Ready to go green, Atlanta?
New York City-based gourmet salad chain Chopt Creative Salad Co. is set to open this week in Toco Hill Shopping Center at 2935 North Druid Hills Road, with more metro Atlanta locations in the works.
The eatery will host a Chopt Gives Back preview day June 21, offering free salad with any donation to the Atlanta Community Food Bank from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. The restaurant will open for regular hours, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. starting Friday.
A second location is slated to open later this year in North Buckhead's Tuxedo Festival shopping center at 3655 Roswell Road, and a third location metro Atlanta location is being developed. Chopt also has locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina in addition to New York.
"Atlanta's at the top of my list of food towns right now," said co-founder Tony Shure. He said he and co-founder Colin McCabe have fond memories of visiting friends in Georgia during college. "It's one of those places we thought Chopt would work. It's been on our radar as a town we wanted to bring our food to for a very long time."
Started in 2001, Chopt offers an extensive menu of seasonal core salads, with options including the avocado-based Mexican Goddess and the Basil Mint Vinaigrette.
There's also a rotating selection of three salads inspired by different locations that change out every 60 days. Current offerings, dubbed Destination American Road Trip, feature options including a Nashville Hot Chicken Caesar, made with Nashville hot chicken, dill-pickled green beans, celery, biscuit bottom crackers and romaine with
Buttermilk Chive Caesar Dressing and Cape Cod Shrimp Roll Salad made with wild-caught shrimp, heirloom tomatoes, pickled radishes, celery, oyster crackers, summer lettuce blend and romaine with Green Goddess Dressing.
Shure said Chopt tries to source several products locally. For Atlanta, that means getting kombucha from Atlanta's Golda Kombucha and bread from The General Muir. He said part of what sets Chopt apart from other similar salad concepts including Salata and Saladworks is "the crazy lengths (they'll) go to for flavor" including its house-made dressings and that the salads are chopped.
The evolving Toco Hill shopping center has seen the closure of several longtime eateries over the past few years including Petite Auberge, Famous Pub and Bagel Palace and the addition of restaurants including Spiller Park Coffee and The Local Pizzaiolo as well as the forthcoming Hudson Grille , Kale Me Crazy and Pao Pao Ramen and Rolled Ice Cream.
The 60-seat Toco Hill Chopt will feature both communal dining areas and booth seating.
Chopt will be open from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
2935-C North Druid Hills Road, Atlanta. 404-748-9559, choptsalad.com
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