Chopt Creative Salad Company
Chopt Creative Salad Company is a privately held, founder-led fast-casual restaurant chain operating 80+ company-owned locations across 13 Eastern U.S. states, serving customizable salads, wraps, and warm bowls to health-conscious consumers, plus corporate catering, group ordering, and office delivery through its Chopt Drop program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Chopt Creative Salad Company does
Chopt Creative Salad Company is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2001 by Tony Shure and Colin McCabe in Union Square, NYC, and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY. It operates 80+ company-owned locations across 13 states (NY, CT, NJ, PA, OH, MD, VA, DC, NC, SC, GA, TN, AL), with no franchise exposure disclosed. The core product portfolio consists of hand-crafted salads, wraps, and warm bowls unified by a "Craft Your Own" customization platform, supported by kids' meals, drinks, snacks, to-go dressings, and rotating seasonal limited-time offerings. Menu engineering emphasizes premium, locally sourced ingredients (within a 400-mile radius), housemade dressings, and a roughly 75% plant-based mix.
The business is multi-channel. Consumer revenue flows through in-store dining, pickup, and delivery via the company's own website (choptsalad.com) and a native iOS/Android app. B2B revenue is generated via three proprietary services: Chopt Catering (corporate, school, and event catering for groups of 10-100+), Group Ordering (team-based collaborative ordering under a single payment with corporate invoicing), and Chopt Drop (free office delivery with building-specific ordering links and corporate stipend support). Monetization is unit-based across all channels (retail food sales, catering minimum of $50, gift cards up to $200), with the Chopt Rewards tiered loyalty program (Member, VIP, Elite) serving as a CRM layer across in-store, online, and catering orders.
Operationally, Chopt is founder-influenced (Shure and McCabe remain active as co-founders) with Nick Marsh as CEO, and is supported by a documented internal-promotion culture. The company has positioned sustainability as a brand pillar (100% compostable bowls from sugarcane, 25% GHG reduction commitment, 400-mile local sourcing) and recently unveiled its Chopt 4.0 restaurant prototype co-developed with SLR International Corporation. Chopt has raised $8.13M in disclosed venture funding as of January 2026 and remains private with no parent company.
Chopt Creative Salad Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chopt Creative Salad Company
- Legal name
- Chopt Creative Salad Company
- Website
- https://choptsalad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Chopt Creative Salad Company is a privately held, founder-led fast-casual restaurant chain operating 80+ company-owned locations across 13 Eastern U.S. states, serving customizable salads, wraps, and warm bowls to health-conscious consumers, plus corporate catering, group ordering, and office delivery through its Chopt Drop program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chopt Creative Salad Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast-Casual Restaurant
- NAICS
- Caterers (722320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Healthy/Salad/Grain Bowl QSR (THAFAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Chopt Creative Salad Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices27 records
Markets served
Chopt Creative Salad Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Food Sales: Revenue from direct food sales at Chopt restaurant locations, including salads, wraps, warm bowls, and beverages ordered by individual customers in-store or for pickup/delivery.
- Catering Services: Catering revenue from corporate events, office lunches, school meals, and events. Orders are placed through catering.choptsalad.com and delivered to groups of 10-100+ attendees with customizable menu options.
- Group Ordering: Revenue from group ordering where multiple individuals within an organization place orders under a single order and payment. Includes corporate invoice payment option for organizations.
- Chopt Drop Office Delivery: Office delivery service providing individually customized meals delivered together at lunchtime, with corporate stipends available.
- Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold to consumers for use at Chopt locations. Digital gift cards require Chopt Rewards account and range up to $200.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering minimum order |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Gift Cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Chopt Creative Salad Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chopt Creative Salad Company operates a fast-casual restaurant chain that prepares and sells customizable hand-crafted salads, wraps, and warm grain bowls built from premium proteins, locally sourced produce, and housemade dressings. The core menu is anchored by the Craft Your Own customization platform and supplemented by signature recipes, kids' meals, seasonal limited-time offerings, and bottled to-go dressings. The company also sells gift cards and operates a tiered loyalty program, while offering catering, group ordering, and office delivery services for corporate and group customers.
Product overview
Chopt Creative Salad Company operates as a fast-casual restaurant chain offering a unified menu of hand-crafted salads, wraps, and warm bowls, all centered around its Craft Your Own customization platform. The core product portfolio consists of Salads, Wraps, and Warm Bowls, with the ability for customers to fully customize each via Craft Your Own. Supporting products include Chopt Jr. Meals for kids, Drinks, Snacks, and To-Go Dressings for at-home use. The company also offers seasonal limited-time offerings that rotate throughout the year. Beyond individual dining, Chopt provides service offerings including Catering for group events, Group Ordering for workplace teams, and Chopt Drop for office delivery. The Chopt Rewards loyalty program ties together all customer interactions across in-store, online, and catering channels with tiered point earning and redemption.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chopt Rewards: The company's loyalty program that allows customers to earn points with every order, redeem rewards, and unlock status-based perks.
- Chopt Drop
- Chopt Catering
Products and services
- Salads Hand-crafted salads featuring premium proteins, artisanal toppings, and housemade dressings. Includes signature salads such as Kale Caesar, Mexican Caesar, Santa Fe, Chopt Greek, Crispy Chicken Ranch, and Sweet Apple Orchard, available for individual consumers at restaurant locations and via online/app ordering.
- Wraps Wrap-exclusive creations grilled to order with premium ingredients and housemade dressings, with an option to upgrade to a protein tortilla. Includes Chicken Caesar Wrap, Mexicali Chicken Caesar Wrap, Salmon Avocado Wrap, Hummus Crunch Wrap, Chicken Club Wrap, Chicken Tinga Wrap, and Santa Fe Wrap.
- Warm Bowls Warm grain-based bowls combining proteins with hot ingredients. Features Chicken Tinga Bowl, Mediterranean Hummus Bowl, Harvest Bowl, and Salmon Avocado Bowl.
- Craft Your Own Fully customizable meal builder allowing customers to select greens, four choppings, and dressings for salads; greens with choppings served in a tortilla for wraps; or warm grains with four choppings for bowls.
- Chopt Jr. Meals Kids meal option with choice of greens, protein, and two choppings with chips or an apple, available as salad or bowl format.
- Seasonal Limited-Time Offerings Rotating seasonal menu items featuring peak-season ingredients. Current offerings include Summer Corn Caesar Salad, Sweet Peach Burrata Bowl, and Summer Corn Caesar Wrap.
- To-Go Dressings Bottled housemade dressings sold separately for at-home use, including Basil Caesar, Basil Vinaigrette, Mexican Caesar, Creamy Caesar, Creamy Sesame, Mexican Goddess, Sweet & Smoky Chipotle, White Balsamic Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Buttermilk Ranch, Carrot Miso, Chopt Vinaigrette, Lemon Tahini, Yogurt Dill, Fiery Feta, Smoky Bacon Russian, Chipotle Ranch, and Honey Dijon.
- Catering Catering service for groups of 10-100+ offering Craft Your Own Salad Bars, Large Salads, Wrap Platters, and Sandwich Platters. Features customizable vegetarian, vegan, and dietary accommodations with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Available to corporate customers, schools, and event planners with a $50 minimum order and catering rewards earning 5 points per dollar.
- Group Ordering Team ordering platform allowing groups to customize meals and reorder favorites through a shared cart with one payment. Includes a pay-by-invoice option for corporate accounts.
- Chopt Drop Premier office and event delivery service providing complimentary delivery with exclusive ordering links for buildings, customizable individual meals, and corporate stipend options. Targets offices, schools, and events requiring recurring or one-time meal delivery.
- Chopt Rewards Tiered loyalty program allowing customers to earn points per dollar spent, redeem for free menu items and discounts, and unlock status-based perks including Monthly Bonus Choppings, Monthly Bonus Proteins, and Elite Express Pickup across Member, VIP, and Elite tiers.
- Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase. Digital gift cards require Chopt Rewards membership and can be sent via email with amounts up to $200 per card.
Quantifiable outcome
- Menu is 75% plant-based, reducing carbon output by 30% compared to traditional restaurants
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Chopt Creative Salad Company
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Chopt Creative Salad Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Chopt Creative Salad Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Wellness in the SchoolscoreChopt partners with Wellness in the Schools, a nonprofit organization bringing healthy eating habits and nutrition education to NYC public schools. This partnership aligns with Chopt's 'Be Generous' core value and community engagement mission.
- Seed + MillminorSeed + Mill is a women-owned business specializing in high-quality, organic tahini featured in Chopt's craft-made dressings. This supplier partnership supports Chopt's focus on artisan, premium ingredients.
- SIMPLicoreSIMPLi works with producers who use regenerative farming practices to bring sustainable, high-quality olives from Greece. SIMPLi optimizes operations to limit carbon footprint and eliminate fraudulent activity in the supply chain.
- Enzo Olive Oil CompanyminorEnzo produces premium 100% estate-grown organic olive oil crafted in California's San Joaquin Valley. Featured as a supplier partner for Chopt's dressings and food preparation.
- SLR International CorporationminorChopt partnered with SLR to run diagnostics on their latest restaurant prototype designed to lower carbon impact and reduce energy consumption. SLR helped develop the new Chopt 4.0 restaurant model with energy-efficient HVAC and streamlined equipment.
- Bachan'sminorJapanese BBQ sauce partner featured in Chopt's artisan ingredients section on the Our Story page.
- NY ShukminorArtisan spice and condiment partner featured in Chopt's supplier ecosystem.
- Zia Hatch ChileminorNew Mexican hatch chile pepper supplier featured as an artisan ingredient partner.
- Ithaca HummusminorArtisan hummus supplier featured as a Chopt ingredient partner.
- OmsomminorAsian condiment and sauce brand featured as an artisan ingredient partner.
- Yellow Bird FoodsminorArtisan condiment and sauce brand featured as an ingredient partner.
- SOMOSminorArtisan food brand featured as an ingredient partner in the Chopt supplier ecosystem.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chopt Creative Salad Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is the largest publicly-traded fast-casual salad chain in the US, offering customizable salads, warm bowls, and plates with a digitally-led ordering model. It is the most direct competitor to Chopt on product, target customer (health-conscious urban professionals), and premium positioning.
- Cava: Cava is a fast-casual Mediterranean bowl, salad, and pita chain that has scaled nationally post-IPO. Comparable to Chopt through customizable bowl format, premium ingredient sourcing, strong digital/loyalty infrastructure, and overlap in the lunch-oriented, health-conscious customer segment.
- Just Salad: Just Salad is a New York-based fast-casual salad and wrap chain operating across the eastern US with a reusable bowl sustainability program. Closely comparable to Chopt on menu (salads, wraps, warm bowls), NYC roots, eastern-US geography, and sustainability positioning.
- Salad and Go: Salad and Go is a fast-casual salad and wrap chain focused on value pricing with drive-thru locations across the Southwest and expanding nationally. Comparable to Chopt in core product (salads, wraps) and customization model, though differentiated by lower price point and drive-thru format.
- Mad Greens: Mad Greens is a fast-casual salad, bowl, and wrap chain operating primarily in the Mountain West and expanding eastward. Comparable to Chopt on salad/bowl customization format and health-conscious positioning, with overlap in target customer demographics.
- CoreLife Eatery: CoreLife Eatery is a fast-casual chain focused on grain bowls, salads, and bone broth with locations across the eastern US. Directly comparable to Chopt on bowl-and-salad format, eastern-US footprint, and health-forward positioning targeting lunch customers.
- Honeygrow: Honeygrow is a fast-casual stir-fry, salad, and honeybar concept operating across the eastern US. Comparable to Chopt in customization-led menu, eastern-US geography, and tech-forward ordering experience targeting urban professionals.
Broad incumbents
- Panera Bread: Panera Bread is the largest fast-casual chain in the US, offering soups, salads, sandwiches, and bakery items with a national footprint and MyPanera loyalty program. Broad incumbent competing for the same lunch customers and corporate catering contracts, though with a wider menu and lower price point.
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a large fast-casual franchise with a national footprint emphasizing smoothies, wraps, and bowls with a health-conscious positioning. Comparable to Chopt through bowl/wrap format and health-forward messaging, though primarily franchise-operated and smoothie-led.
Emerging players
- Protein Bar: Protein Bar is a smaller fast-casual chain focused on bowls, salads, wraps, and smoothies with a strong protein-forward positioning. Emerging player comparable to Chopt on menu format and customization, but with a narrower footprint and more concentrated protein-led identity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chopt Creative Salad Company social profiles
Digital presenceChopt Creative Salad Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chopt Creative Salad Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Chopt Creative Salad Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chopt Creative Salad Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chopt Creative Salad Company
What does Chopt Creative Salad Company do?
Chopt Creative Salad Company operates a fast-casual restaurant chain that prepares and sells customizable hand-crafted salads, wraps, and warm grain bowls built from premium proteins, locally sourced produce, and housemade dressings. The core menu is anchored by the Craft Your Own customization platform and supplemented by signature recipes, kids' meals, seasonal limited-time offerings, and bottled to-go dressings. The company also sells gift cards and operates a tiered loyalty program, while offering catering, group ordering, and office delivery services for corporate and group customers.
Is Chopt Creative Salad Company a public or private company?
Chopt Creative Salad Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Chopt Creative Salad Company founded?
Chopt Creative Salad Company was founded in 2001. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Chopt Creative Salad Company based?
Chopt Creative Salad Company is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chopt Creative Salad Company make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, group Ordering, chopt Drop Office Delivery and gift Card Sales.
Who are Chopt Creative Salad Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sweetgreen, Cava, Just Salad, Salad and Go, Mad Greens, CoreLife Eatery and Honeygrow. Broad incumbents are Panera Bread and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Protein Bar is listed as an emerging player.
Does Chopt Creative Salad Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chopt Creative Salad Company.
What industry is Chopt Creative Salad Company in?
Chopt Creative Salad Company's product category is Fast-Casual Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAF, Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls), with a secondary code of THAFAAAJ, Healthy/Salad/Grain Bowl QSR. Its NAICS code is 722320.