Just Salad: Innovating reuse in takeout and delivery
Just Salad is a fast-casual restaurant chain with a mission to make everyday health and sustainability accessible. They are home to the world’s largest restaurant reusable program and the first U.S. restaurant chain to carbon label its menu. The company was founded in 2006 and has 50 locations.
In January 2021, Just Salad launched its BringBack Bowl pilot in New York City. The goals of the pilot were to observe and measure customers’ understanding of, enthusiasm for, and participation in the program without marketing or external incentives.
Highlights
BringBack Bowl launched in New York City at Just Salad’s pilot store in January 2021 and grew to a second site in May 2021
Over 20% of customers at the first pilot location opted into the program through their online ordering system (with no marketing, incentives or promotion)
Return rate of reusable containers was 95%
Future plans to combine marketing with incentives should drive consumer awareness and participation
“I’m not super environmentally conscious, but using a reusable bowl feels like a low effort way to avoid waste.”
-BringBack Bowl Fan
“We cannot recycle or compost our way out of the waste crisis, so we're trying to pioneer a truly circular, waste-free way to dine on the go.”
-Sandra Noonan, Chief Sustainability Officer, Just Salad
A Reuse Success Story: Just Salad and the BringBack Bowl Program
Download a brief which summarizes highlights and key takeaways on Just Salad’s successful BringBack Bowl pilot; plus how they plan to build momentum from here.
Bringing Reuse in Restaurants to Life with Just Salad
Join Just Salad’s Sandra Noonan on the Indisposable Podcast to learn how the restaurant chain’s reusable bowl pilot activates opportunities for reuse in food service.
Q&A with Sandra Noonan
Check out a blog post recapping Just Salad’s successful pilot program, including a Q&A with chief sustainability officer Sandra Noonan.