Dive Brief:
- Fast casual chain Just Salad opened its first drive-thru restaurant on Monday in New Jersey, the company announced in a press release.
- Just Salad plans to open multiple additional drive-thru units throughout 2025, but didn’t share where these will be located.
- The 90-unit salad concept joins a growing contingent of QSRs and fast casuals focusing on drive-thru and drive-thru-only units, including Chick-fil-A, Del Taco and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, in a bid to capitalize on diner demand and improve speed.
Dive Insight:
Just Salad has been on an expansion tear in the past few years — CEO Nick Kenner said the chain was experiencing the fastest growth in its history in 2023. Drive-thru units could help support growth goals and entry into new markets, as these concepts can attract time-strapped diners and yield stronger sales. The inclusion of dine-in service also allows guests more flexibility.
Improved customer experience and throughput is another major benefit of small-format, off-premise-focused stores, major QSR and fast casual brands have shared over the years.
"This format allows us to serve our guests with added convenience, representing a major step forward in making healthy, delicious food even more accessible,” Kenner said in Monday’s press release.
Though the drive-thru channel is strongly associated with traditional fast food fare, Just Salad’s new format puts it in more direct competition with fast casual salad bowl rivals Sweetgreen and Cava.
Last year, Cava said it planned for a major portion of new restaurant openings to include digital order drive-thru windows, a format it began opening in 2019. As of February 2024, Cava was operating 31 drive-thru units, while Sweetgreen has at least one drive-thru restaurant with plans for more.
