Dive Brief:

• Fast-casual salad franchise Saladworks has opened inside The Giant Company’s store in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, according to a press release. The location began operations Oct. 12.
• In its stand-alone restaurants and within grocery stores, Saladworks offers made-to-order salads, wraps, grain bowls and soups, and customers can choose from 60 different ingredients to build custom meals.
• Customers of the new Giant Saladworks location can place orders in person or through the Saladworks website, or they can call ahead for pickup. They can also place orders for delivery through DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats.

Dive Insight:

This isn’t the first Saladworks to open inside a retail store. According to the company, Saladworks has restaurants inside six grocery stores in Pennsylvania and New York and has plans for 10 more openings through early 2021.

In June, Saladworks told CNBC demand for in-store salad kiosks had picked up during the pandemic. The company, which also operates four locations inside ShopRite locations, has seen interest from other larger retailers. Although it had to shutter 130 stand-alone restaurants because of the public health crisis, it didn’t have to shut down in-store locations.

“With COVID-19 bringing safety challenges to self-serve food bars in grocery stores everywhere, guests can feel safe with Saladworks, since the salad bars are situated in a separate space where only staff has access,” Eric Lavinder, vice president of development for Saladworks, said in the press release. 

The pandemic has driven many retailers to become more clever with their in-store foodservice offerings. With self-service areas shut down, companies like Heinen’s and ShopRite have turned to technology with Sally, the salad-making robot. Kroger has debuted a ghost kitchen in the Indianapolis area for only meal pickup and delivery and has plans to open another in the Columbus, Ohio, metro area next month. 

The Giant Company has multiple efforts underway to keep its offerings fresh and appealing amid the pandemic, including Saladworks. The company has engaged in some major rebranding over the last year, most recently revealing a new platform, “For Today’s Table,” which includes a refreshed product assortment and enhanced meal options. Giant also introduced a cook-in-bag product in August, which includes seasoned seafood and meats with vegetables in an oven-ready bag.