Salad and Go founders buy brand out of bankruptcy for $180,000, plan comeback
Representative image: JillWellington / Pixabay
A US bankruptcy judge on 14 October 2026 approved the sale of fast-food start-up Salad and Go's brand and recipes for $180,000 to a firm formed by its founding chef.
What Happened
A US bankruptcy judge on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, approved the sale of Salad and Go's name, trademarks and recipes for $180,000 to Beyond Salt and Pepper LLC, a company formed by the chain's founding chef, Daniel Patiño. Patiño and two business partners, Mike Myers and Tom Misitano, said on social media and in a podcast that they have acquired the rights to operate and expand Salad and Go across North America, and that they plan to open two locations in Arizona by the end of the year. The drive-thru salad chain had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 4 August and closed all 70 of its remaining stores in Arizona and Nevada the next day.
Key Facts
- Court approval: 14 October 2026, sale of the name, trademarks and recipes.
- Price: $180,000.
- Buyer: Beyond Salt and Pepper LLC, formed by founding chef Daniel Patiño.
- Partners: Mike Myers and Tom Misitano.
- Plan: two Arizona locations by the end of 2026; locations not yet announced. One report says the group has acquired drive-thru sites in Gilbert and Mesa.
- Collapse: Chapter 11 filing on 4 August 2026; all 70 remaining stores in Arizona and Nevada closed on 5 August.
- Reasons given at the time: soft consumer demand, past growth problems and rising costs, plus fallout from a July outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite in which Salad and Go was not implicated.
- Separately, coffee chain 7 Brew agreed to buy 63 former Salad and Go sites in Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Oklahoma for $123.5 million; that deal's closing has been moved to 27 October.
Why It Matters
Salad and Go was a young restaurant company built around a simple idea: salads and other quick meals sold from drive-thru sites. It had expanded across several states, including Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Oklahoma, before it ran into what it described as soft demand, past growth problems and rising costs. Its sudden collapse in August, when every remaining store shut the day after the bankruptcy filing, left customers and staff with no warning.
The sale price tells its own story. The brand, its trademarks and its recipes were sold for just $180,000, while the more valuable real estate, the drive-thru sites, went separately for $123.5 million to another chain. For founders and investors everywhere, it is a reminder that in a restaurant business the property can be worth far more than the brand, and that rapid expansion can unravel quickly when sales fall short.
The comeback plan is small and cautious by design: two stores in Arizona to start with, run by the chef who created the menu. That is the opposite of the fast roll-out that defined the first version of the company. Whether a slimmed-down Salad and Go can win back customers will be a test of whether the concept itself was sound, or whether the problem was how fast it grew.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy filing | 4 August 2026 |
| Stores closed | 70, on 5 August 2026 |
| Brand sale approved | 14 October 2026 |
| Brand sale price | $180,000 |
| Store sites sold to 7 Brew | 63, for $123.5 million |
Impact
Short-term: Fans of the chain in Arizona may see two stores reopen by the end of the year. Former employees and suppliers will watch to see whether the new owners rehire or reorder.
Long-term: If the smaller relaunch works, the new owners say they intend to expand across North America. The case is a lesson for fast-growing restaurant concepts whose expansion outruns demand.
Who is affected: Former Salad and Go customers and workers, the new owners, the chain's creditors and investors, 7 Brew, and other restaurant start-ups planning rapid growth.
Key Takeaway
Salad and Go's founding chef has bought the brand out of bankruptcy for $180,000 and plans a small comeback, after the chain's rapid expansion ended in a sudden collapse.
Questions and Answers
Is Salad and Go coming back?
Yes, on a small scale. The founding chef, Daniel Patiño, and partners Mike Myers and Tom Misitano say they plan to open two Arizona locations by the end of 2026. Exact sites and dates have not been announced.
How much was Salad and Go sold for?
A bankruptcy judge on 14 October 2026 approved the sale of the brand's name, trademarks and recipes for $180,000 to Beyond Salt and Pepper LLC, a company formed by Patiño.
Why did Salad and Go close?
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 4 August 2026 and shut all 70 remaining stores the next day, citing soft demand, past growth problems, rising costs and the fallout from a July Cyclospora outbreak in which it was not implicated.
What happened to Salad and Go's old stores?
Coffee chain 7 Brew agreed to buy 63 former sites in Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Oklahoma for $123.5 million, with the deal expected to close on 27 October.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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