Sexy Salad Undergoes Organic Interior Renovation

Sexy Salad customers who sit down to lunch may wonder if the eatery has grown more than the fresh vegetables in their salads.

 The casual eatery, serving up salads and more in Hauppauge’s industrial park, has been undergoing gradual construction over the past weeks to create a more open floor plan. Small business owner John Robertson said it’s part of a pro-active approach to facing the ongoing economic depression.

“The restaurant, business is like a garden. It’s always evolving,” Robertson said.

The Sexy Salad’s interior has been opened up with the removal of a main wall that previously separated the serving counter from the seating.  While initial plans called for a half wall, Robertson said he plans on leaving the frame open creating a circular floor plan with a refrigerator case and coffee island in the center.

 “It has two different personalities, a front dining room and a back dining room,” the owner said.

The Sexy Salad’s front half has low, circular tables near the glass storefront, allowing for ample natural light creating a bistro, café feel, Robertson said. The back dining area has raised tables with high bar seats, dimmer lighting with wall scones and candles. The overall feel is meant to be natural.

These changes while costly, Robertson admitted, are part of his pro-active approach to running a business that has found success during economic hardship. The Sexy Salad saw an increase in business by 11 percent in 2010, according to the owner.

“I think if you do stand still, you are going to go backwards. I see places out there, with my own eyes, that are struggling with the same wall paper and the same menu,” he said. “The industry is constantly changing.”

It’s not the first time The Sexy Salad's interior has been redesigned. Its first dining area sported a picket fence that divided the front and back sections, that has since been removed. 

The question lingers, what changes are next as The Sexy Salad evolves.

“I’m not sure. I’m still absorbing what I did,” Robertson said. 

Check out Patch's "This Dish" on Sexy Salad's Chicken and Dumpling soup for a hearty winter meal.