Supermarket Perimeter - June 2022 - 59

INSIDER
TECHNOLOGY
Production
management
SALADS
by Andy Nelson
GROCERY RETAILERS
LOOKING TO ADD VALUE to
their deli/prepared departments
while simultaneously saving on
labor and time should look no
further than a recent centralkitchen
innovation from fastcasual
pioneer Saladworks.
St. Petersburg, Fla.-based
Saladworks, the leading US
fast-casual create-your-own
salad franchise and part of the
WOWorks family of brands, is
opening 20 new ghost kitchen
locations through a new
partnership with Combo Kitchen,
the world's leading and largest
ghost kitchen franchise.
The move is the latest in a
series from Saladworks that
shows how the chain has
diversified away from the standalone
restaurant model that put it
on the map.
In the past year, Saladworks
has added more than 42
locations, entering new markets
such as Michigan and Nevada
- and 79% of these openings
were in non-traditional channels,
OPERATIONS
Worker safety
including grocery stores and
ghost kitchens.
In its new partnership
with Combo Kitchen, which
officially kicked off in late March,
Saladworks menu items are
available for delivery across
Central Florida through Combo
Kitchen's agreement with the
Florida-based restaurant chain
WingHouse Bar & Grill and its
numerous locations throughout
the state.
" We are excited to expand
our brand into Central Florida
through our partnership with
Combo Kitchen, " said Brian Farris,
WOWorks' chief development
officer. " Normally, expanding
into an entirely new market is
costly for potential franchisees.
This partnership allows us to
gain new customers without
needing to invest upfront in a
brick-and-mortar store. We also
gain additional benefits, such
as raising Saladworks' brand
awareness in new regions and
giving our guests more points of
delivery and pickup. "
As grocery retail foodservice
and other channels evolve with
consumer demand for delivery
and takeout, linking Saladworks'
new ghost kitchens to the
concepts within the Combo
Kitchen franchise system helps
create greater variety for its
customers with better-for-you
menu options, Farris added.
The partnership also allows
Saladworks to extend its fresh,
nutritional menu offerings into
new markets with minimal costs,
and experiment and test before
investing in costs associated with
real estate, development, and
staffing.
" We are seeing a huge and
growing demand from new and
established brands to utilize our
ghost kitchen franchise network
to expand their footprint and
increase revenue streams, " said
Hossein Kasmai, founder and CEO
of Combo Kitchen and Franchise
Creator. " This partnership
between WingHouse and
Saladworks is a perfect example
of how Combo Kitchens facilitates
win-win situations for restaurant
owners looking to capitalize on
the growing takeout and delivery
market with minimal investment
or disruption to operations. "
Saladworks encourages guests
to be original, giving them the
option to choose from salads,
warm grain bowls or wraps,
along with a large array of fresh
vegetables, fruits, proteins and
dressings.
Saladworks was ranked #7 on
Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers and
Shakers in 2021.
Most of Saladworks' recent expansions have been into
grocery retail and other non-restaurant channels.
supermarketperimeter.com
JUNE 2022 - 59
SALADWORKS
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2022

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