Charlie Morrison is leaving the drive-thru salad chain Salad and Go after differences emerged between him and the company’s board of directors, Restaurant Business has learned.
Morrison, who stepped down as CEO of Wingstop to helm the fast-growing chain in 2022, told employees in September that he was retiring at the end of the year, according to a letter to employees seen by Restaurant Business.
The company has not announced the decision, however, though it is looking for a replacement.
“There was a difference in approach and strategy with the board,” said a source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity. Once that difference emerged, Morrison told the board he should step aside.
Morrison has also stepped down from the board of directors. But he will remain a large shareholder.
“While I will be retiring from the board and as CEO, this is not the end of my relationship with Salad and Go,” he said in his letter announcing the decision. “I will continue to be a large shareholder in Salad and Go after my departure, and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your incredible product, cheering you on from the sidelines, and sharing in the success of this great business.”
Salad and Go confirmed Morrison’s departure in a statement to Restaurant Business on Monday.
“While Charlie Morrison will retire from his role with Salad and Go by the end of this year, the organization remains laser-focused on our ambition to bring this revolutionary concept to the masses,” Florian van Rappard, Salad and Go board director and partner with lead shareholder Volt Investment Holdings, said in the statement. “We thank Charlie for all he accomplished, stepping in to establish the foundation for long-term growth at Salad and Go by positioning the business as the go-to destination for fresh, nutritious food that is convenient and affordable and all.”
Van Rappard said the company’s board remains “collectively motivated to shake up the restaurant industry for Salad and Go’s ambitious scaled growth.”
The decision ends Morrison’s short tenure helming what was viewed as a potentially revolutionary brand. The company was a largely obscure emerging growth chain based in Arizona in 2022 when it was able to lure Morrison away from Wingstop, one of the strongest, publicly-traded growth chains in the restaurant industry.
At the time, Salad and Go had just 50 locations. Morrison, meanwhile, joined Wingstop when it operated 500 locations, guided it through a successful IPO in 2014, then watched it thrive during the pandemic. It operated 1,700 locations at the time of his departure. Salad and Go waited four months before it even acknowledged it had hired Morrison.
Morrison said later that he was lured by the company’s potentially revolutionary idea: A drive-thru salad brand that prepared many of its ingredients at central kitchens where they are later finished as salads at the restaurants.
At least in theory, the chain could help revolutionize fast food by making it healthier and cheaper.
“My tenure as CEO of Salad and Go was an unexpected pivot I made a few years ago because I simply fell in love with the mission and could not resist the opportunity to lead something this transformative to the restaurant industry,” he said in his letter.
Salad and Go finished 2023 with 136 locations, up 66% from the year before, according to Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. The brand has since grown to more than 150 locations. System sales last year grew 67.5% while unit volumes averaged almost $1.9 million.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a comment from Salad and Go.
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