Summer is the season for fresh vegetables and no-cook salads. But it turns out salads are surging in popularity year-round. There seems to be a number of reasons for the salad trend—credit a desire for better health and wellness, or maybe it’s growing interest in plant-based diets. Any way you dice it, now is the perfect time for home and housewares retailers to connect with consumers on all things salad.
A Growing Movement
You’re not imagining the growth of fast-casual salad concepts. Sweetgreen, Crisp & Green, Just Salad and CAVA are just a few of the big names, and there’s more opening each day. Just Salad’s sales were up 88% in 2023 (units up 25%), Salad and Go’s sales were up 68% (units up 66%) and Sweetgreen’s sales were up 24% (units up 19%). (Source: Technomic Top 500)
Nation’s Restaurant News recently called leafy greens “an exciting category to watch,” thanks in part to interest in healthy lifestyles but also customizable offerings. But the salad trend is not reserved for fast-casual outposts. Full-service restaurants are also upping their salad games, and even sandwich-based fast-food chains are getting in on the action.
What’s even more interesting is it’s not just women opting for salads. According to Technomic’s Ignite Consumer, the main dish salad consumer now skews male, millennial, white and over $150,000 in income.
Salad at Home
Of course, it doesn’t take long before consumers start looking for ways to replicate what they’re seeing in restaurants at home. And what they’re seeing in restaurant salads is a lot of creativity, a lot of different ingredients and some unique flavors.
In fact, the dressing is a popular way to experiment and innovate. When it comes to dressings, “Chefs are celebrating unexpected flavor combinations, creative vegan twists, global flavor touches and reimagined classics, and they are cleverly applying textural elements like swipes, swooshes and finishing flourishes,” says Katie Ayoub, managing editor of Flavor & The Menu.
With that said, think about how you can help shoppers create healthy and delicious salads at home using social media and store events. Customers are likely to appreciate unique dressing recipes, as well as chef-inspired recommendations for global flavors or ways to incorporate seasonal produce.
Salad-Related Products
Retailers taking advantage of the salad trend will also want to enhance their assortments with salad-related products and support them with marketing and merchandising. This could include items related to food prep like cutlery, cutting boards and salad spinners, as well as unique serving pieces.
Since slicing and dicing fresh veggies is usually a labor-intensive task, think about products that can make prep time faster and more convenient. Consider products that will help consumers add new or unique flavors to the mix. And don’t forget salad containers—a segment that is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.1% in the U.S. through 2034, according to Future Market Insights. (They also cite similar numbers in countries around the world.)
Looking for inspiration? Here are some products to help with salad making.
- Presto Professional SaladShooter, which is an electric slicer/shredder with interchangeable cones for thick slices, ripple slices, medium shreds and super shreds, plus a handy funnel guide that shoots ingredients straight into your bowl or container.
- The Lékué Dressings Collection offers attractive options for making homemade salad dressings. In one vessel, you can add ingredients, shake to emulsify, serve and store.
- Acacia Wave Bowl with Salad Hands by Lipper International – An eye-catching acacia wood serving piece that adds warmth and character to homes and parties.
- Salad Jiggler by Life Story – A compact on-the-go container with a separate dressing container; just shake and eat.
- Pret-A-Paquet Salad Box by Life Story – A colorful and stylish option for fresh on-the-go salads, which includes a matching carrying case.
