Chop Stop

Chopped salads, rice and bean bowls, wraps

2023 Franchise 500 Rank: #354 Ranked #198 last year

See the Full List

Initial investment: $375K - $699K

Units as of 2022: 25 78.6% over 3 years

Jump to Franchising Overview

Here’s what you need to know if you’re interested in opening a Chop Stop franchise.

Chop Stop is a California-based quick-service restaurant chain that specializes in offering creative, unique salad combinations. It also offers rice and bean bowls, as well as wraps. The franchise is built from the fast-growing concept of healthy eating and has found its niche with customers. Chop Stop has a unique, health-oriented salad menu customers can customize to their liking.

Chop Stop opened its first restaurant in California, in 2010, and began franchising in 2015. There are now over one dozen Chop Stop locations in the United States.

Customers may rave about Chop Stop salad bowls, describing them as garden-fresh, nutritious, and filling. They are ideal for when consumers want to grab a quick, healthy bite on the go.

Why You May Want to Start a Chop Stop Franchise

A qualified franchisee should be a healthy, nutritious foods enthusiast who can capitalize on the increasing consumers' desire for convenient but healthy meals. A franchisee must also have the minimum capital requirement and will likely have to establish the business in California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Utah, or Colorado. These locations have better access to corporate support services.

Chop Stop has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 multiple times in recent years. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

What Might Make a Chop Stop Franchise a Good Choice?

New franchises may enjoy instant brand recognition and quickly garner a customer base when they open a Chop Stop franchise. Chop Stop has minimal space requirements, only needing the capacity to store the veggies and a surface to prepare the salads. Your contractual responsibility as a franchisee would be to find a location, lease the site, hire and train your employees, and uphold the Chop Stop standards of business.

To be part of the Chop Stop team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal. A typical franchise agreement runs for ten years. Franchisees may be allowed to renew their agreement if they meet the Chop Stop requirements.

How To Open a Chop Stop Franchise

Before you open a Chop Stop franchise, check the size of your local customer base, and find a location with enough foot traffic to garner the type of business you'd hope to achieve. Also, consider the skills you would need in the workforce and whether the specific talents are locally available.

In return, Chop Stop headquarters, which is located in La Crescenta, California, may help franchisees with site selection, lease negotiation, field operations, email marketing, co-op advertising, and provide an intranet software platform. Honorably discharged veterans may receive a discount off their initial franchise fee should they qualify.

Lastly, come prepared with any questions to ask during your initial meeting with the Chop Stop franchise representative. You may also benefit from speaking to current Chop Stop franchisees.

Company Overview

About Chop Stop

Industry: Food

Related Categories: Salads, Miscellaneous Quick-Service Restaurants

Founded: 2010

Leadership: Mark Kulkis, CEO

Corporate Address: 2626 Foothill Blvd., #230
La Crescenta, CA 91214

Social: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since: 2015 (8 years)

# of employees at HQ: 9

Where seeking: This company is offering new franchisees in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

# of Units: 25 (as of 2022)

Information for Franchisees

Here’s what you need to know if you’re interested in opening a Chop Stop franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here’s what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee: $35,000

Initial Investment: $375,000 - $699,000

Cash Requirement: $175,000

Veteran Incentives: Up to $10,000 off franchise fee

Royalty Fee: 5%

Ad Royalty Fee: 0.5%

Term of Agreement: 10 years

Is franchise term renewable?: Yes

Financing Options

franchisees.

Third Party Financing: Chop Stop has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training: 177 hours

Classroom Training: 63 hours

Ongoing Support: Newsletter

Meetings & Conventions

Grand Opening

Security & Safety Procedures

Lease Negotiation

Field Operations

Site Selection