Chop't Creative Salad Company

“Build it and they will come,” is not the strategy employed at this omnipresent customizable salad and wraps concept. Its young founders have made a concerted effort since launching in 2001 to cultivate salad fans, beyond the expected vegan and vegetarian clientele, willing to pay $10 for a healthy meal. Early on, they developed “recruiting salads,” Crain’s New York Business reports, with unsaladlike ingredients such as steak and onion rings, to lure Average Joes. Now people are lining up outside for make-your-own bowls or rotating “destination salads” (signatures that change every 60 days). And the “Vegan tastes better” messaging now unabashedly tops the website and in-store signage. For those who need still more coaxing, floor-to-ceiling windows let passersby catch a glimpse of crew members chopping greens at breakneck speed with curved mezzaluna-style knives.