Fresh Choice

Fresh Choice was a chain of buffet-style restaurants which operated in California, Washington, and Texas under the names Fresh Choice, Fresh Plus, Fresh Choice Express, and Zoopa.

Fresh Choice
Private
GenreRestaurant
Founded1986 (1986)
Defunct2012
Headquarters
Emeryville, California
,
United States
Key people
Sandy Boyd, CEO
A Fresh Choice restaurant

History

The first restaurant was opened in Sunnyvale, California on El Camino Real in the Cala Shopping center in the space that was once Calaway's Bar and Grill, by Martin Culver, Brad Wells, and Ken Oppeltz, in 1986. Opening the first restaurant for under $140,000 using funds from Martin Culver's home equity line of credit, a cash investment from Brad Wells, and the restaurant background of Ken Oppeltz, the restaurant was an immediate success. The lines out the door prompted the trio to quickly search for a second location which was opened in the Moffett Business Park. Shortly thereafter, the group was approached by a venture capital group and raised several rounds of financing for expansion, and expanded by opening in the Stanford Shopping Center and Valley Fair Shopping Center, both former restaurant locations. Over a few years, Fresh Choice expanded to over 50 locations in California, Texas, and Washington.

Fresh Choice marketed itself as a healthier alternative to fast food restaurants with reference to menu options that include choices relatively low in fat, carbohydrates, and/or calories. All restaurants featured 50 foot salad bars, 6 freshly made soups daily, artisan pizza, and breads.

Fresh Choice obtained its produce from local farmers, and tried to use seasonal, local and organically grown produce. In 2009, the company embarked on a plan to grow many of its own vegetables. The Sacramento Magazine Diners' Choice Awards voted Fresh Choice as the restaurant with the most health-conscious menu in 2008 and 2009.[1][2]

Fresh Choice was enrolled in PG&E's Climate Smart Program, through which Fresh Choice made voluntary, charitable contributions that fund greenhouse gas capture and reduction projects to make its Northern California restaurants' energy usage carbon neutral.[3] Additionally, Fresh Choice sponsored and participated in events such as 2009 Earth Day in Sacramento, California International Marathon and health fairs.[4]

Fresh Choice's major competitor was Sweet Tomatoes (known as Souplantation in Southern California) which, as of 8 May 2020, has ceased operation of its 97 locations due to bankprutcy as a result of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Closures

In late 2012, Fresh Choice closed approximately half its locations. According to the Capitola-Soquel Patch[5] Fresh Choice planned re-organizing the restaurants into a new concept of à la carte fare and charging people by weight for their salads. They would also have a beer and wine bar, a breakfast bar, and updated seating. Some locations that had been open less than two years closed and one location which was supposed to open in Stockton was permanently shelved according to the company.

On December 15, 2012, it was reported that all Fresh Choice locations would be closing permanently, and that two of them in the Bay Area had been re-opened under the name "California Fresh"[6][7] As of September 2014, California Fresh has at least seven restaurants in the Bay Area.[8]

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References
  1. "2008 Diners' Choice Awards - Sacramento Magazine - August 2008 - Sacramento, California". Sacmag.com. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  2. "2009 Subscribers' Choice Dining Awards - Sacramento Magazine - August 2009 - Sacramento, California". Sacmag.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-04. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  3. Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "2009 Sponsors - Sacramento Earth Day 2012". Sacramentoearthday.net. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  5. Bourne, Jacob (October 30, 2012). "Capitola Fresh Choice Closes; New Restaurant Coming Soon". Capitola-Soquel Patch. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  6. "Popular salad buffet Fresh Choice goes dark". mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  7. California Fresh website
  8. "California Fresh - Salad Buffet Restaurant Locations". Retrieved 2014-09-07.
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