John M. Scardapane (photo) wants to build Saladworks, which he founded 20 years ago in the food court of the Cherry Hill Mall, into a company with the same kind of reputation as Wawa or Starbucks.
The Pennsauken native recognized several years ago that to have any hope of reaching that goal he had to change the way he runs the chain, which was ahead of the curve with its emphasis on salads in the 1980s.
‘A good concept is not enough to have a good franchise system,’ said Scardapane, 43, during an interview at a Saladworks restaurant in Marlton.
Since 2001, when the chain had 26 restaurants - owned primarily by friends who were supported by family members - he has been working to build the organizational strength to expand from 75 locations now to more than 200 in 5 years.
Scardapane said the company has reached $54 million in overall revenue, averaging 4.7% comparable-store sales growth annually over the last three years.
Although Saladworks has scaled back growth plans since 2005 because of difficulty finding leases at the right price, the Conshohocken company still plans to open at least 20 restaurants this year, including its first in Charlotte, N.C., and Long Island, N.Y.
It is important to grow fast enough to keep competition from getting ahead, Scardapane said. At the same time, ‘if you grow too fast, you end up tripping over yourself,’ he said.
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