Aramark Partners With Salad Concept for Campus Units 2011-06-29

Aramark is partnering with Salad Creations to open units of the salad concept on college campuses. A new Salad Creations opened in January on Florida State University's campus and a location at the University of Florida is scheduled to open in August. Additional campus locations are in development.

"Salad Creations is the ideal solution for the student, faculty member or guest who is tired of typical fast food and is searching for a delicious, quick and nutritious alternative," says the chain's president and CEO, Jeff Levine. "Our guests should feel good about what they eat, which is why we only use the freshest seasonal ingredients possible."

Salad Creations, with more than 50 locations worldwide, offers over 40 farm-fresh ingredients for customers to choose from, a variety of vegetables and fruits, cheeses, sliced meats, all natural grilled chicken, sustainable wild Alaskan salmon and more than 15 chef-designed salad dressings. Chef/servers prepare each order and, if asked, can help match particular tastes to customize the salad experience. All salads can be either tossed or chopped and are served in an environmentally friendly bowl.

"We know from our proprietary research that 60 percent of college students are looking for healthy dining choices," says Ann Marie Solomon, Aramark's vice president of national brand partnerships. "We are excited to work with Salad Creations to offer a fresh and relevant option across our campus dining portfolio."

In addition to a "Create Your Own Salad" option, Salad Creations offers more than 20 pre-designed salads and wraps, as well as a variety of daily soup specials. A number of locations also offer Panini sandwiches and a weekly rotation of frozen yogurt flavors.

"The feedback on campus has been extremely positive," says Tony Carlucci, the location manager at Florida State. "Many of our customers are excited about the menu variety and value at Salad Creations. The most popular items so far have been the Buffalo Chicken Caesar Wrap, Sunshine Cobb Salad and Chopped Veggie Salad."