Salad & Go founder moves to reopen some Arizona locations after bankruptcy, abrupt closure

Salad & Go could return to Arizona, offering a possible second chance for a fast, affordable food option that many residents had assumed was gone for good. The revival does not yet include a confirmed Tucson location, and the number of restaurants that may reopen statewide remains unknown. Still, the announcement matters to Arizonans who relied on the chain’s drive through salads, wraps and lemonades, particularly as the company’s abrupt shutdown left many communities without a familiar quick meal option.

Chef Daniel Patiño, Salad & Go’s original co-founder and corporate chef, is leading the effort with Mike Myers and Tom Misitano, his partners at Hospitality First Concepts. The group announced that it acquired Salad & Go’s intellectual property and the rights to operate and expand the brand throughout North America. Myers said the partners intend to reopen several Arizona restaurants as soon as possible, then gradually expand. Their stated goal is to have at least one restaurant operating before the end of the year, although Patiño said the group is not ready to identify how many Arizona locations might ultimately return or where they will be.

The immediate path back is complicated by the bankruptcy auction that reshaped the chain’s former footprint. Salad & Go filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and served its final customers in August, after which all remaining restaurants closed. The chain began in Gilbert in 2013 and grew to 70 drive through locations in Arizona and Nevada. It had already shut more than 40 restaurants nationwide last September because of financial pressures, and its Texas and Oklahoma restaurants closed earlier this year.

Several competing restaurant companies pursued the vacant buildings. Court records show that 7 Brew, an Arkansas based drive through coffee chain, eventually won an auction for 73 former Salad & Go stores, including 41 in Arizona, with a bid exceeding $143 million. That offer surpassed a bid from Dutch Bros, whose founders were connected to the Oregon based holding company Boersma Bros. A bankruptcy judge approved 7 Brew’s purchase of 36 Arizona locations, 30 of them in the Valley. Those properties are expected to be converted into 7 Brew restaurants, reducing the number of former Salad & Go sites available for an immediate return.

Patiño, Myers and Misitano nevertheless secured two properties through their company, Beyond Salt and Pepper. According to court documents, the group agreed to pay $1 for each of those locations and $180,000 for Salad & Go’s intellectual property. A judge still must approve the transaction. If that approval comes through, Patiño said the team hopes to reopen the two locations in roughly six weeks, while also considering newly built restaurants and other former sites that might become available.

The founders are presenting the comeback as both a business restart and an attempt to restore a brand that developed a loyal Arizona following. Salad & Go was recognized for its orange bowls, low priced salads, wraps and lemonade, a combination that customers described as unusually affordable for healthier fast food. During the chain’s closure, some restaurants drew long lines from customers making what they thought would be their final visit. One customer said he valued being able to buy a healthy salad without spending $20 or $30, while another described traveling from Prescott to Phoenix for the food. A Phoenix resident who lived near one of the restaurants said the closure was upsetting and welcomed the prospect of its return.

Patiño has acknowledged that the company’s financial collapse did not come down to one clearly identifiable cause. The business cited rising costs, pressure on consumer demand and a Cyclospora outbreak among the challenges contributing to its troubles. He said the new operation will have support and guidance in place and will be more disciplined in its approach. His stated priority is to make the brand sustainable for the communities and customers who want Salad & Go, rather than simply restoring the old model as quickly as possible.

The returning team also says it plans to make changes to the food while preserving the elements customers remember. Patiño has criticized the chain’s previous chicken offering and said food will be prepared at each restaurant. Misitano suggested that steak and shrimp, which had been popular menu options at one point, could come back. Lemonade is expected to remain part of the menu. For Tucson residents, the practical question will be whether the revival grows beyond the secured properties and Phoenix area, but no Tucson reopening has been announced. The company must first receive court approval, reopen its initial locations and demonstrate that the new operation can overcome the financial and operational problems that led to the shutdown.