... someone, please! I think we're overdue for a salad place like a
Chop't or
Just Salad. Don't you all think it's about time? Why is this so hard? Our neighborhood can definitely support one of these places now (God knows we have tons of frozen yogurt, the same type of consumer!) Ok, I dare one of you guys to open up here in Forest Hills! I dare ya!
I too have been wishing for a good salad place!!! I'm always in the mood for one where I can pick my own toppings and such...hope something comes soon
ReplyDeletePahal Zahn will do in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need more chain stores in our neighborhood. Any one of the restaurants we already have would gladly make you a to go salad. Support our local restaurants. Keep the money in Forest Hills.
ReplyDeleteKeep the money in Forest Hills? What makes you think that Mom and Pops are owned by people who are from Forest Hills and who are spending the money here. Besides, many of the chains are franchises, not owned by a monolithic chain.
DeleteWhy must we continue to romanticize the Mom and Pop business model? There is nothing inherently evil about franchises or chains. They provide jobs and stable businesses that have a better chance of survival. Stand alone Mom and Pops are the exception rather than the rule on Austin Street for one very good reason. The rents are astronomical. Chains have an advantage over independents because they can spread out the risk. It's just a fact of doing business in NYC. And besides, over the past 5 years, Austin Street has been littered with Mom and Pops that have gone under for not delivering good food or service.
DeleteLove Chopt. If you look at many of the restaurants during lunchtime during the week, they have only a trickle of business (except for McDs ). A salad chain would need ultra high volume during the week to make it. Unfortunately most of our local restaurants do the bulk of their business on the weekends. There is not enough foot traffic around here during the week. I was on Austin St at about 1::00 this Thursday and even Chipotle had only a few customers. Same with Bare Burger. Mr Vino's Cucina was empty...Sammie's near Ascan was desolate. McDonalds had long lines.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is true during lunch time during weekdays but Chipotle is consistently crowded after 6pm weekdays and weekends. Comparing the volume at McDs is a bit unfair, however. The McD and Bareburger and Cucina customers do not overlap.
DeleteThere was a short-lived salad place on one of the 72nds (one block off of Ascan, I believe between QB and Austin) that was in that small house where I think there's now a computer repair place. Must've been 3 years or so now. I went there twice. It was ehh.
ReplyDeleteThere was a salad place on Austin Street a few years ago where Sushi Yasu is now. Great salads. People didn't go. People here talk about supporting local businesses and wanting to eat healthy but don't actually do it.
DeleteThe quality and cleanliness of many of these smaller eateries dotting FH leave much to be desired.
ReplyDeleteSalads? You can't be serious. It would never survive.
ReplyDeleteI'd love for there to be a Paks in the area. Used to love those make your own salads there when I worked in the city. I think it would be a great fit. With Subway being the only option really for a "make your own salad", it's kinda sad.
ReplyDeletei'd like one, but the prices are always a rip off. $6 for greens and $1 per topping on average. almost $10 by the time you get it the way you want
ReplyDelete10 dollars for a nice salad. I'd say that's pretty reasonable.
DeleteToo much to spend on lunch every day, especially since that's before drink and tax.
DeleteHALE AND HEARTY LETS GO!!! yum yum!!
ReplyDelete100% agree with the Anon who said,
ReplyDelete"There was a salad place on Austin Street a few years ago where Sushi Yasu is now. Great salads. People didn't go. People here talk about supporting local businesses and wanting to eat healthy but don't actually do it."
I LOVED that place. It was a hidden gem but didn't market itself really well. I stopped going to RIPE because it was so much fresher and heartier. The owner would tell me about his morning trips to the market each morning to pick up the goods needed for the day. His prices were incredibly competitive at about $7 for a FULL heavy salad. The soups were incredible. That said, no one went and they couldn't afford to pay the rent. Such a shame, it was the PERFERCT salad spot. People claim they want this and that , but they support with their mouths, not their wallets. Based on the foot traffic of the beautiful Cucina, I have my doubts of their longevity given the neighborhoods trend of spending at chains rather than supporting local (and usually better) foods.
-D
If cucina goes out of business I will be crushed. I'm there at least 2 times a week. I love it. How could you not?
DeleteI also liked the salads at that place, but it was very hard to see it where it was and it didn't market itself at all. In the case of a make your own salad place, despite what one commenter said above, it would probably have the best chance of being successful here if it was from one of these regional or national chains with a budget to promote itself. Given all the frozen yogurt being gobbled up now here, there's obviously a huge market for healthier fare in Forest Hills, and certainly for the several dollars that one of these salads costs. And these types of places are extremely different from what Ripe offers. This is an assembly line salad place where they add every ingredient that you want right in front of you - like Chipotle does. So you have complete control as to what goes into your salads. And they taste great, too.
DeleteDid you see Station House received a nice write up in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't you just go to Natural, buy a great head of lettuce for $2.00 and whatever else you want on your salad, go home and thoroughly clean the salad (which is something no franchise or restaurant does) and make it yourself. Salad is the easiest thing to make. The salads at any restaurant are of poor quality vegetables are never washed and often have bacteria.
ReplyDeleteHaving a salad at any restaurant, let alone a Chopt, is like having soup from your shoe.
Because when you make it ahead of time, by the time lunch or dinner comes around, the salad will be cold. Bah dum chee.
DeleteSalad is supposed to be cold - wah-wah.
DeleteUmmmm.....no it is not supposed to be cold. Go to any decent restaurant and salads are served room temperature. Bad premade salads come out of the fridge.
DeleteSalad tastes better when someone else makes it.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a Chopt come in to the area but don't hold high hopes for this coming to fruition. As someone else already pointed out, Salad restaurants are typically reliant on a lunch crowd, and if you look at the current Chopt locations, they're all in areas that have heavy mid-day foot traffic.
ReplyDeleteI work from home and you can pretty much hear crickets on Austin St at noon during the week.
Personally, I loved the old Salad/Soup place on Austin Street, and used to stop by often on my way home from work. Once of the best things about it? There was never a wait.
Was not a fan of the salad shop on the block where La Boulangerie now resides. The Salad never seemed fresh to me.
I really have become a fan of making my own salads as I prefer consuming organic or locally grown produce.
With that said, if you're looking to have a salad out, I know that Keuka Cafe has a nice selection (not sure if you can order one to take out however) - http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/keuka-kafe/menu
Ripe has really good salads!
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about this yesterday! I desperately wanted a salad yesterday and settled on a salad from Subway which was oh-hum. Sometimes I get a salad from Ripe which are pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to get rid of some of the frozen yoghurt places and get a salad type place. Meanwhile, Haagen-dasz is closing done. Anyone know what is going up in its place?