Top 3 Salad Bar Franchises in the UK

Lily Sweeney, writer

Published at 25/04/2022, Updated on 22/10/2024 , Reading time: 5 min

Top 3 Salad Bar Franchises in the UK
Photo © Top-3-Salad-Bar-Franchises-in-the-UK.jpg

If you’re an entrepreneurial person who dreams of running your own business, entering the thriving UK health food sector in 2022 as a franchisee is a great option. You could start the salad bar business of your dreams, tapping into demand and benefitting from plenty of expert support and guidance. Read on, and you’ll discover some of the best options available if you choose to start a salad bar franchise in the UK.


The healthy food market is evolving and growing in the UK, with sales of organic food and drink surpassing £2.5 billion [Statista]. As it stands, there are many different advantages to running a salad bar franchise, and if you choose the right franchise investment for you and start building your thriving salad bar shop, you’ll soon leave your professional competitors green with envy.

What is a salad bar business?

A salad bar is a restaurant/cafe-style establishment in which salads take centre stage. Often, salad bars contain ‘build your own salad’ elements, like a counter of different ingredients that you can choose from or a buffet bar of various options. There are lots of different kinds of salad-focused and salad-adjacent food franchise opportunities, and given that demand for healthy dining options AND vegan/vegetarian options is on the rise right now in the UK, these opportunities are highly viable.

A salad bar restaurant may be regarded as an eatery that’s a better alternative to a fast food joint. A person who would like a meal that’s on the lighter side may be able to find good options here. Salad bar restaurants often involve self-service. - Archana Khambekar, Wisegeek

Why start a salad bar franchise?

As mentioned above, demand for great salads is high among UK consumers. As you attempt to choose the right health food franchise for you, you’ll soon enough see this demand in action. Beyond this, starting a salad-focused food franchise will allow you tons of room to get creative, with your dishes and your marketing. It will position you in a great place to adapt to changing consumer tastes and interests, ensuring you never have a dull working day. Plus, you’ll enjoy all the pros inherent to the franchise business model, like comprehensive training and expert advice on tap.


>> Read more about: City Spotlight: The Advantages of Running a Salad Bar Franchise in London


The 3 best salad bar franchises in the UK

When you choose to start a salad bar franchise in the UK, you’ll come across many different options and offerings. Some will make salad the sole focus, while others will offer delicious salads alongside a menu of other tasty dishes. The best way to find the right salad business for you is to do your research, starting with three of the best salad franchise investment opportunities currently available to you...

1. Centenary Lounge

Inspired by art deco and the 1930s, Centenary Lounge is an award-winning collection of venues serving an amazing menu with cocktail elegance and beautifully nostalgic decor. The network is growing quickly, transporting customers across the UK all the way back to the Golden Age.

  • Becoming a Centenary Lounge franchisee: You should be dynamic and committed to developing a successful franchise business of your own. You should be able to manage staff well, deliver excellent results and provide quality, consistent customer service.
  • How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £75,000, with franchise fees of £15,000, a total investment cost of £150,000 and advertising and royalty fees charged at 2% and 7% respectively.
  • What you get for your investment: You’ll receive four weeks of initial training, followed by franchisor support with everything from site sourcing and fit-out to staff recruitment, advertising and ongoing training/development.

2. Bagel Corner

Bagel Corner is a chain of quick-serve bagel restaurants first founded over a decade ago in 2010. The franchise is beloved by customers for its fast service and delicious bagels and has successfully filled a gap in the market, continuing to grow at a rapid rate to this day.

  • Becoming a Bagel Corner franchisee: You will need to be interested in becoming a regional or national master franchisee. You’ll need drive, determination, sufficient investment capacity and the ability to support an ambitious development plan.
  • How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £500,000, with franchise fees of £15,000 and advertising and royalty fees charged at 4% and 5% respectively.
  • What you get for your investment: You’ll receive an extensive 10-day training programme, as well as onsite support and ongoing assistance. Whenever you need expert assistance or advice, your franchisor will be on hand to provide this support.

>> Read more:


3. Baguette Express

Baguette Express was founded in 1999, and later acquired by brothers Robin and Billy Stenhouse. The brand was created to meet the market demand for healthy quick-service restaurants, did exactly this, and is now beloved by many UK customers.

  • Becoming a Baguette Express franchisee: You won’t need prior experience in the industry, but you should have strong business judgement. You should also be energetic and driven, ready to commit to running a fast-growing brand on a full-time basis.
  • How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £30,000, with a total investment of £60,000 and a royalty fee charged at 7%.
  • What you get for your investment: You’ll be supported from day one of your investment, receiving site selection help, two weeks of initial training and grand opening assistance. You’ll then receive ongoing marketing, sales and advertising support.

Start a salad bar franchise today and enjoy all the benefits of running your own business

Hopefully, you’ve now developed a strong sense of what’s out there in the world of salad bar franchise investments. To continue your research into the ins and outs of running a health food franchise, stick around on Point Franchise. Find out how to start your own healthy food franchise, check out five tips for marketing your health food franchise and discover the state of franchising in the health food sector.

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Lily Sweeney, writer

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