Just Salad has signed a lease for a new location at Midland Park Shopping Center, taking over a 1,980-square-foot end-cap space at 85 Godwin Avenue. It's the fast-casual chain's second foray into Bergen County, following a shop that's been serving customers on Route 17 in Paramus. No opening date has been announced yet for the Midland Park spot.
The news comes from Boozy Burbs, which reported Tuesday that the lease is official even though a timeline for construction or an opening hasn't been shared. The outlet notes that Just Salad already operates its existing Bergen County shop on Route 17 in Paramus, giving the chain a foothold in the area before this latest expansion.
Just Salad was founded in New York City in 2006 and has grown into a fast-casual chain known for customizable salads and warm bowls, along with wraps, soups and other menu options, according to the same report. The company has also built a reputation around its reusable bowl program, an effort aimed at cutting down on single-use packaging for regular customers.
A Second Bite at Bergen County
Just Salad's first Bergen County location in Paramus wasn't exactly instant. Back in early 2023, NJBiz reported that the chain was planning what would be its fifth New Jersey location, a franchise-owned restaurant at 370 Route 17 N., Suite 3, in Paramus, with a debut slated for the second quarter of that year. That Paramus shop ultimately opened as the brand's first Bergen County location, as Boozy Burbs chronicled in an August 2023 opening alert.
Whether the Midland Park location follows a similarly drawn-out runway from lease signing to grand opening remains to be seen, since no construction schedule or opening window has been disclosed. The lack of a firm date isn't unusual for the chain's New Jersey rollout, though — a Just Salad planned for Middletown was expected to open in fall 2025, and Patch reported at the time that the company hadn't given an exact date, with the Asbury Park Press projecting a fourth-quarter 2025 opening.
What's Next for the Godwin Avenue Spot
For now, Midland Park residents have a location and a square footage to go on, but little else. The 1,980-square-foot end-cap at Midland Park Shopping Center will eventually house the same menu of customizable salads and bowls found at Just Salad's other New Jersey outposts, though the finer details of staffing, hours, and the exact build-out timeline haven't been made public.
Anyone hoping to track the opening will likely need to watch the same channels that broke the lease news in the first place, since no additional announcements have accompanied the signing so far.
