All 70 Salad and Go drive-thru locations in Arizona and Nevada will close permanently on August 5, the company announced after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 4. The closure follows a steep decline in operations, including two major rounds of restaurant closures in 2025 that reduced the chain’s footprint from over 140 locations in May 2025 to its current size.
Company Rationale
Salad and Go attributed its bankruptcy filing to three primary challenges: sustained pressure on consumer demand, rising operational costs, and prior strategic growth difficulties. The company also cited the July Cyclospora outbreak, which sickened at least 10,000 people nationwide, as a contributing factor that weakened consumer confidence in fresh lettuce. While Salad and Go was not implicated in the outbreak, its leadership stated the incident compounded existing industry-wide challenges.
CEO Statement
In a statement, CEO Mike Tattersfield acknowledged the closure as a difficult decision for employees, customers, and partners. "This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for, and loved Salad and Go," Tattersfield said. "Our mission was brought to life every day by an extraordinary team and embraced by guests who made us part of their routines."
Industry Impact of Cyclospora Outbreak
The Cyclospora outbreak has affected multiple food chains beyond Salad and Go. Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brands, experienced a sharp decline in traffic after the FDA linked iceberg lettuce to the outbreak. The chain temporarily removed the affected supply, though executives reported recovering sales. Other chains, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, also saw reduced demand due to consumer mistrust of fresh lettuce, despite not being linked to the outbreak.
Salad and Go emphasized in its statement that it does not use shredded iceberg lettuce and does not source ingredients from the supplier identified in the outbreak reports. The company’s business model relied on commissary kitchens to wash produce and prepare proteins before shipping ingredients to individual restaurants for assembly.
Corporate History and Leadership Changes
Founded in 2013 in Gilbert, Arizona, Salad and Go expanded rapidly under private equity firm Volt Investment, which acquired a stake in the company and later bought out the founders in 2021. The chain pursued an ambitious growth strategy, nearly doubling its store count under former CEO Charlie Morrison, who led the company until late 2024. Morrison departed amid reported disagreements with the board. Tattersfield, previously CEO of Krispy Kreme, took over leadership in 2025.
Financial and Operational Decline
Salad and Go’s bankruptcy filing comes after a period of aggressive expansion followed by rapid contraction. In September 2025, the company announced plans to close 41 locations, including all stores in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, as well as select units in Dallas and Oklahoma. By January 2026, Salad and Go exited Texas and Oklahoma entirely, closing an additional 32 restaurants, including 25 in Texas. The company refocused its operations on Arizona, Nevada, and select markets in Dallas and Oklahoma before ultimately shutting down all remaining locations.
The company served over 60 million meals during its 13-year history, positioning itself as a provider of affordable, fresh food through its drive-thru model. Despite its mission to make fresh food accessible, Salad and Go was unable to sustain operations amid economic pressures and industry-wide challenges linked to food safety concerns.