Restaurant group partners with Aramark to expand nutritious food options
The Big Salad is celebrating the April 9 grand opening of its seventh location at a place where nutrition and healthy dining choices are especially encouraged – the University of Michigan Hospital Café on the Ann Arbor health care campus.
The Big Salad is teaming up with Aramark Healthcare – food service management for University Hospital – to operate a freestanding counter service location, as well as a gourmet salad bar where customers can create their own salad.
The Big Salad’s fresh food menu at the Hospital Café will offer a variety of hand-crafted salads that have become the company’s signature dishes.
In addition, The Big Salad collaborated with Aramark Healthcare and U-M Health System to offer menu items which meet nutritional guidelines under the MHealthy Dining Program. The program takes into account portion sizes and limits on fat content, sodium and sugars. The MHealthy menu items are reviewed and approved by U-M registered dietitians.
“We’re excited to be a part of the dining scene at U-M University Hospital,” said John Bornoty, The Big Salad founder and CEO. “We’re bringing more fresh, fast and healthy food choices to U-M hospital staff, outpatients, as well as visitors.”
Bornoty noted this is The Big Salad’s second location in a health care setting. Last October, The Big Salad opened Nourish by The Big Salad at AL!VE, the Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital’s experience-based destination health care park in Charlotte, Michigan, just west of Lansing.
Since opening its first location in 2008, The Big Salad has allowed people to make their meal their own. Through thoughtful planning, The Big Salad chefs are equipped to prepare more than 17 million possible iceberg, romaine or spinach salad combinations for customers right at the point of purchase with a choice of 40 toppings and 30 dressings. Additionally, The Big Salad offers a plethora of fresh sandwich and soup options, as well as putting any salad into a wrap. Currently, The Big Salad can be found in Ann Arbor (now two locations), Grosse Pointe Woods, Novi, Royal Oak, Troy and Charlotte. The restaurant chain has plans to open 100 stores in strategically located metro areas across the country in the next 10 years. Learn more at http://www.thebigsalad.net.
