Salad House bringing fresh greens to a familiar location in Red Bank

RED BANK - The Salad House, a 10-year-old restaurant company, is getting ready to unwrap a new location here on Broad Street.

The restaurant, which specializes in chopped salads as well as sandwiches, wraps and grain bowls, has plans to open a new store at 130 Broad St., a former Saladworks location.

"We are excited," said Joey Cioffi, founder and chief executive officer of The Salad House. "I can't wait to show Red Bank what we got."

Cioffi said he hopes to open sometime in the spring. The Salad House has restaurants in Millburn, its first, and Morristown, Montclair, Westfield and Livingston. Besides Red Bank, new locations are on the way in Englewood, Sparta and Ridgewood.

Cioffi started The Salad House a decade ago, taking a concept popular in New York City and bringing it to the suburbs. It allows customers to create their own salads with various types of lettuces, greens or grains. They can add vegetable and add-ons like crispy wontons, almonds, walnuts and roasted butternut squash.

"We get fresh produce delivered every day," Cioffi said. "We also have signature salads as well."

The Red Bank location will be operated by franchisee Phil Kaiser, a New York City executive sous chef.

"I just felt we are going to be a nice addition to Red Bank," Cioffi said.

Red Bank is a "certainly a food town," said Gary Krauss, director at Pierson Commercial, a commercial real estate brokerage in Marlboro, who represented The Salad House.

People in the area who previously worked in New York City would go out to salad restaurants in the city. "Having that available now with everyone working from home is great," Krauss said. "It's a good fit."

The space was home to a salad shop for more than a decade, first Saladworks and, most recently, Fresh Bowl.

"It is right next to Red Bank Catholic. The kids were in there all the time," said Neil Barone, broker with Barone Commercial Resources in Red Bank, who represented the building's landlord. "It is a good alternative to a lot of fast food because it is healthy eating."

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Salad House opening new store in Red Bank NJ