Set aside your cravings for smash burgers, fried chicken and tacos, because we’re heading into the realm of Build-a-Salad – where fresh vegetables, dietary fiber and leafy greens abound. But don’t worry; plenty of meats, cheeses and fattening dressings are on hand, too.
You have my attention. But why would someone open a place that serves only salads – and makes you build your own?
Raise your hand if you remember Souper Salad near Hamilton Place about a decade ago. I imagine a few hands are in the air. Since it closed, Chattanooga has lacked a dedicated salad spot. Sure, plenty of restaurants serve a good salad, and a few offer salad bars as part of a larger menu, but nothing focused solely on greens. Owner Sean Alexander hopes to fill that gap.
Alexander is also making good use of one of the North Shore’s most enduring restaurant spaces – the historic Long Horn restaurant building, recognizable for its distinctive triangular roof and its small 972-square-foot dining area.
What does this Alexander guy know about running a restaurant?
Alexander operated a Zeek’z House of Gyros in his home state of Mississippi from 2015 to 2018. So this isn’t his first rodeo in the food business.
Let’s talk salads. What do I need to know?
The name Build-a-Salad tells you almost everything you need to know about the place. You walk in, build your salad from a selection of about 100 ingredients and either sit at one of the handful of tables or take your salad elsewhere.
Building a salad is easy: After you walk in, you pull on a pair of disposable gloves, grab a bowl and start filling it. Kudos to Alexander for having the foresight to ensure clean utensils. That gives me confidence he’s paying attention to the details that matter, especially in a place where untold numbers of people have handled the serving utensils before you.
When you say 100 ingredients, what does that cover?
Everything you need to make a great salad – though perhaps not every ingredient required for your personal favorite. You start with the greens, which are the foundation of any healthy salad. Just don’t make my mistake and nearly fill your bowl with the varieties on hand.
Everything is laid out thoughtfully from there. First come sliced and shredded vegetables, followed by proteins like beans, cold cuts and warm meats – including brisket. Savory additions like olives and cheeses come next, followed by fresh and canned fruit. Toppers like croutons, seeds and nuts appear just before the dressings. Bringing up the rear are the dressings themselves, including oil and vinegar for fat-content-conscious folks.
What did you toss in your bowl?
If my salad became a thing, it would be called The Kitchen Sink. But if I’d wanted to, I could have made a classic Mediterranean salad with greens, quinoa, red onions, feta cheese, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, briny olives and olive oil or red wine vinegar. With 100 ingredients, you can build a lot of different salads – though, oddly enough, not every one.
I’m sensing you have some reservations about Build-a-Salad. What are they?
I’ll start with what feels like the missing ingredients, which admittedly are few in number. Mainly, Build-a-Salad could use more fruit options, such as sliced apples and mandarin oranges, which would create more variety for spring salads.
A second issue would be the cramped corner where you begin to build your salad. Given the tiny footprint of the former diner, tight quarters were inevitable. Still, the glove-and-bowl station sits right near the entrance, so the area can get crowded when several people walk in at once.
My main “beef” – see what I did there? – would be occasional inconsistencies in ingredient quality. On my first visit, the quinoa was partially frozen, the kale was beginning to yellow at the edges and broccoli was nowhere to be found. On my second visit, those issues had been corrected. Keeping track of 100 ingredients is a big job, so I’m not surprised a few fell through the cracks on one occasion.
You went back for a second visit, though, so you must have liked it.
I did. My favorite part was the woman at the end of the line, Lashonda, who took my haphazard pile of ingredients and turned it into a beautiful chopped salad. She blended everything together so each bite of my Kitchen Sink delivered plenty of flavor.
I was taken aback when the payment screen prompted me to leave a tip – after all, I’d built the salad myself. Were they asking for a tip just for prepping the bar? Still, I tipped anyway and said, “This is for Lashonda. She earned it.”
I’m sold. When are they open?
10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Expect to circle the Town & Country parking lot a few times before landing a space. That lot is always full. Are all those people at Milk & Honey?
I’ll check it out. Salads are supposed to be good for you.
My wife tells me the same thing. But since I’m no expert, I’ll send you to www.eatingbirdfood.com for salad tips that might actually work at Build-a-Salad. Happy eating.