When Tender Greens quietly set in motion its first entrepot in Culver City 10 years ago , no one could have predicted that it would be – in its own under - the - radar way – one of the the most influential restaurant launches in recent LA history . That may sound like hyperbole , but think about it : without the fast - casual chain ’s runaway success , an integral ecosystem of similar ( and likewise great ) basics of LA solid food acculturation , from Mendocino Farms to Lemonade , would never exist ; Tender Greens most defined the category of healthy , quick , fresh , local grub . Which is why we ’re honour them , with this list of 11 ( well , sort of 12 ) things you did n’t know about the company :
1. The original Tender Greens location opened in Culver City in 2006
It was a striking out of the gates – no surprise , since at that point in metre Culver City was sort of a solid food desert .
2. It was founded by three dudes who met working in a hotel
They hated what was going on in food at that time in LA and drip everything to start Tender Greens : one of the guy cable went from being a food & beverage director to literally work out as a poolboy when they were induce the eatery off the earth .
3. Their chefs are, like, big deals
Unlike chain with industrial kitchens and paint - by - number formula , each location has its own chef who ’s a moderately full-grown deal – like Executive Chef Elderoy Arendse , who was train at Angelini Osteria and ran the kitchen at Fraiche ( and wonChopped ! ) , and West Hollywood exec chef Ali Ohta , who help open Nobu .
4. One of their primary sources of inspiration is… San Francisco’s Mission burritos??
Yep , it ’s true : when they were lead off out , the interaction between shopowners and customers at SF ’s infamous Mission taquerias was how they wanted to interact with customers in their stores .
5. Tender Greens' most popular dish is not a salad
Though a lot of people think of salad as their , uh , bread - and - butter , it turns out that they deal more Backyard Steak Hot Plates ( w/ Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and salad ) than anything else .
6. In 2015, the founder of Shake Shack became a big investor in Tender Greens
So , yeah , even though Danny Meyer does n’t really have any restaurants in LA other than the Shake Shack in West Hollywood … he kinda does .
7. Their salami is homemade… and award-winning
It ’s made by their San Diego executive regional chef Pete Balistreri , and it ’s available not just at Tender Greens , but at select Trader Joe ’s and specialty computer storage . In keep with the " their chef are big deal " unveiling , Pete is also a member of the Butcher ’s Guild and was featured in the bookPrimal cut : Cooking with America ’s Best Butchers .
8. There’s a secret menu
Say WHAT ? ? Yep : need for any sandwich Oaxacan - style and it ’ll fall with aguacate , queso fresco , and hot sauce ; ask for an Angry Vegan and it ’ll be their vegan salad – plus Sir Francis Bacon .
9. Their main lettuce supplier is also an investor in the company
Yep , it ’s not just presidential candidate who are siphon money to themselves : Scarborough Farms in Oxnard provides most of the kale to the eating place , and is also a stakeholder in the troupe ( yes , we are aware that this is not a sketchy business sector practice at all ) .
10. They use pork you can’t anywhere else
Literally : there ’s a farm in San Diego that raises Mangalitsa pigs , a very rare stock of heritage bull that ’s been described as the Kobe beef of pigs , exclusively for Tender Greens locations in SD . They make a big effort to use them snout - to - rump in everything from porchetta to bacon , and team fellow member are encouraged to chaffer the farm , and the pigs . No word on how many are named Babe .
11. Every single thing on the menu is under $12.50
OK , you believably sort of subconsciously knew this , but it ’s a Brobdingnagian part of their philosophical system to keep everything affordable . Which is clearly why you keep going back .
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An Hoang
Tender Greens
Tender Greens
Flickr/Fidel Ramos
Tender Greens
Ellen Lu/Tender Greens
Tender Greens
Tender Greens
Tender Greens