Freshly dressed: the vibrant new generation of salad pioneers

‘Salad bars are a crime against humanity’. These were the words of Julie Bindel writing in The Spectator last month. Now, we’re not sure which salad bars she was referring to - her reference points seem to be hazy memories of budget buffets from the 1970s. But it seems safe to assume she hasn’t sampled any of the dynamic new salad concepts emerging in the food to go sector in recent years.

Limp leaves and cardboard croutons may well have characterised the salad bars of yesteryear, but consumers are now more likely to find fresh rocket, kale and charred sweetcorn in their lunchtime bowl.

Many of the salad concepts gaining traction in the UK, such as Atis and The Salad Project, are doing so in central London, with a renewed sense of optimism driven by the returning frequency of office workers.

The increased momentum behind health and wellness is also a driving factor behind the popularity of these concepts, with their founders confident of the potential for large scale growth.

While consumers dabbled with conscious eating pre-Covid, the pandemic accelerated the trend, with 38% of UK consumers claiming they eat significantly more healthily since the start of the pandemic, according to a 2022 McKinsey study.

The study also found that 40% were eating more fresh produce, 26% were eating less animal products and 21% had been eating more organic produce. All of which fit nicely into the trend for salad-focused concepts.

Not that high street salad bars are anything new. Brands such as Chop’d, Tossed and Pod invited customers to take a lighter, fresher lunch many years previously. But a number of these players have struggled, with Tossed the only brand still trading of the three after a restructuring in July 2020. Now there is a new generation popping up to fill the void, who are confident they have the recipe for success.

So, what makes them different - and do they have a better chance of survival than what has gone before?

Atis is one several growing concepts on the market. Launched in October 2019 by husband-and-wife duo Eleanor Warder and Phil Honer, it opened its eighth location earlier this week, in London’s Eastcheap, joining other sites in Borough Yards, Canary Wharf and Regent Street. And it has a further eight sites confirmed, Warder tells MCA.

The new venue offers customisable salad bowls, protein plates and customer favourites such as the Azteca (which features chopped romaine, baby spinach, pickled red onions, charred corn, black eyed beans and lime and coriander dressing… to name just a few ingredients) and Seiz’a Caesar bowls – its take on a traditional Caesar salad.

The concept was formed on the notion that food is more than just something to eat – but something that can positively impact our bodies and the planet.

Bases include rocket, spiced grains and soba noodles, while toppings include slow roasted courgette, pink slaw and edamame beans. There are also a host of premium additions, such as crumbled feta, avocado, sesame ponzo greens, sticky miso aubergine and blackened chicken.

Highly customisable, Atis offers 65 different ingredients for customers to choose from when building their bowl, with around half and half personalising their lunch versus taking the house options. 

Salad with a story

For Warder, Atis’ point of differentiation is the importance it places on the fact that what people want goes beyond the product.

“I think there has been a massive change, particularly in the past few years. People really care about the experience, the brand and the values they stand for,” she explains. “People buy into the brand and what they stand for, as well as obviously the food… and I would say we place a lot of importance on all of those things.”

The move to healthier eating has certainly benefited the business. Rather than people choosing to eat healthily on just a Monday, for example, people are now seeking out healthy options all week. “You can see it particularly with the younger generation, who are willing to also spend their money on health rather than anything else.”

The combination of its ethos, offering and more buoyant footfall in the capital gives Atis the confidence to expand. “Trading has been really strong, and we have just had one of our biggest months across the group. It shows you the demand is really there for this type of food.”

While offices aren’t yet back at full capacity, customers are willing to spend more money per transaction than they used to, because they are doing it less often.

Also battling for the salad-loving consumer is The Salad Project, which has just launched its fifth site – a multifaceted restaurant on Fenchurch Street in the City of London that will also operate as a training academy and menu development hub.

Founded by James Dare and Florian de Chezelles in 2021, The Salad Project opened its first site in Spitalfields and has plans to reach 20 by 2028.

Offering ‘chef-curated and fresh salads’, The Salad Project also offers house and customisable salads and bowls, such as The Goat – which features honey mustard chicken, goat’s cheese and maple walnuts; Mex on the Beach – with sesame-chilli tofu or spiced chicken breast, avocado and crunchy corn and lime slaw; and Miso Salmon with roasted corn, Camargue red rice, kale and greens and miso-peanut dressing.

Many of the independent high-quality and seasonal salad concepts sprouting up in London are capitalising on the needs for heathy and great tasting filling salads, Katie Gallagher, insight lead at Lumina Intelligence notes.

“For example, Olive & Squash suppliers deliver produce directly from local farms, ensuring the highest level of freshness and quality whilst bolstering sustainability credentials. While the quality and freshness of ingredients distinguishes the operator from the build-your-own salad chains of the past and present.”

Customers can choose from pre-set salads that change with the seasons or opt to create their own. “Price points are punchy at upwards of £9, though perceived value for money is bolstered by large portion sizes and premium ingredients,” she adds.

Other players include The Salad Kitchen, which has been around a little longer. It was co-founded in 2014 by university friends Sam Cole and Ross Cannon who were tired of the salad scene in London and wanted to create something more innovative.

Inspired by the quality of salads in restaurants like Ottolenghi, they wanted to create something “satisfying and indulgent”, but without the restaurant price tag.

Starting with often “unorthodox” recipes and reimagining them to work in the salad bowl format, the menu features a weekly salad base, with the option to add custom protein and dressings such as kimchi, roast tempeh, goats’ cheese, lemon pesto, teriyaki mayo and more.

Despite growing more slowly, having reached five sites during that time, the pair believe the concept has the potential to reach 100 locations in the UK, as it brings its quick-service salad bowl concept to the franchise market this year.

Meanwhile there are more established businesses such as Farmer J, where salad forms a key part of its menu, with its lunchbox-style tray dishes targeted at the London office worker. Summer salad bowls include harissa chicken tahini, aubergine feta tahini and salmon kale miso, while its field tray sides include feta and heritage tomato and almond Caesar.

Launched in 2014 by Jonathan Recanati, the fast-casual farm-to-fork restaurant has just opened its latest location on Hammersmith Grove – its first in West London, bringing its estate to 11 sites. And there are plans to add many more sites in the UK. Earlier this year, it secured £5.5m from transatlantic venture capital firm Beringea to fund its expansion in the UK and US.

Urban Greens is another London-based salad concept looking to cash in on the return of the city worker to the capital’s financial district combined with the shift by many to make healthier food choices.

Set up in 2019, by Rushil Ramjee, Houman Ashrafzadeh and Yannis Drivas, the business currently operates five locations across central London and has plans to take Urban Greens to other cities once it solidifies its presence in London.

Commenting on the struggles of their predecessors, Ramjee tells MCA that he believes some of the ‘traditional’ salad bar chains were just not innovative enough, with a lack of real competition failing to push up quality.

“I worked in the City for many years […] and was going to these salad bars and wasn’t having the best experience – I wanted to change that,” he says.

Urban Greens set out to reinvent the salad and to change the way people perceived healthy food. Driven by its global founder base – from South Africa, Greece and Sweden – the business takes inspiration from global flavour profiles, and tries to offer unique combinations of premium ingredients, as well as “dressings that you could never make at home”.

The menu is curated by chef Finn Tonry, who has worked at London restaurants Trullo and Brat, and was most recently head of events at Mob Kitchen.

Unlike many of its competitors, Urban Greens holds so much stead by its curated menu that it doesn’t offer customers the option of building their own, only if ordering online. It is also gluten-free, which gives it a unique selling point compared to others in the market.

Its top three salads are Salmon Avocado, which features Manuka smoked salmon and a mango spring onion dressing; Urban Caesar – its own take on the traditional, featuring ingredients such as red rice, shredded kale, crispy turkey bacon and toasted hazelnuts; and Thai Crunch, featuring sesame-marinated glass noodles, kale, beansprouts, pickled and chilli and carrots, sugar snap peas, edamame, coriander, mint, toasted peanuts, and a choice of chicken or tempeh.

While Ramjee is keen to keep a tight menu, it has also introduced warm salads (with a hot protein or grain) – first in its High Street Kensington store and its latest opening last month near London Wall – in response to consumer demand, which he says had been performing well.

While it is going after the more premium end of the market, Ramjee believes that customers are willing to pay a premium for quality, as they care more about the provenance and what they are putting into their body.

In terms of its ambitions, Urban Greens is looking to add a further five sites to its estate over the next 18 months, before looking outside London and potentially overseas.

Innovation in the space

So, what can we expect next in terms of innovation? Tom Gatehouse, senior trends strategist at consultancy Egg Soldiers has been struck by just how much the ‘newer’ high street salad players are leaning towards tech.

“There’s clearly a focus on having modern brand identities – identities that champion efficiency in delivery, consistency in product, and high convenience, aligning with fast-moving modern lifestyles,” he says.

The consultancy has recently been working with a few brands who are looking to channel these factors, with plant-based the angle for all.

“They take inspiration from the likes of Atis and The Salad Project in that they are streamlining customer journeys and playing to the needs of the time-poor, embracing myriad opportunities both in-store and in the digital space to underpin modern food perspectives and approaches,” Gatehouse says.

“Speed, fresh, healthier - that’s really what the game is about on the high street for any salad-based brand. And this new crop is taking it to the next level.”

Gatehouse notes the example of Tahina – a new and digitally-native grab and go operation due to open in Mayfair before the end of the year, which has adopted ‘Smart Fresh Food’ as its tagline.

“It’s an entirely plant-based menu and the brand has a laser-focus on tech, with Tahina’s flagship store fully automated and boasting high-speed cloud computing, intelligent weight shelves, and AI integration.”

Think of it as the Amazon ‘Just Walk Out’ Fresh of salad bars.

While concepts such as this may not be the norm as yet, with a little innovation it would appear the salad bar concept has staying power. After all, an iceberg lettuce infamously outlasted the premiership of Liz Truss.