Salata Salad Kitchen sales are increasing after industry-wide historic declines resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Last week Salata saw its highest sales since the onset of COVID-19, up 87.9 percent and has seen a 123.2 percent increase in delivery business over the past month. Throughout the crisis, Salata has prioritized the health and safety of employees and guests, while quickly identifying new opportunities to supply its communities with fresh, healthful food.
At the onset of the pandemic, Salata quickly adopted social distancing best practices, the use of face masks and dining room closures, shifting focus to delivery and takeout. Salata expanded offerings to support and help drive off-premise sales.
- Salata offered free delivery through DoorDash at the onset of the pandemic and subsidized delivery to reduce fees to $2.99 since March 30.
- Locations adopted enhanced safety protocols, including additional cleaning in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Tamper proof packaging and contact-less delivery aimed to provide guests additional peace of mind.
- In addition to the fully customizable menu, Salata has supplemented the menu with set salads and wraps.
- All locations began selling Salata’s signature made-in-house dressings in 12-ounce carafes.
- Select locations shifted to a pantry model, selling family meal packs, produce packs and 10 packs of Salata’s fan-favorite multigrain croissants.
“Salata is adapting to the current ‘new normal,’ and our sales have begun to trend upward with an increase of nearly 90 percent from the lowest point,” says Michelle Bythewood, Salata president. “We are grateful to our loyal guests, franchisees and employees, who have always been our most important ingredient. Salata’s ability to navigate this pandemic is a testament to our dedicated, local owners and operators employing open, sustained communication and localized operational flexibility.”
After the swift and unprecedented impacts on the restaurant industry from the pandemic, Salata downsized the corporate headquarters personnel by thirty percent. The National Restaurant Association estimates that restaurants nationwide will lose $225 billion in sales through May. Despite this, Salata’s franchisees demonstrated remarkable resiliency and dedication to the community. Several Salata locations donated more than 1,000 meals and resources to local healthcare and essential workers.
Following a strong sales increase, Salata will continue rebuilding and looks forward to welcoming guests in all their restaurants soon, starting with bringing employees back to stores.
As stay at home orders are slowly lifted and businesses face a new normal, Salata’s priority will be ensuring guests and employees feel safe within our four walls. Salata will continue to focus on the health of team members and guests by committing to a safety promise at all of its restaurants and aligning to safety protocols from the EPA and CDC.