Popular Drive-Thru Salad Chain Salad And Go Shutting Down In Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale Salad And Go customers have just days left to visit the popular drive-thru salad chain before the company closes all of its locations following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

The Phoenix-founded restaurant announced Tuesday that it will serve its final customers Wednesday, ending a run that brought affordable salads, wraps and bowls to communities across Arizona and beyond.

The closure affects Salad And Go locations throughout the Valley, including the Scottsdale restaurant near Scottsdale Road and Oak Street. Customers who have made the drive-thru chain part of their routine will soon no longer have the option to stop in at the location.

"This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for and loved Salad and Go," CEO Mike Tattersfield said in a statement. "Our mission was brought to life every day by an extraordinary team and embraced by guests who made us part of their routines."

The company filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. The announcement came as a surprise to some employees, with several saying on social media they did not know their shifts would be their last.

Salad And Go was founded in Gilbert in 2013 by Tony and Roushan Christofellis, who built the brand around a drive-thru-only concept focused on making healthier meals more affordable. The company expanded rapidly throughout Arizona and into other states before the founders sold the business in 2021.

In a statement, Salad And Go officials cited several challenges behind the closure, including changing consumer demand, past growth challenges and rising operating costs.

"While Salad and Go earned the support and loyalty of a deeply passionate community, the business was ultimately unable to overcome sustained pressure on consumer demand, past strategic growth challenges and rising costs," the company said.

Officials also pointed to a July Cyclospora outbreak affecting the broader food industry, saying Salad And Go was not involved but that the incident affected consumer confidence and added pressure to the business.

There may still be a future for the brand. Court filings show an Oregon-based holding company connected to the founders of Dutch Bros Coffee has agreed to purchase Salad And Go's assets, including its Arizona and Nevada locations. It is not yet clear whether Scottsdale or other Valley locations could reopen under new ownership.

The restaurant's original founders shared their reaction to the news on social media, calling the closure "bittersweet" after building the company around the idea that healthier food should be accessible and affordable.

"Thirteen years ago, we started Salad and Go with a simple belief that great-tasting, good-for-you food should be affordable for everyone," Tony and Roushan Christoffelis wrote.

The founders said that same mission continues through their newer fast-casual concept, Angie's.

For now, Scottsdale customers hoping for one last Salad And Go meal will need to visit before Wednesday's closure.