Dive Brief:
- Salad and Go has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, according to an emailed press release.
- It will permanently close all 70 of its stores on Wednesday.
- The company said it was unable to overcome “sustained pressure on consumer demand, past strategic growth challenges and rising costs.” The Cyclospora outbreak in July also weakened consumer confidence across the industry, compounding the chain’s issues even though Salad and Go has not been linked to any cases.
Dive Insight:
Salad and Go, which was founded in 2013, has struggled for some time. The chain closed 32 units in Texas and Oklahoma in January, a few months after shuttering 41 units in Texas. At the time of the closures, the company said it would focus on its core markets in Arizona and Nevada.
CEO Michael Tattersfield, who joined the chain in April 2025, had worked to improve operations following significant expansion in the early 2020s. Tattersfield previously told the Phoenix Business Journal that the chain’s growth in Texas was “flawed” since the chain needed a large central kitchen capable of supporting hundreds of restaurants, which burdened the company.
The chain consolidated its operations at its Phoenix headquarters in an effort to focus on food quality, menu innovation, the guest experience and long-term growth. These efforts, unfortunately, did not pay off.
The company is using the Chapter 11 process to “realize the value of its assets and to meet its obligations in an orderly manner.”
“This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for and loved Salad and Go,” Tattersfield said in a statement. “Our mission was brought to life every day by an extraordinary team and embraced by guests who made us part of their routines. We are proud of what we built together and grateful to every team member, guest and partner who believed in it.”
Salad and Go’s closure marks the latest bankruptcy to hit the restaurant industry in a moment of serious consumer price sensitivity. In June, On the Border filed for Chapter 7 liquidation — its second bankruptcy filing in two years — after it shrank down to only five restaurants. Fat Brands was sold to multiple buyers out of bankruptcy earlier this year. Franchisees operating Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. and Applebee’s have also filed for bankruptcy this year.
