Salad and Go, a drive-thru salad chain with 70 locations across Arizona and Nevada, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and immediately closed all of its restaurants.
The company announced in a news release obtained by USA TODAY that all of its locations have closed permanently, effective Wednesday, Aug. 5.
"While Salad and Go earned the support and loyalty of a deeply passionate community, the business was ultimately unable to overcome sustained pressure on consumer demand, past strategic growth challenges and rising costs," the company said in the statement. "A Cyclospora outbreak in July, in which Salad and Go was not implicated, weakened confidence across the industry and compounded these challenges."
The goal of the chain, founded in Gilbert,
Arizona, in 2013, was to make "fresh food available to all."
"This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for and loved Salad and Go," Salad and Go CEO Mike Tattersfield said in the statement. "Our mission was brought to life every day by an extraordinary team and embraced by guests who made us part of their routines. We are proud of what we built together and grateful to every team member, guest and partner who believed in it."
Cases of cyclosporiasis reach new high, spread to 47 states
Cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection known for causing explosive diarrhea, have now reached 47 states as the illness reached unprecedented numbers.
There have been 10,468 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its weekly update on Aug. 4. The new numbers represent an increase of more than 3,700 since the CDC's last report July 28.
Cases have also now been recorded in 47 states, up from 45 last week. Laboratories have not yet confirmed at least 12,255 additional cases, the CDC said.
There have been 517 hospitalizations and two deaths, per the agency.
Federal health authorities are still investigating the sources of what they believe to be multiple separate outbreaks, the largest of which is centered in Michigan. The state reported more than 11,000 cases of cyclosporiasis and the first two U.S. deaths associated with the outbreak on Aug. 4. The figures differ from the CDC's because they have not yet been officially confirmed or reported back to the federal agency for inclusion in its count.
This latest outbreak has been linked to iceberg lettuce grown by produce giant Taylor Farms in central Mexico, prompting the company to initiate a recall July 17.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Salad and Go files for bankruptcy, closes all locations permanently
