleria location will open at 8 a.m. to take advantage of the mall’s breakfast business.
Salata guests can also take advantage of the fruits now on the menu to create their own fruit salad combination. Options such as kiwi, berries of all sorts, apples, and banana can be arranged to a guest’s liking in either a small or large cup. Toppings such as dark chocolate, coconut, and granola can also be added from the Greek yogurt bar.
“The fruit, juice, and yogurt offerings allow us to treat guests at any time of the day and further solidify Salata’s position as a healthy dining destination,” says Salata founder Berge Simonian. “We think the new features will become a fixture at new corporate and franchise locations across the country.”
The juicing station will be stocked with a wide range of juices made from seasonal vegetables and fruits, juiced each morning with a low RPM juicer to ensure the highest concentration of vitamins and enzymes in the final product. Guests can customize a juice blend from flavors such as carrot, kale, green apple, and cucumber, and choose extra flavor boosts like ginger and jalapeño.
Salata’s Greek yogurt bar is also stocked with healthy toppings like granola, seasonal fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, and honey that can be added to a plain yogurt supplied by California-based Karoun Dairies, which recently took first place at the 2013 American Cheese Society conference. The yogurt contains live probiotic cultures and is made from the rBST hormone-free milk of pasture-raised cows. Just like Salata’s salads and wraps, guests can choose unlimited toppings for one set price, $4 for a small size and $6 for a large.
“During our pilot program, guests enjoyed the customized and delicious yogurt at all times of the day—for dessert, snack, or even a light meal,” Simonian says.
Salata will open 12 new restaurants in its fourth quarter and early 2014, with significant expansion plans for new markets in Texas, California, and Illinois. Yogurt bars will be added to most new restaurants, and Salata will determine the addition of juicing stations based on feedback from the Galleria pilot.
