Here are some ways to fill the hole left in your heart – and stomach – by Salad and Go’s demise

Salad and Go has been a fast and healthy favorite in Arizona for over a decade. The Phoenix-based chain’s bankruptcy and closure will leave a hole in the hearts – and stomachs — of the restaurant’s fans across the Valley.

Fortunately, the Phoenix area is home to a variety of places where hungry and health-minded diners can grab tasty and nutritious salads in a hurry.

With every remaining Salad and Go restaurant shutting down for good after the drive-thru windows close Wednesday, here is a selection of other Valley fast food and fast casual restaurants know for their salads:

Angie’s: This local chain was started by the founders of Salad and Go after they sold the business to a private equity firm. Angie’s started out in Mesa specializing in affordably priced lobster rolls but has added salads and steak, chicken and other seafood meals to its menu while growing to more than 20 locations. Menus can vary by location.

Cafe Zupas: This popular soup, sandwich and salad brand operates in nine states, with more than 15 locations in Arizona.

Chick-fil-A: The national fast-food chain is best known for its chicken sandwiches and cow mascots, but it also serves several hearty salads for around $10.

Luci’s: With two restaurants in central Phoenix and one in Scottsdale, this fast-casual breakfast and lunch spot offers a variety of salads and bowls.

Panera: The old reliable national brand has a wide variety of salads on its menu along with soups, sandwiches and baked goodies. Earlier this year, Panera launched Salad Stuffers – an item billed as a bread bowl for your salad.

Wildflower: This local fast-casual favorite, which was founded in 1996, will open its 14th Arizona location this month. Most of the Wildflower locations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., providing plenty of time for a salad fix.

The Rise and fall of Salad and Go

Salad and Go got its start in 2013, serving low-cost salads and other items from a Gilbert drive-thru on Gilbert Road south of Guadalupe Road.

Founders Tony and Roushan Christofellis sold the business to private equity firm Volt Investment Holdings in 2021. By then, the chain had grown to more than 40 locations on the strength of its affordable prices, healthy options and fast service.

The new owners initiated a rapid expansion plan, and the restaurant count grew to about 140 in multiple states.

The company headquarters moved to Dallas as the chain expanded into Texas. However, Salad and Go closed all 32 of its remaining Oklahoma and Texas restaurants and moved its main offices back to Arizona earlier this year.

This week, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it was going out of business.

Salad and Go founders Tony and Roushan Christofellis, who went on to develop the Angie’s brand, called the news of their old restaurant’s demise “a bittersweet day for us.”

“Thirteen years ago, we started Salad and Go with a simple belief that great-tasting, good-for-you food should be affordable for everyone,” they said in a post on the Angie’s Facebook page. “We dreamed that anywhere there was a McDonald’s, there would also be a better and healthier alternative that people could afford. Although we exited in 2021, watching the company announce the closing of its remaining locations is heartbreaking. We’re grateful for every team member, customer, supplier and community that believed in our crazy mission.”

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