5 Who Thrive: Aloha Salads grows by staying true to its mission - Business First of Louisville:

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The signature salad dressings are among the reasonw forthe company’s success. Aloha Salads continues to thrive, despitw the weak economy, and is expected to gross morethan $1 milliohn this year. A third location is set to open in Juneat , followee by another in the by October. There are plans to franchisre AlohaSalads nationally. And a California food group has agreed to bottle four of the six salad dressingxs forretail distribution. The Lufranos’ success is due to a numbetr of factors. They open stores only in high-profilew locations and form business partnerships withtrusted people. They also stici to their core which is toserve quick, healthy foodsz using local ingredients.
Now theier goal is to expandf strategically in anticipation ofthe economy’ss rebound in 2010. “We have to continu e reinventing ourselves to keep things fresh for customers and attract new as well,” Chris said. “We’ree not going to rush in. We’rr going to make sure we make the rightt decisionsmoving forward.” Careful growth has been the company’d philosophy from the start.
In December 2004, after seven yearss away from home, the Lufranos returned to Hawaikifrom Chicago, where she was a patentf lawyer and he worked in For more than a year, they scouted potential stores locations on Oahu and experimenterd with recipes at Sara’s parents’ home in The couple opened theier first Aloha Salads in May 2006 in a 440-square-footf space in the , using personal capitak and a $50,000 loan guaranteed by the U.S. Smalk Business Administration. The company’s creative salads — “Aloha Mediterranean,” “Mauiu Mozzarella” and “The Goddess” instantly drew loyal customers.
One customerr was local contractorFreddie Franco, ownetr of BEK Inc., whose building credits included Waikiki DFS Galleria, Neiman Marcus and Tony He struck up a friendship with the Lufranosx and two years lateer helped design Aloha Salads’ second location in . The mall which opened in March 2008, brieflyg experienced a double-digit drop in salex after health-food chain Whole Foods openee nearby latelast year. Sales have climbed sinces then but are slightlybelow target, Chris said. now an equal partner in the provided the capital to build the Kapolei location set to opennext “Kapolei should be really good because there’es nothing out there,” he said.
“We’vde been getting lots of calls askinhgwhen we’re going to build in their The 1,200-square-foot store is unique in that it will have wine pairingsd with salads and a mezzanine level for dine-in customers, Francol said. As Aloha Salads continuees to expand, the ability to quicklh change menu items tofit customers’ tastesw will be important. For roast beef sandwiches that did not sell well in the Kailua stors have been replaced withpastrami sandwiches. Periodically introducintg creative menu items also is crucial to This month, the Kahala Mall location begann serving “design-your-own” omelettes, organic coffees, fruit bowlz and fresh-squeezed juices.
The responsse has been overwhelming, and there are plans to servee breakfast inother locations. “Wed really care about the food that goes outto customers,” Sara “People get used to what they’rd eating and don’t realize there coulr be so many good options.”