Do you struggle to find healthy eating opportunities when sifting through the local Tucson restaurant scene? Do you want something delicious and yet won’t take a wrecking ball to your diet? It often feels difficult to find such locations, and many of the “healthy” offerings local and chain restaurants offer aren’t all that healthy. If any of that sounds like you, things are about to get a bit easier.
The brand new “Salad and Go” restaurant, which has origins up in the Gilbert area, is opening its doors at the intersection of Speedway and Craycroft. With its centrally located restaurant, it makes it possible to drive there from just about anywhere in town. You may even pass it on your way home from work.
However, it isn’t simply a sit-down restaurant. No, instead Salad and Go is designed to be a drive-through experience, which allows you to grab a healthy meal on your way home or when heading out to the office. This way, you have the healthy, tasty food at your disposal, without trying to pick through an otherwise bloated menu with limited options.
Salad and Go isn’t exactly new to the world of drive-through restaurants though. It is an Arizona chain through and through, as the very first location opened up in Gilbert nearly a decade ago. However, the restaurant’s food and ease of use have made it an especially popular destination, and over this period more than 30 locations have opened up, mostly in Texas.
So what can you find at the restaurant if you haven’t been to one before? Everything is made fresh to order and designed to be easy on the pocketbook (because almost all of the menu items use fresh produce there is less chance of spoilage, which not only means the veggies you’re getting are crisp and fresh but with the lack of spoilage issues the price is kept lower than the healthy options of other restaurants). The most common food options include salads and wraps. You can also order soups and breakfast burritos. Beverages cost just a buck (for any size), and you’ll find everything from house-brewed coffee (cold-pressed and regular), iced tea, fresh lemonade, and other beverage offerings.
Don’t worry if this particular location isn’t the easiest restaurant for you to get to because of its location. Later in the year, a second Tucson location will open up at 1730 East Tucson Marketplace (that’s tucked away near the Dave & Buster’s if it sounds familiar).
There are three real ways to go about ordering your food through Salad and Go. The first is you can take advantage of the drive-through. This works like any other drive-through experience you’ve been to in the past. The second is there is a walk-up ordering menu. This makes it great if you’re out for a walk and want to grab a salad, or if you’re taking advantage of one of the many fantastic biking days in Tucson. The third option is to place an order directly through the Salad and Go app. If you try the food and find you’re a fan the app is a great option to download. You can order your food in a snap and then when you arrive at the restaurant, you can then pick up your food and be on your way. They have made ordering healthy, delicious food as easy (and as quick) as it possibly can be. If you haven’t checked out the restaurant yet, go stop by and try one of the soups, salads, or wraps when you get a chance. It might just be the healthy restaurant option you've been searching for.