Souplantation

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Souplantation (also known in some locations as Sweet Tomatoes) is a buffet-style chain restaurant with locations in the south, west and Midwest United States. The first restaurant, named Souplantation, was opened in San Diego in 1978, and the chain has 97 company-owned locations as of 2005. It specializes in fresh salads and soups and is open for both lunch and dinner. Separate prices are provided for children (those under three years old are admitted free) and adults. As of 2006, the company boasts 98 locations in 15 states, with over 265 million customers since first opening their doors. ^[1]

The restaurants include a large salad buffet with a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, croutons and other salad condiments, as well as a few prepared featured salads. Other sections include up to 8 soup selections, a small bakery offering muffins and cheese bread, a pasta section with a few different pasta and sauces and a dessert section offering fruit, puddings, and soft-serve ice cream.

Fountain beverages are self-serve and purchase of a fountain soft drink permits unlimited refills.

Although most stores are only open during the afternoon and evening, Souplantation recently announced that all of its San Diego locations would now be open for breakfast. ^[2] The city is a common test market for companies looking to try new ideas and also home to Souplantation's corporate offices.

As typical with buffet-style restaurants, customers are discouraged from taking home leftovers.

The company strongly promotes the freshness of its ingredients and the fact that everything on the menu (including soups, bakery items and pasta) is made from scratch everyday at the store location. Salads are left out on the buffet for 20 minutes, and then thrown out and a new salad is made. The chain positions itself as a healthier alternative to fast food and markets intensively to families with children.