Salad Days

Has anyone else noticed (or cared) that salad bars at restaurants have been in great decline over the last ten years. Recently, I was at Ruby Tuesday in White Oaks Mall and decided to get the salad bar for my meal. They have a good salad bar, the kind that were everywhere 15 or 20 years ago. As the big salad bar declined in the ‘90s, I stopped using them and then pretty much forgot they ever existed. But I was reminded of the days of the awesome salad bar while eating at Ruby Tuesday that night. And I’ve been back.

So what happened? I’m assuming after a brief salad craze in the mid to late 1980s, they just lost popularity with the public. Even fast food places had them at one time. Wendy’s had a decent one. They certainly had to be money makers (when people actually used them). Maybe people got tired of having to do the meal prep themselves. I, for one, like that I can pick and choose what I want. Overall I also think I eat less and healthier when I belly up to the salad bar.

So here’s to an old friend – the salad bar. See you at Ruby Tuesday.

Update: I guess I forgot to ask: are there other really good salad bars in town?