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Anyone Like Fresh Choice?


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#1 kanda

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Posted 04 December 2012 - 09:21 PM

They're gone; filed for bankruptcy and closed most (all?) of their stores in the Sac area.

#2 tsukiji

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Posted 04 December 2012 - 09:47 PM

I've preferred Sweet Tomatoes. I like the concept but sometimes the execution left much to be desired.

I'd patronize a higher end type of place. Better quality ingredients. Clean. Artisan breads and pizza. Soups kicked up a notch. Maybe organic selections. Nice cheese selections. Locally grown.

Yea, one can dream.

#3 caligirlz

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Posted 05 December 2012 - 06:51 AM

Not surprising. I haven't been to one in years.

#4 Rich_T

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Posted 05 December 2012 - 05:12 PM

Oh, bummer! I thought this topic was going to be about a Fresh Choice coming our way. I always thought Folsom would support one. OK, the non-salad-bar items were not high cuisine, but the salad bar was great, and it was a relatively inexpensive meal for a family. We used to stop at the one in Vacaville when our daughter was little, on the way back from the Bay Area. And we've been to the one in Roseville every now and then. Bummer.

#5 kanda

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Posted 05 December 2012 - 05:37 PM

I agree with Rich_T; I went there for the salad bar, and thought it was very good. They were increasing their supply of locally grown, and organic, produce, which I also appreciated. But the non-salad-bar items weren't great.

I also agree with tsukiji; I preferred Sweet Tomatoes. I wish there were one in the area. Perhaps the demise of Fresh Choice might lead to some opening here? One can wish ....

#6 Logan

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Posted 05 December 2012 - 08:15 PM

They're gone; filed for bankruptcy and closed most (all?) of their stores in the Sac area.

Can you show recent news about this, I googled it and only found old things, nothing to confirm a recent closure of sacramento stores

#7 kanda

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Posted 06 December 2012 - 03:40 PM

Can you show recent news about this, I googled it and only found old things, nothing to confirm a recent closure of sacramento stores

There's surprisingly very little out there. This was the only thing I could find:
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-last-fresh-choice-vegetarian-friendly-buffet-restaurant-closes-sacramento

However, a google search leaves little doubt:
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&tbo=d&as_qdr=all&q=%22fresh+choice%22+california+closed+yelp

#8 Logan

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Posted 06 December 2012 - 05:06 PM

There's surprisingly very little out there. This was the only thing I could find:
http://www.examiner....oses-sacramento

However, a google search leaves little doubt:
https://www.google.c...nia closed yelp

Thanks, I wonder why that yelp stuff didn't show up when I googled it?
Must not have used the right key words.

#9 Michael Hughes

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Posted 11 December 2012 - 04:04 PM

I previously posted this on a Bay Area page: For the record they have been closing stores over last couple months. Almost a dozen before the last week or so. I am a former Fresh Choice manager having done two stints with the company. I offered Sandy my free help. I now work as a Creative Director for a large healthcare software company but I was going to help them with advertising, web work, etc. He and I went back and forth about it before he abruptly stopped responding to ideas I was pitching. Then locations started closing. He should have taken the free help. Rumor is he will be reorganizing them but I think it may be too little too late. Sweet Tomatoes is turning their Phoenix locations into Field Kitchens which is a concept like what Fresh Choice wants to try. Difference is Sweet Tomatoes has already opened theirs. Frankly Sandy doesn't know how to run Fresh Choice.

Appears they filed back in July. Note the last line which says Proof due by 11/26. (with everything that has occurred in last week). Also appears they have less than $1 million in assets but $1 to $10 million in liabilities. Over 200 creditors.

It's quite sad. The last half dozen times I was in the restaurants were messy, staff were not helping customers (or were not present), and the quality of food was deplorable. While working for them I managed Cupertino & Citrus Heights but also subbed/trained/worked at most in the south bay as well as in Sacramento (outside of Roseville). A far different company from a decade ago. And the sad part is they used to be a GREAT company. Now I go into a Sweet Tomatoes and see what Fresh Choice once was. Having your own farm means nothing if you cannot sustain your own business. Having a plaque that says you are guest first (always one of Fresh Choice's core values) means nothing if you are constantly having bad reviews on yelp and around the web from disgruntled people. Either the current management does not have the passion for Fresh Choice or does not know how to properly run a restaurant. The capital costs to revitalize a business are large, so I take that into account. However, cost control while maintaining adequate staff (and good staff) as well as quality can be attained within a reasonable budget. Let's look at stats. Sales in 1996, 76.7 million. That is million. 2,220 employees. At one point they had locations in Texas, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, California (both northern and southern). Poor choices such as Valley Fair Redux (in a poor location by Macy's) and bad choice of sites in Southern California doomed them. Did anyone know when the new Valley Fair opened in 2003 that less than two dozen people came out on opening day? I was one of them. Yes less than two dozen. They didn't get over 100 people through the door in one day for the first week to two. This is why they went bankrupt back in the mid 2000's.

When Sandy picked up Fresh Choice he did not do it any justice. The website is trash at best, the product went downhill, they leave their customers without any information and went into a PR void. They hired a new COO (Gerald Blake) and heavily hyped their Antioch and Stockton locations. Stockton isn't opening. Antioch closed after a year. Haven't seen any results from their COO (unless this restructuring is part of the changes, which I expect it to be but they won't give out answers). The Capitola article has a lot of great info and we will see if that actually comes to fruition but how many times are they going to be bailed out before they realize they need to change the business model a bit. Not necessarily go to the 'Field Kitchen' concept but perhaps diversify their existing buffet offerings, improve quality control, little things like perhaps partnering with a company to bring salads direct to your grocer or even cross promote with other organizations. There are many ways to drive sales through the door. Housing prices are picking back up. Jobs are coming back around slowly but surely. People will spend the money. They let Sweet Tomatoes come in and expand in the Bay Area. I was one of the opening staff for Sweet Tomatoes in South San Jose when the South Bay only had Sunnyvale and San Jose. Now Sweet Tomatoes has Sunnyvale, Mt. View, multiple in San Jose, and I am guessing they will expand further (it would make sense). I really wish someone would assist Fresh Choice in rising like the Phoenix. I have personally asked Sandy how much it would cost to buy him out (no response) but if I could gather an investment group, I would certainly be happy to oust the current team. Call it passion or obsession. Either way I admit, I care far too much about Fresh Choice.

#10 tsukiji

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Posted 11 December 2012 - 05:28 PM

Fresh Choice conceptually is a good idea. Like you detailed, it seemed execution was lacking. You gotta walk the walk. Talking the talk will only get someone in the door once - it's not enough to get them to return.

You may have a soft spot for FC but I'd consider the goodwill (or lack thereof) attached to the brand and weigh it against starting something fresh, so to speak.

I used to go to the Valley Fair location upon occasion but I'd usually end up at Sweet Tomatoes in front of Costco. I can't be specific, but it just always seemed to be better.

I'd actually like to have something like (a well executed) Harry's Hofbrau (kinda old school; a foo-foo-less Jack's Urban Eats) with a salad bar like FC/ST. That would be a meal. :)

#11 Steve Heard

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Posted 11 December 2012 - 06:51 PM

I must say that I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have. I remember back in the late 80's/early 90's when the were new. Everything was fresh and seemingly healthy.

Then one day they added pasta, then pizza (often under-cooked), then they started putting out meats and cheeses in perfect round shapes which made them look unnatural and corporate. They started getting sloppy.

By mid-1990's we had stopped going.

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#12 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 12 December 2012 - 11:30 AM

I must say that I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have. I remember back in the late 80's/early 90's when the were new. Everything was fresh and seemingly healthy.

Then one day they added pasta, then pizza (often under-cooked), then they started putting out meats and cheeses in perfect round shapes which made them look unnatural and corporate. They started getting sloppy.

By mid-1990's we had stopped going.


exactly. the pasta was always watery. the breads weren't really healthy any more. everything became a disappointment.
Knowing the past helps deciphering the future.

#13 kanda

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Posted 13 January 2013 - 07:59 PM

The former Fresh Choice president purchased a few of the old Fresh Choice locations, including two Sacramento area locations. The one at 535 Howe Ave opened a few weeks ago. Most of the Yelp reviews aren't very encouraging at present, but it's too early to write them off (I hope). A newspaper article: http://www.sacbee.co...-reinvents.html says the Roseville location will also re-open in a week or so.

#14 caligirlz

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Posted 13 January 2013 - 09:51 PM

The reviews are NOT good! Hope they can get their act together!

http://sacrag.com/food/12201/steer-clear-of-california-fresh-at-least-for-now
http://www.yelp.com/biz/california-fresh-sacramento#hrid:uFlPQc6lcbDdOWUvQQ_a9Q

I must say that I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have. I remember back in the late 80's/early 90's when the were new. Everything was fresh and seemingly healthy.

Then one day they added pasta, then pizza (often under-cooked), then they started putting out meats and cheeses in perfect round shapes which made them look unnatural and corporate. They started getting sloppy.

By mid-1990's we had stopped going.

Exactly

#15 granto

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Posted 14 January 2013 - 08:39 AM

The former Fresh Choice president purchased a few of the old Fresh Choice locations, including two Sacramento area locations. The one at 535 Howe Ave opened a few weeks ago. Most of the Yelp reviews aren't very encouraging at present,


So the guy that could not improve FC and then helped it into bankruptcy is restarting the chain. I would expect him to repeat his business model once again.




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