Lone fast food chain restaurant on Nassau Street to make way for Saladworks Cafe.
By: Jennifer Potash
Burger King, the lone fast food chain on Nassau Street, will leave its downtown Princeton location at the end of the month.
Saladworks Cafe, a national casual dining chain, expects to open in February, pending approvals from Princeton Borough.
The chain will also open two other restaurants next year at Nassau Park shopping center in West Windsor and on Route 206 in Hillsborough.
"We have been pursuing a location in Princeton for over 10 years and are very excited to be building a restaurant in this strategic spot and to become a presence in this area," said John Scardapane, founder of Saladworks.
The company first opened cafes in New Jersey in Chatham Township and Piscataway, he said.
Montgomery residents Claudia and Richard Hopkins will own the Nassau Street franchise.
Mr. Hopkins said he is "thrilled" to be bringing Saladworks to downtown Princeton.
The menu will feature more than a dozen freshly made entrée-sized salads, all prepared to order in front of the customer with an option to add or delete freshly prepared ingredients or create a salad from scratch, said Mr. Hopkins. Customers may also choose from a variety of homemade salad dressings, he said, including many of the low-fat or fat-free variety.
The menu also contains hot and cold sandwiches, wraps and soups.
"We are very excited to bring a fresh alternative in the quick casual segment of the restaurant industry to the Princeton area," said Thomas Romano, president and CEO of Saladworks.
Saladworks was founded in 1986 and currently has over 60 locations in New Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area, Maryland, Delaware and Florida as well as Washington’s Union Station and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Mitch Lichtman of Odyssey Foods of New Jersey and New York, which owns the Nassau Street Burger King, did not return a call seeking comment on Monday.

