Just Salad
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA United States fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in salads, wraps, bowls, and sustainability-oriented dining.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Just Salad is a United States fast-casual restaurant chain focused on customizable salads and other health-oriented meals. The company was founded in New York City in 2006 by Nick Kenner and Rob Crespi, childhood friends who identified an opportunity for convenient, relatively healthy food in Midtown Manhattan. Its menu expanded beyond salads to include wraps, grain and rice bowls, soups, house-made dressings, snacks, and beverages, while retaining salads as the central product and brand identity. The chain developed primarily through company-operated restaurants in major urban and suburban markets. By 2016, it had grown to 29 locations. Panda Restaurant Group, the parent company of Panda Express, invested in Just Salad that year, providing capital for further expansion without turning the business into a Panda Express subsidiary. Additional investment followed in 2021 from Closed Loop Partners, an investment group focused on circular and sustainable production systems, together with another investment round from Panda Restaurant Group. Just Salad reported 47 locations in 2021 and reached approximately 100 restaurants in seven states by 2025, with all but two locations company-owned according to the cited reference material. Sustainability is a major part of Just Salad's positioning. The company introduced its MyBowl reusable-bowl program at its founding in 2006. Customers purchase a reusable, portion-sized bowl and receive a complimentary topping when they use it for subsequent orders. In 2021, the program was extended to online ordering. The company has reported that its reusable and returnable bowl initiatives prevent an estimated 40 tons of waste each year. Just Salad also works with Planet FWD to assess and reduce the carbon footprint of ingredients, packaging, and operations; sells surplus food through Too Good To Go; and began displaying the carbon content of menu items in 2020. It received B Corporation certification in 2023 with an overall score of 80.4 out of 100. The brand has used partnerships to broaden its culinary and social proposition. Collaborators have included chefs Marc Forgione and Amanda Cohen, sustainability advocate Kathryn Kellogg, Sesame Workshop, and PanCAN PurpleStride NYC. In January 2025, Just Salad added an artificial-intelligence menu recommendation feature to its mobile application, using an OpenAI GPT-4o-based system to suggest options according to customers' dietary objectives and taste preferences. The company also announced approximately $200 million in funding in February 2025 from Wellington Management, D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes; the transaction was reported as implying a valuation of about $1 billion. Just Salad remains a private, active restaurant business led by president and chief executive Nick Kenner.
History
Just Salad began in 2006 when Nick Kenner and Rob Crespi sought to address what they viewed as a shortage of accessible, healthier food in Midtown Manhattan. They raised startup capital and opened the first restaurant that year. From its initial salad-centered concept, the company developed a broader fast-casual menu that included wraps, rice and grain bowls, soups, dressings, beverages, and both meat-based and plant-based combinations. An important early feature was the MyBowl reusable-container program, introduced in 2006. Customers could purchase a reusable bowl sized for a restaurant portion and receive a free topping when using it again. This initiative made waste reduction part of the customer proposition rather than treating sustainability solely as an internal operational policy. The program was later extended to online orders in 2021, allowing customers to request reusable packaging through digital channels. Just Salad expanded steadily during the 2010s. It had 29 outlets by 2016, when Panda Restaurant Group invested an undisclosed amount. Panda Restaurant Group is associated with Panda Express, but the investment did not change Just Salad's identity into a Panda Express brand. Further capital arrived in 2021 from Closed Loop Partners and through another Panda Restaurant Group investment. The company had 47 locations in 2021 and approximately doubled its restaurant count during the following four years, reaching about 100 outlets in seven states by 2025. Most locations were company-owned. During the late 2010s and 2020s, Just Salad formalized its environmental agenda. Sandra Noonan, previously associated with Morgan Stanley's Institute for Sustainable Investing, joined as chief sustainability officer in 2019. The company partnered with Planet FWD to measure the carbon footprint of menu ingredients, packaging, and other operating activities. It also began distributing surplus food through Too Good to Go and introduced carbon-impact information on menus in 2020. The company has said that its reusable and returnable bowl programs avoid an estimated 40 tons of waste annually. In 2023, it received B Corporation certification with a score of 80.4 out of 100. The brand has supplemented its core menu with outside collaborations. Marc Forgione created a mezze-style salad, Amanda Cohen developed an entirely plant-based salad, Kathryn Kellogg contributed to a pickle-based salad, and Sesame Workshop worked with the company on children's menu options and nutrition-related content. Just Salad has also supported PanCAN PurpleStride NYC, a fundraising event connected with pancreatic cancer research. The business faced employment litigation in 2018 when 16 delivery workers sued the company and Kenner over alleged wage and other workplace violations. In 2022, most of the allegations were dismissed, including the claims against Kenner, while the remaining matters were settled. In January 2025, Just Salad introduced an AI feature in its mobile app that uses GPT-4o-based recommendations to match menu options with dietary goals and taste preferences. The company announced approximately $200 million in additional financing in February 2025 from Wellington Management, D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes. Reports associated the financing with an implied valuation of approximately $1 billion. Nick Kenner remains the company's president and chief executive officer.
- 2025
AI ordering recommendations and major financing
[1]The company adds AI-powered menu recommendations to its mobile app and announces approximately $200 million in financing.
- 2023
B Corporation certification
[1]Just Salad receives B Corporation certification with an overall score of 80.4 out of 100.
- 2021
Expansion funding and online reusable bowls
[1]Closed Loop Partners and Panda Restaurant Group provide additional funding, while MyBowl becomes available through online ordering.
- 2020
Carbon information appears on menus
[1]Just Salad begins listing the carbon content of menu dishes.
- 2019
Sustainability leadership is added
[1]Sandra Noonan joins Just Salad as chief sustainability officer.
- 2016
Panda Restaurant Group invests in Just Salad
[1]After Just Salad reaches 29 outlets, Panda Restaurant Group makes an undisclosed investment to support the chain's development.
- 2006
Just Salad is founded in New York City
[1]Nick Kenner and Rob Crespi establish Just Salad and open its first restaurant in Midtown Manhattan.
- 2006
MyBowl reusable program begins
[1]The company launches a reusable-bowl program intended to reduce packaging and food-service waste.
Products and positioning
Health-oriented fast-casual dining combining customizable salads and bowls with convenience, digital ordering, and visible sustainability practices.
Salads · 2006
Customizable salads
Salads are Just Salad's core offering. Customers can select from prepared combinations or customize meals with greens, vegetables, proteins, grains, toppings, and house-made dressings. The format supports the brand's health-oriented positioning while allowing customers to adjust meals for dietary preferences.
Handheld meals
Wraps
Wraps extend the restaurant's ingredient platform into a portable format. They use combinations of vegetables, grains, proteins, sauces, and other salad-style ingredients for customers seeking a handheld alternative to a bowl.
Bowls
Rice and grain bowls
Rice and grain bowls provide a more substantial alternative to leafy salads. They combine grains with vegetables, proteins, toppings, and dressings, preserving the chain's customizable fast-casual model across a different base.
Sustainability program · 2006
MyBowl reusable bowl program
MyBowl is a reusable-container program introduced when Just Salad was founded. Customers buy a portion-sized bowl and receive a complimentary topping when they reuse it. Online ordering support was added in 2021, extending the program beyond in-store purchases.
Condiments
House-made dressings
House-made dressings are used to finish salads, wraps, and bowls. They function both as a flavor component and as a customization option within the chain's made-to-order service model.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Carbon-labeled menu
United States
The chain began displaying the carbon content associated with menu dishes to give customers environmental information at the point of choice.
Outcome. Just Salad was described in the reference material as the first restaurant to place this type of carbon information on its menu.
- 2006MyBowl reusable bowl program
United States
Just Salad introduced a reusable bowl that customers could purchase and reuse in exchange for a complimentary topping.
Outcome. The program became a signature sustainability initiative and was later extended to online ordering.
- Chef and culinary collaborations
United States
Just Salad collaborated with Marc Forgione on a mezze salad and with Amanda Cohen on an entirely plant-based salad.
Outcome. The collaborations expanded the menu's culinary range and supported the brand's plant-forward positioning.
- Sesame Workshop children's nutrition collaboration
United States
Just Salad worked with Sesame Workshop on healthier children's menu options and nutrition-related eating content.
- PanCAN PurpleStride NYC support
New York City
The company supported PanCAN PurpleStride NYC, a run-walk event raising funds for pancreatic cancer research.
Brand decisions
2025
Launch AI menu recommendation toolProduct launchBackground
Just Salad sought to help customers navigate its menu according to dietary objectives and taste preferences.
Action taken
The company introduced a GPT-4o-based recommendation feature in its mobile application.
Aftermath
The feature added personalized digital guidance to the chain's mobile ordering experience.
2025
Raise approximately $200 million for expansionStrategyBackground
Just Salad was expanding its restaurant network and reported approximately 100 locations by 2025.
Action taken
The company announced financing from Wellington Management, D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes.
Aftermath
Reports associated the financing with an implied valuation of approximately $1 billion.
Capital raised. Approximately $200 million (February 2025)
2021
Extend reusable bowls to online orderingStrategyBackground
The company sought to make its reusable-container initiative available to customers ordering digitally.
Action taken
Just Salad added an online-ordering option for reusable bowls, with the same complimentary-topping incentive.
Aftermath
The initiative expanded the reach of the MyBowl program beyond restaurant-counter transactions.
Recent events
Reported
Just Salad appoints its first chief marketing officer[2]
Just Salad appointed Andy Rooks as its first chief marketing officer. The company said he would use his experience to facilitate growth, sales and brand strategy.
Reported
Just Salad launches Just Grocery delivery[3]
Just Salad launched Just Grocery, offering grocery items and meal kits for delivery in Manhattan south of 96th Street.
Sources3 sources
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