Fresh Food Franchise Picks

These days, it seems like there's nothing greener -- both in menu items and in profits -- than salads. Salad restaurant Tossed, for one, caused a stir in New York City when the first location opened to 45-minute-long lines in 1998. Not only does this franchise offer fresh food -- it delivers a special twist by making salads the main dish.

Featuring more than 70 ingredients and 25 dressings, Tossed received such acclaim in New York City that, in 2004, it attracted the attention of two investors searching for an enticing franchise concept. "We were looking for a unique, fresh alternative to what's out there now," says Jason Chodash, one of the investors and the current executive vice president of Tossed. "Tossed is very different from other concepts that people were offering."

The fact that founders Marc Meisel, 36, Adam Cohen, 37, and Daren Herzberg, 36, had created such a specialized salad concept that not only survived but thrived in New York City was another winning point. "When it comes to the actual menu and how it was designed eight years ago, these guys were before their time," says Eric Schmitt, president and CEO of Tossed. There are currently three Tossed locations, with a fourth due to open in September. The four locations are projected to bring in $4.2 million in 2006.

It seems that Tossed has just the right mix of ingredients: a solid brand, high consumer demand and investors bent on spreading the brand far and wide. The focus for expansion will be on area developers in major cities with the right demographics and real estate. Projections are ambitious for the years to come: 200 restaurants within five years and 1,000 U.S. locations in the long run.

"The biggest population today is the baby boomers, and the baby boomers are getting away from the fast-food environment," says Schmitt. "Whether we're achieving it or not, we're all trying to keep our waistlines a little bit smaller and live healthier lives."