A fast-casual salad chain is counting on Maryland's appetite for healthful eating.
Saladworks
will open at least three new stores in Anne Arundel, Howard, and
Baltimore Counties within the next three years, franchisees Derek
Morrell and Nicole Roudiez say. The first will open during the first
half of 2011. Each store will employ between 15 and 30.
The exact locations have not yet been determined.
Saladworks
franchisees spend anywhere between $247,000 and $475,000 to open each
location. Stores average between 700 and 2,000 square feet.
The
company touts the fact that it features an array of salads with fewer
than 300 calories. The restaurant, which currently has one store in
downtown Baltimore at Harborplace, also sells wraps, sandwiches, and
soups.
Morrell says the targeted counties are an "untapped
market" and there's "nothing like it" in Annapolis, where both he and Roudiez
grew up.
The entrepreneurs are looking at mall food courts and
retail strip centers along with other locations where there is good visibility
and high traffic.
Saladworks
operates over 100 franchise locations in 12 states. In addition to its
existing stores, the chain currently has over 60 units in development
across the country.
Based in Conshohocken, Pa., Saladworks
recently signed deals in Delaware, Virginia, Texas and California,
according to spokeswoman Erin Salvatore.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Derek Morrell and Nicole Roudiez, Saladworks; Erin Salvatore, Saladworks