Entrepreneur Friday

Entrepreneur Fridays: Saladworks

Posted by Jean

WHO: John Scardapane

WHAT: Saladworks, the nation’s #1 salad franchise

WHEN: 1986

WHERE: Saladworks has locations in 11 states, but the company calls Conshohocken, Pennsylvania home base

HOW: Being successful in business is rarely a toss up. It’s a mix of ingredients: hard work, creativity and passion, to name a few. But for John Scardapane, founder of Saladworks, it was both.

Working as a gourmet chef in a New Jersey country club, Scardapane noticed a lack of healthy alternatives for diners and decided to take action. “I realized that there were really no healthy alternative food offerings available for consumers on-the-go, so I developed the concept to serve fresh, made-to-order entrée-sized salads in a comfortable, restaurant environment.”

With that concept in the back of his mind, Scardapane climbed the ranks at the country club, going from chef to management level. Scardapane soon learned however, that the promotion wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “When I was promoted to management, I was guaranteed a base salary and a percentage of the profits of the club. I made these profits, but I was never given my percentage because of a prior manager’s losses. This made me realize that I couldn’t work for someone else – I had to go into business for myself,” he says.

Eventually, Scardapane left his job, taking with him years of kitchen experience and his idea for a salads-only restaurant. In 1986, Scardapane pitched his Saladworks concept to a local mall in southern New Jersey, but was met with a less than enthusiastic response. “Mall management was skeptical of the salads-only business model, and worried it wouldn’t be profitable,” he says.

Scardapane’s confidence in his idea never wavered though, and with $90,000 in borrowed funds, Scardapane scored a spot in the mall’s food court, and began to serve his salads to the masses. “Saladworks quickly became the highest grossing concept in the food court,” he describes. In 1992, Saladworks expanded to become the first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise.

Today, Saladworks is an $80 million dollar company with over 100 locations in 11 states across the country. And gone are the days of Saladworks offering strictly salads—the chain now offers a selection of fresh sandwiches and wraps too. What’s next for Saladworks? Making health food healthier. “We’re lowering the calories, salt, and fat in our signature salads, wraps, and sandwiches. We’re also testing yogurt-based dressings in some of our locations; using yogurt rather than mayonnaise significantly reduces the fat and calories in salad dressings,” describes Scardapane.

HIS ADVICE: According to Scardapane, confidence is everything when it comes to being a successful entrepreneur. “Up-and-coming entrepreneurs must build up confidence in themselves and in their product or service. There will always be people who will discourage you. Realize that you only fail if you stop trying,” he says