“You don’t win friends with salad.”
That’s a classic Homer Simpson line referring to his plan to host a barbecue where he cooks an entire pig, which horrifies his vegetarian daughter Lisa.
In reality, however, there’s some truth to what Homer Simpson says. Restaurants based around salad, including Salad and Go, which closed all its locations after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and Planta, a vegan chain that liquidated after a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, have struggled.
There’s actually strong business logic behind why these chains failed and other are struggling, according to “How Major Restaurant Chains Plan Their Menus,” an article that appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“Restaurants may try to avoid losing groups with a ‘health seeker’ by offering healthier foods (low in fat and calories, more fruits and vegetables) (27% of chains), but operators believe demand for healthier foods is not widespread. Additional obstacles to including healthier menu items are the short shelf life of produce (46%), increased preparation time, low sales, and high labor costs,” the data showed.
It’s hard to sell food that people may say they want, but don’t actually order when it comes time to eat. Good intentions don’t pay the bills. It’s a lesson Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen has learned, as it has now closed two-thirds of its locations.
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen closes another location
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen has shut down its final location in Louisville, Kentucky, the chain shared on Facebook.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of our Bardstown location,” the company shared. “…To everyone who has visited us, ordered with us, supported us, and made Vinaigrette part of your routine thank you! We are incredibly grateful for every meal, every conversation, and every memory we’ve shared with you.”
The chain still has two locations open in Lexington.
- Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen reached six locations in Kentucky, with three in Lexington and three in Louisville, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader in April 2024.
- The chain’s first location, in Lexington’s Townley Center, opened in 2014 and closed in April 2024 after 10 years. At the time, Vinaigrette had three Lexington locations and three Louisville locations, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader.
- Vinaigrette closed two Louisville restaurants in 2025, reducing its Louisville presence from three locations to one, Louisville Business First reported.
- In September 2025, Vinaigrette closed its downtown Lexington location on Broadway, leaving three restaurants: Hamburg and Palomar Centre in Lexington and Bardstown Road in Louisville, the Lexington Herald-Leader confirmed.
- The chain now has two remaining locations in Lexington, according to its website, which has not removed the shuttered Bardstown location.
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen serves salads, soups, grain bowls, and homemade lemonades, with a menu that includes vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free offerings.
“The latest closure comes amid heightened scrutiny of the salad sector following a nationwide cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce,” Louisville Business First reported.
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FDA issues cyclospora update
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen was not implicated in the cyclospora outbreak, but that scandal has added another challenge for salad-focused restaurants.
“A cyclospora outbreak in July, in which Salad and Go was not implicated, weakened confidence across the industry and compounded these challenges,” Salad and Go shared on its now closed Facebook page.
Taylor Farms de Mexico announced on July 17 that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, according to the FDA. That includes products sold at Walmart and at various Taco Bell locations.
The FDA shared a list of impacted locations:
- Cases with Taco Bell exposure have been reported from nine states: IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, OH, OK, PA, and WV.
- Foodservice: Taylor Fresh Foods distributed recalled iceberg lettuce products from June 29 through July 16 in AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI.
- Retail stores: Recalled Marketside-brand products were sold at select Walmart stores in: AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, OK, TN, TX, VA, and WV.
- Restaurants: Any Taco Bell locations that received recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. Taco Bell has indicated they are no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico as of July 17, 2026.
More Restaurants:
- 52-year-old international restaurant chain closing all locations
- 46-year-old casual dining chain closes underperforming locations
- Classic burger chain has closed down all its restaurants
The FDA also shared what symptoms to watch for if you may have been exposed.
“Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea, with frequent bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, and fever may be noted,” the federal agency shared.
Restaurants can’t serve what doesn’t sell
“Most People Don’t Choose Healthy Meals at Restaurants” is the headline of a Consumer Reports article showing that most restaurant meals Americans eat are not healthy.
“Half of the meals Americans order at sit-down restaurants and 70% of the ones they choose at fast-food establishments would get a failing grade for nutrition, according to a new study from Tufts University published in The Journal of Nutrition,” the magazine reported.
That’s something you can’t blame solely on the restaurants.
“Both consumers and restaurants have responsibility here: Restaurants can’t serve what doesn’t sell, and consumers can’t buy what’s not on the menu,” Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, told Consumer Reports.
Chains offering salad and other healthy options are also being hurt by the economy and consumers looking to spend less.
“Buying groceries and making salads at home is always cheaper than buying one prepared to order at a counter, as is grabbing a protein bar or yogurt on the way out the door. For convenience-seekers, whole meals can be picked up at the supermarket or even ordered online,” Bloomberg reported.
Some consumers are also trading down.
David Portalatin, the food-service adviser at market research group Circana, told Bloomberg that the proportion of lunches bought from restaurants, cafeterias, and other food-service establishments “remained stable at 23% for the three months ended in September, signaling that dropping out of Sweetgreen might mean going to Chick-fil-A instead.”
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