With over 100 restaurants and counting, Salata Salad Kitchen brings healthy, fresh, and customizable meals to communities across the South-Eastern US
Offering a healthier alternative in the fast-casual dining space, Salata’s unique blend of built-to-order recipes and second-to-none service has secured the brand’s ongoing success. The story started over 20 years ago, as company President, Michele Maerz, begins: “Salata came from humble and genuine roots, driven by a desire to offer fresh, healthy meals that resonate with real needs. Our founder, Berge Simonian’s career in the restaurant industry began in 1979 when he moved to Houston to help his parents manage their deli. In 1988, he opened his first restaurant in downtown Houston, a concept that served southern homestyle cooking.
“His second downtown restaurant opened in 1994, with the addition of a salad tossing station. Berge noticed health-conscious eating and gyms were rising in popularity throughout the early 2000s, and after owning and operating two restaurants, he combined his experiences, local market knowledge, and love of healthy, fresh foods to develop a new restaurant concept in 2004. After a year of research and development, the core signature dressings, soups, and sauces, that became the backbone of the local Houston concept, were created.
“The first Salata Salad Kitchen opened in downtown Houston on October 14, 2005, serving fresh, build-to-order, fully customizable salads, wraps, and soups. Our first franchised restaurant opened a few years later in downtown Houston in 2007. As of 2024, Salata Salad Kitchen has grown to over 100 restaurants in Texas, California, Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina.”
Guest experience 
Salata offers a fully customizable dining experience, with salads, wraps, soups, organic teas, lemonades, and cookies available on the menu. As Michele enthuses: “With five salad bases, over 50 toppings, and 11 house-made proprietary dressings, guests have endless options to create meals tailored to their lifestyle and taste buds.
“At Salata, our signature house-made proprietary dressings are the cornerstone of our salads and wraps, crafted with the highest quality and fresh ingredients. With a variety of flavorful choices, from Fresh Herb Vinaigrette to our unique take on classic Buttermilk Ranch, there’s something for everyone. From the very beginning, we have been committed to producing our signature dressings in-house to maintain exceptional flavor and consistency. As demand grew, Salata expanded its operations in 2016, relocating its headquarters to a larger space and establishing a state-of-the-art production facility. Designed to meet the highest international safety and quality standards, this facility ensures the fresh production and seamless distribution of our signature dressings to Salata restaurants.
“To enhance the experience, guests may sample any item on the line before adding it to their salad or wrap. In addition to our regular offerings, we introduce limited-time seasonal items that give guests something special to look forward to, keeping the menu fresh and exciting. These seasonal offerings allow us to display new flavors and ingredients, providing a fun and dynamic experience for our guests.
“Salata can be enjoyed through a variety of service options, including online ordering for pick-up and delivery, dine-in, and catering. Guests can also earn points and rewards with every purchase by joining Salata’s Tastemaker Rewards program, adding extra value to their Salata experience.”
Flavorful fast-casual
For Salata, customer service is a key ingredient for success. Michele notes how hard the company works to offer a unique dining environment, with a rewards program in place for loyal guests: “At Salata, our approach to customer service is rooted in creating a welcoming and genuine experience. The Guest Relations team plays a vital role in this, ensuring customer satisfaction at every step. Our commitment to efficiency is clear – our resolution time reached a record low in December, with a significant improvement from the previous year.
“We focus on offering high-quality, fresh ingredients and exceptional service to ensure every guest feels valued. Our team members are trained to uphold a culture of hospitality, integrity, and respect in every interaction, making sure each meal is both enjoyable and memorable.
“To reward our loyal guests, we offer the Tastemaker App, which includes two reward tiers. This tiered loyalty program allows frequent guests to earn more rewards, encouraging continued engagement and making our guests feel appreciated for their ongoing support. Our goal is to make every visit rewarding and reflective of the quality and care we put into everything we do.”
Salata has recently earned multiple industry accolades, including being named Houston’s Best Healthy Restaurant in 2024, securing a spot on the Franchise Times Top 400 list, and being recognized as one of Global Franchise’s 50 Fast-Growing Food Franchises, showcasing its exceptional ability to stand out in a competitive market. Michele points out that the brand sets itself apart through its commitment to providing a healthy, customizable, and fresh dining experience.
“The brand puts guests first, allowing them to create meals tailored to their tastes and lifestyle choices. In addition, we ensure quality by preparing all ingredients daily in-house, adhering to strict shelf-life guidelines. Our focus on tech-enabled advancements creates a seamless customer experience, while our dedication to healthy, flavorful options helps Salata carve out a unique position in the fast-casual dining space. Quality, customization, and genuine care for our guests are at the core of everything we do.”
Exceeding expectations
In today’s competitive market, a tech-forward approach is a must-have for any up-and-coming restaurant brand. Strategic partnerships have kept Salata one step ahead. “Salata, in collaboration with our managed service provider, is leveraging innovative AI technology with powerful business intelligence capabilities. Our franchisees will have access to real-time data to monitor and analyze key metrics, including order accuracy, labor efficiency, cleanliness, table occupancy, and missed sales opportunities.
“Using the Business Intelligence Dashboard, we can track sales performance, along with year-over-year comparisons and future performance projections. By analyzing sales across company-owned restaurants, we can assess the overall health of the business, measure critical KPIs, and identify areas for improvement, whether through targeted training or assessments.”
The company also maintains key partnerships throughout its supply chain network, guaranteeing customers the freshest ingredients: “At Salata, quality is our compass,” continues Michele. “We start with the best ingredients, sourced through strong relationships with trusted growers and suppliers who meet our exact standards for quality, availability, and pricing. These three elements are the foundation of our success – if any variable is missing, the experience falls short.
“Our long-term partnerships with suppliers ensure consistency and supports both their growth and ours. We prioritize the guest experience, never sacrificing quality for cost. Any new vendor or product undergoes thorough vetting to ensure it meets our high standards.”
Balancing a data driven approach with people-centric policies allows Salata to keep ahead of the curve. “At Salata, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We stay on top of market trends by continually investing in research and development to ensure our offerings remain fresh, relevant, and aligned with our guests’ evolving tastes. Our proactive, guest-centric approach to research and development fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration, empowering our team to develop products and services that not only meet, but exceed guests’ expectations.
“We have a dedicated team of project managers, chefs, and seasoned industry professionals who are always exploring new menu items, refining processes, and seeking out the latest equipment and technology to help us operate more efficiently. This commitment to innovation allows us to lead the market with cutting-edge solutions that enhance both our operations and the guest experience.”
Commitment to innovation
The last few years have been a major growth period for Salata, and the company is showing no signs of slowing down. “We are excited about our ongoing expansion with new franchise partnerships and restaurant openings in key markets, which will make it easier for more guests to experience Salata,” comments Michele. “Our signature dressings are now available in H-E-B stores, and we have secured a permanent spot at Southwest Headquarters as a preferred vendor for employee meals.
“As part of our commitment to nourishing communities, this past year we had the privilege of sponsoring several events, with Susan G. Komen being especially meaningful to us. We are proud to support important causes like this and remain dedicated to giving back through community engagement.
“Our Salata Mobile Kitchen plays a key role in this mission, bringing fresh, healthy meals to local communities, schools, hospitals, and more. Through these efforts, we aim to positively impact the lives of those we serve and help build healthier, more vibrant communities.”
With so much excitement on the horizon, Michele, Berge and her team have big goals in mind for 2025: “The brand is poised for continued growth and innovation throughout 2025. With over 100 restaurants nationwide, Salata is expanding its footprint while staying true to its core values of freshness, customization, and health-conscious dining.
“In 2024, we signed several new franchise agreements, fueling new restaurant openings and introducing the brand to new cities and states. Our commitment to innovation ensures that we continue to enhance the guests’ experience, streamline operations, and bring fresh, exciting offerings to our guests as we grow,” she concludes.