Are all of the salad bars in YOUR area's supermarkets gone?

[CTyankee]

The one at a nearby Shaw's was taken out a few years back. Just this summer my Stop and Shop's was taken out. The concern, of course, was spread of germs. I guess there's some actual proof about this reason, but it may be that people just "think" they're unhealthy. Altho when you think about it, it does seem reasonable that people would cough germs all over it.

Anyway, RIP supermarket salad bars. They weren't too great foodwise anyway (altho I did find it handy to pick up a couple of hardboiled eggs for my own homemade salad)...

[flvegan]

1. You know...if you wanted to

you could post this in GD, maybe put a little twist on it about how if more stores had salad bars that America wouldn't be so fat. Or how the disappearance of salad bars has coincided with the obesity epidemic...coincidence??? The flamefest could be epic.

I'm just saying that you *could* not that you should. Consider this more of a PSA than a suggestion.

Yeah.

Anywho, to answer your question, one of my local supermarkets has a small one near the deli counter. Always looks good and fresh, too.

[demmiblue]

2. The last seen salad bar, for me, was at Whole Foods.

Yum... what a variety! Sadly, though, it cost me almost $10 for one salad! I blame it on the garbanzos.

[Shell Beau]

3. Now there is an olive bar instead. Ick!

[mikeytherat]

6. WTF is up with that? Our local Kroger has an olive bar that leaves me in Mediterranean awe.

I had no idea there were that many olive varieties, and that many people desired all of them at once.

mikey_the_rat

[CTyankee]

17. Oh, yes. Plenty here. We have Greek and Italian olives but have people

from Turkey and other middle Eastern countries as well. If you are in a section of the country w/o such immigrant groups, I feel bad for you. Their cultural contributions are fabulous. We have TWO Turkish restaurants in tiny West Haven CT alone! (They have been highly reviewed by the NYT! and they are NOT fancy).

[MineralMan]

4. Not at our supermarkets here. The salad bars have been

expanded, and now offer a soup bar and a taco bar, along with hot prepared food in the deli department. There are half a dozen tables in the market where people can eat, too. This is the case in all the local CUB markets, and in the local Byerlys ExpensiveMart as well.

Very popular, and a guy can assemble a dinner meal very easily for much less than a fast food restaurant would charge. I've done it for a crowd of about 20 that unexpectedly showed up at my house late one afternoon. I ran to the supermarket and came back with loads of good food in less than 15 minutes. Everyone chipped in.

There was chicken, ribs, salads of several kinds, and even some nicely done fried fish. Someone else made a beer run and the party was on. Good times!

[RidinMyDonkey]

5. Our local supermarket followed Cub and turned their Salad bar into a Taco Bar

For the longest time our corner store had an awesome Salad bar. The lettuce was always crisp, (If there's one thing I can't stand it's soggy lettuce) every fruit and veggie you'd ever want in a salad, and an insane amount of low fat choices for dressing. I used to go in there and get my lunch everyday.

Then one day about a year ago, I went in there and all the lettuce was gone! It had been replaced by a taco bar. I asked the person working at the time why they had changed it, and it turns out I was about the only person eating the salad. It still makes me sad to think about that place. Every once in a while when I'm in a hurry and I need to pick up a lunch I want to stop there.

[LisaM]

7. I think the one at our QFC vanished because no one was using it

I used to pick up those taco salad bowls there and take them home to make taco salads.

Ours has been replaced by an olive bar and a sushi bar, neither of which I like.

For the hard boiled eggs - I like them in homemade salads, too. So, when I start, I take one or two eggs, put in water, and when the water boils, I turn the heat off and put on the lid. When I'm finished with the rest of my salad, the egg is ready!

[azmouse]

8. I haven't seen supermarket salad bars for years.

Just as well though. When they were around, I'd see kids stick their hands in the different pots of veggies and toppings. Gross!
We used to have open bins of dried beans and rice too that kids would play in. I never bought that stuff.

Just the other day a kid sitting in a cart used his feet to kick at the packaged meats.... and his mother didn't say a word to him.

I try to be really careful about what I buy any more.

[TK421]

9. The closest Acme has a salad bar-fried chicken bar-taco fixins bar-anything else bar

The local Shop-Rite has one kind of like that....they're not in short supply around here

Though I do try to do the healthy thing and stay away from the salad bar....

[wickerwoman]

10. Almost.

There's still a very small one at my local, but it's the only one in driving distance.

I think pre-packaged, pre-washed bags of salad were the death of them. The vegetables just never looked that fresh to me.

But I did like buying cauliflower florets from the salad bar because I couldn't use a whole head of cauliflower myself.

[TK421]

11. Steam that cauliflower and then add a good cheddar to it!

There are possibilities....

[wickerwoman]

13. Yeah. I love it once of twice a month.

But for a single person, it's hard to justify buying a whole head of cabbage or cauliflower and then eating it all week before it goes off. I'd rather buy a cup or so of pre-cleaned florets at a time, since that's all I really use.

Most stores are a lot better now about selling cups of ready-to-eat veggies like carrots, celery sticks, etc. I think that contributed to the downfall of the salad bar too.

[TK421]

15. I've been buying the bagged salad quite frequently, and find that no matter

what I try to preserve it in, it doesn't seem to keep very long....such a waste of money, too

[elleng]

12. Nope; got 'em here in MD.

[LSdemocrat]

14. Um, no. I can't think of a single full-size grocery store that doesn't have one in my area

[Odin2005]

16. I've never heard of salad bars in grocery stores, before.

:wow: :wtf:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Got 'em here...

Lund's, Byerly's, Kowalski's, Festival and Cub -- all have salad bars.

[Iggo]

19. I don't think that's something we have here in SoCal.

At least I can't remember ever seeing one.

[elana i am]

20. no they're everywhere here

we even have restaraunts that are soup and salad bars. they're called souper salad
http://www.soupersalad.com/Source/Home/Home.aspx

[AllieB]

21. Some of the Shaw's up here still have them.

Depends on the neighborhood. The Shaws near areas with a lot of companies/office parks tend to have salad bars, at least that's what I've noticed.

[grasswire]

22. upscale Kroger's here has a new salad bar...

....as well as a soup bar, a separate chowder bar near the seafood counter, an olive bar, a cafeteria style hot dish bar with about twenty various entrees, a sushi counter with zip-around dishes whizzing by, a tortilla machine with one attendant continually manning it, a taco bar, and a potato chip machine with two attendants manning it. Plus a huge deli with many dozens of cold foods. Crazy.

[doc03]

23. The Kroger's in the more

upscale neighborhoods have one and a local chain Riesbeck's have them. In the more affluent areas of Columbus Kroger has Sushi, Pastry, olive bars, pizza bars, cheese, etc.

[Bertha Venation]

24. Our Safeways have salad bars, and some have olive bars

and all have a wide selection of gourmet cheeses. :9

More than you asked, though.