North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 663)
Ali Banks, Vice President of Culinary at Chopt Creative Salad Company, joined host John Ray on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. She discussed how Chopt got started, their exciting and creative menu items, local suppliers, how Chopt Gives supports the Atlanta community, and much more.
North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Founded in 2001 by college friends Tony Shure and Colin McCabe, Chopt Creative Salad Company is the creator and leader of the premium salad segment, and has expanded from its original location in New York City’s Union Square to include 73 locations in New York City, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Connecticut, suburban Westchester, New York, New Jersey, suburban Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama.
Chopt is a fast-growing company with a core team of great people and tremendous opportunities opening up as Chopt and its team continue to expand. Aiming to change the future of fast food, Chopt pushes the boundaries of what a salad can be with its core menu of 14 Classics, 3 rotating Seasonal Specials, 25 homemade, small-batch dressings, and limited-time-only “Super Seasonals” that feature local produce-only at its peak.
Expanding its “Better Tastes Better” philosophy beyond its restaurant walls, Chopt also partners with non-profit Wellness in the Schools to bring healthy lunches to New York City public schools.
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Ali Banks is an adventurer and a creative at heart, with a background that includes studying Urban Design and Architecture at NYU and spending several years overseeing development and construction projects in New York City, formal culinary education in Paris, time well spent mastering the finer points of whole-animal butchery and Alaskan salmon fishing, helping others unleash their inner-chef as a Resident Chef for Sur La Table and working through key growth initiatives for one of the leading wine and cheese purveyors in Chicago.
Now, she spends her time as Vice President of Culinary at Founders Table Restaurant Group – overseeing the Food & Beverage departments for both Chopt Creative Salad Co. and Dos Toros Taqueria. She is always excited to share her passion for all things edible — including the people and places that make them such an integral part of a life well-lived.
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
- How did Chopt get started?
- Where can people find Chopt in Atlanta?
- What is Chopt Gives and how do they support the Atlanta community?
- What is the Summer VIP Challenge?
- How does Chopt keep things fresh with artisan partners around the world and local Georgia partnerships?
- What makes Chopt different?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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