The story of a growing, Midwestern salad chain

The story of a growing, Midwestern salad chain

June 24, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Steele Smiley discusses the growth and strategies of his salad chain Crisp & Green in the competitive healthy eating market.

Can a salad chain thrive in the ever-changing world of healthy eating? Steele Smiley is betting on it. The founder and executive chairman of the Minneapolis-based salad chain Crisp & Green joins the Restaurant Business podcast to talk about his brand’s strategies. Crisp & Green has 52 locations and dozens more under development in the U.S. Smiley talks about the brand’s founding, and how he never envisioned becoming a restaurant operator. Smiley started the chain after a career in the fitness industry and he talks about the learning curve that comes with running a restaurant. We also talk about the changing demands of what is considered healthy and how a salad chain can compete in a world of protein. We discuss the company’s recent introduction of sandwiches and its supply chain as well as the brand’s future plans. We’re talking with another growth chain on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

People in this episode

Host: Restaurant Business Magazine

Guest: Steele Smiley

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Crisp & Green

Places: Minneapolis, U.S.

More episodes of A Deeper Dive

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the A Deeper Dive podcast page.