Just Salad, a fast-casual and sustainable salad restaurant, opened a new location in Westport, Connecticut on Jan. 20 at 275 Post Road East.
Just Salad is a chain restaurant that serves a variety of nutritious and eco-friendly options. There are gluten-free, vegan and paleo choices, and each item contains a carbon label to display the environmental impact of the order.
“We offer salads, but not just salads. We have bowls, wraps, soups and smoothies. We cook every day and we prepare every day,” store manager for the Westport location Renata Saavedra said. “We also have the largest program of reusable bowls. You get a free topping every time you bring it back. You guys help us reduce waste and you can save money every time you get a free topping.”
Just Salad uses two methods to promote environmental sustainability. The first is called MyBowl, which allows customers to purchase a reusable bowl at any Just Salad location and bring it back everytime they return to the restaurant. As a benefit, when the bowl is reused in the store, the customer receives one free topping on their salad or bowl. The second is called BringBack, in which customers can order salad online and pick it up in a green returnable bowl. When the customer finishes their meal, they can return the bowl to a drop off bin inside.
“I think it is nice to have a fast food alternative that is healthy and can benefit people,” Alessandra Spadea ’27 said. “It’s expensive to have organic produce so I think that it is good if it is able to implement a more accessible, sustainable and healthy lifestyle for people.”
In addition to Just Salad, there are various other healthy options in Westport to go to for a fast and healthy meal. CAVA and sweetgreen are two popular spots that are located on Post Road East in Westport. CAVA, sweetgreen and Just Salad are all located within a mile of each other on the Post Road.
“I personally don’t think the [Just Salad] menu stands out compared to sweetgreen and CAVA,” Gabriella Schmelkin-Wilson ’26 said. “I think all of the healthy options and salad places in Westport are so similar.”
With so many restaurants in Westport so similar to Just Salad, the new location aims to set itself apart by emphasizing sustainability and rewarding customers for eco-conscious choices.
“Someone said that we have competition,” Saavedra said, “but we are the competition for them.”