Salsa Fresca Opens 9th Fast Casual Restaurant In Hudson Valley

LAGRANGEVILLE, NY — Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill will open its ninth restaurant at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9 in Lagrangeville in Dutchess County. The restaurant, which features always-fresh, never-frozen food, is located at 1110 Route 55, across from McDonald’s and a short walking distance from Arlington High School.

As part of its grand opening promotion, every 50th customer will receive a gift card for free burritos for a year at that location.

Marc Miles, one of three co-founders of Salsa Fresca, said the company began about nine years ago.

He said the concept is similar to that of Chipotle, in that they offer burritos, bowls and tacos, but the Salsa Fresca menu is a little more expansive.

“Basically what we do is fast casual Mexican food, bridging the gap between fine dining and fast food,” he said, during a soft opening Thursday.

“We also offer signature items, prix fixe, then quarterly featured items that rotate, Miles said.

He said it's sort of like “Subway meets Starbucks for burritos.”

The signature items included Mexicali Blue, a burrito with chicken, Mexican rice, beans, cheese, cilantro, red onion and salsa verde; Fire on the Mountain, nachos with queso, ground beef, jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa; and Buffalo Chicken, a quesadilla with chicken, cheese, red onion, spicy buffalo sauce and ranch dressing.

Customers can build their own burrito, bowl, tacos, salad, nachos or quesadilla. Access the menu here.

“Everything is fresh daily and made from scratch,” Miles said, adding that all the ingredients are traceable. The pork and chicken are antibiotic-free and the beef is USDA Angus beef.

Another of the company’s commitments is having everything — from plates and bowls to utensils and straws — made from compostable plant starch.

“We are trying to educate people on how they can come as close to zero waste as possible,” Miles said.

The Lagrangeville location will employee 15 to 18 people in full- and part-time positions. Miles said they received more than 200 applications from potential employees.

Other Salsa Fresca New York locations include Mamaroneck, Bedford Hills, Yorktown, Cross River, Peekskill and Carmel. There are two locations in Connecticut, in Danbury and New Haven. A 10th location is planned for the fall in Poughkeepsie across from Marist College.

Miles said the company started selling franchises about two months ago, with locations in New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. For information about franchising, go here.

Photo caption: Salsa Fresca in Lagrangeville. Photo credit: Michael Woyton/Patch Staff.