Salad Days

October 5, 2026 – True Food Kitchen files for bankruptcy.

Is anyone shocked by the news that yet another salad focused restaurant brand has bit the dust? Not me.

A brief recap for those of you who have been too busy enjoying your chicken sandwiches, burritos, burgers and bowls to notice how the salad brands have been wilting.

Tender Greens – filed for Chapter 11 in 2024
Salad and Go – filed for Chapter 11, August 2026
True Food Kitchen – files for Chapter 11, October 2026

The question is not, “why did they fail?” rather, the question is “who’s next?” Sweetgreen is the consensus front-runner. The chain’s struggles came into sharp relief in 2025, as same-store sales declined 9.5% in Q3 due to an 11.7% drop in foot traffic. By August of 2026, the stock was down 86% from its peak. Like just about every other brand that dove into the deep end of the salad economy, the company simply does not make money. One suspects that their best chance for stabilization may stem from the harsh reality that most of their national competitors are going bankrupt. But this sounds more like a stay of execution than a mandate for growth.

The plight of each of these salad brands has laid bare the true North Star of American diners. In this country, we like our animal proteins and we like our caffeine. Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, In -N-Out, McDonald’s, Shake Shack and Whataburger are all clamoring to add sites to meet consumer demand. The biggest growth challenge for the protein and coffee brands is the push back from municipalities that are coping with the impacts of consistently long drive thru lines that snake through parking lots and onto city streets. These lengthening lines of consumers are now being addressed with double and triple lane drive thus that can accommodate 50 vehicles at once – a telling affirmation of consumer dining preferences that spills out before us.

And inside this divergence of outcomes lies a secret that aspiring brand builders in the dining worlds should digest. To wit, Americans like their salad hidden in their protein, not their protein hidden in their salad. If you look at my order at Chipotle or Cava, it’s mostly composed of beans, rice, salsa, lettuce and guacamole (Salad!). The supporting actor role in my order is played by the flavorful meat. A healthy and largely plant-based meal can be delivered at many of the non-salad chains. Pay attention to the crucial mom shoppers who the make dining choices for their families, buying three or five meals at a time. Their kids don’t think of it as health food. Instead, they find these dishes tasty, filling and as an extra bonus they don’t need to use utensils. Or a plate. Consumers aren’t necessarily rejecting the vegetables served at salad brands; they are rejecting the format.

Meals like those served at Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s look and feel entirely different than a bowl or plate of greens with a piece of cooked meat or fish tucked inside. Notably, salad isn’t easily eaten on the go, in the car, or without the full complement of dining apparatus: a table, a plate or bowl and utensils.

Anecdotally, the clientele at the salad chains appears to be weighted towards Millennials and Gen X, who visit solo or in pairs. But after the ball game, the team swarms In-N-Out or Chick-fil-A. Road trippers break at Starbucks or Dutch Bros, and increasingly at McDonalds or other brands that have successfully leaned into the caffeine space. Parents and coaches do not take the kids, the team, or the birthday party out for salad.

Brilliant brand builders like Ray Kroc, Howard Schultz and Truett Cathy did not waste their energy or enterprise seeking to reeducate the American consumer, and later the world, on what to eat. Rather their success was built on meeting the consumer exactly how and where they wanted to eat and drink. They focused on the food and drink choices that have been staples for centuries, and then introduced various other menu items, some healthy, some decadent, as tastes have changed over the years.

A frank testimony showcasing who the victors and the vanquished are in the faltering efforts to build a national salad chain played out in the bankruptcy auction for Salad and Go’s drive thru real estate. The bidding war quickly escalated into a brawl between whom? Dutch Bros and 7 Brew – two brands whose brilliance lies squarely at the intersection of caffeine and convenience.

In researching this blog post, I found it remarkable how each of the salad brands had gone to the trouble to adopt a slogan. Each one of them was aspirational! Transformational! Alas, their outcomes were something less.

“Greens for Everyone”; “Real Food for Real Life”; “Slow Food Done Fast”; “Build healthier communities by connecting people to real food.” That last one is a mouthful.

For aspiring restaurant operators, the message is clear: convenience, comforting foods, and caffeine drive consistent volume—aspirational slogans do not.

Entrepreneurs take note: Burger King’s “Have it your way” message was much more than a slogan. It was the playbook for enduring success.