Back in 2022, Omar Soloranzo and his parents opened their first restaurant in the Park Place Mall food court.
Soloranzo had studied business at the University of Arizona, but he never expected to get into the restaurant industry. In fact, he said his parents were the ones with grand ideas of opening their own eatery.
It was Soloranzo’s friendship with Joon An — the youngest son of the famous Mr. An of Teppanyaki Steak + Seafood — that pushed him to dive headfirst into the business.
Omar Soloranzo and his family created Salad Nation as a healthier alternative for fast food.
The combination of Joon’s mentorship, and the passion the Soloranzo family had for their customers, was the perfect recipe, and their little salad kiosk at the mall quickly grew into something special. Hungry shoppers could now stop by and create their own massive salads, giving them the energy to keep on shopping.
But now, when you look up Salad Nation on Google Maps, you won’t see it in Park Place anymore.
Salad Nation is opening its first brick-and-mortar, and it’s on Tucson’s north side, at 6425 N. Oracle Road. There, they will not only be mixing up freshly made salads, but creating a space where people in the community can come together.
Salad Nation will be opening its first brick-and-mortar on Tucson's north side this month.
When starting their endeavor, Soloranzo and his parents’ shared dream was to create a fast casual spot where people could get something healthy and delicious to eat.
“When the idea clicked in my mind that you get to create this entire experience for the customer, I just fell in love with that,” Soloranzo said.
During the time they were open in Park Place Mall, you could find Soloranzo in the kitchen, learning alongside their chef. He added a chef’s hat to his business knowledge, quickly gaining the skills to create all their house-made dressings, wraps, paninis and crispy, golden waffle fries.
At Salad Nation, you get to choose between ingredients to create your salad.
“You actually grow passion and respect for chefs,” Soloranzo said. “For me, it used to be just another dish coming out the window, but for them, it’s an art.”
That first year in the mall wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Many people weren’t going to the mall anymore, and Soloranzo said the kiosk struggled to get business. But soon, their flavors and fresh salads began to catch attention, and their glowing reviews started to bring in more curious customers.
For the next couple of years, Salad Nation had more and more people flocking to its kiosk to grab a healthy bite for lunch.
Soloranzo and his family knew they wanted to get more creative, like adding more Mexican dishes to the menu, and hosting events that gave back to the community. Those ambitious ideas would be hard to achieve in the food court, so they began looking for their own space.
It took some time, but Soloranzo found the right spot for Salad Nation, which just so happened to be just down the street from the family that supported him through his journey.
“It’s literally a block down from Mr. An’s, the same family who guided me, gave me advice and mentored me into the restaurant space,” Soloranzo said. “It was so cool to send him a screenshot of a map that showed our restaurant names on the same road, just one block apart.”
You can also expect to see dishes like crispy chicken sandwiches, a variety of soups, paninis, chicken tenders and wraps on their menu.
Of course, their new spot will feature their popular salad bar. At Salad Nation, you have the opportunity to create your own, choosing between fresh leafy greens, different vegetables and proteins, including chicken and shrimp. To top it off, you get to add some tortilla strips or croutons that bring a nice crunch to the meal. Then, you’ll have to make the choice between their delicious house-made dressings, with options like cilantro avocado and chipotle ranch.
“I always go with a Southwestern type of salad,” Soloranzo said. “I’ll go with romaine, corn, black beans and a little bit of cheddar, then I’ll throw in some pasta, cucumbers, and buffalo chicken. Finally, I’ll dress it up with some tortilla chips and chipotle ranch.”
Aside from salads, you can also expect to see dishes like crispy chicken sandwiches, a variety of soups, paninis, chicken tenders, and wraps on their menu. They feature different Mexican soups like menudo, caldo de queso and sopa de tortilla as a homage to their Latino roots. (Pro tip: Soloranzo said their caldo de queso gets lots of love from their customers.)
They’ll even have a liquor license for their new place, so you can have a glass of wine with your meal.
Soloranzo wants to offer more than just tasty meals, though. He wants their new location to hold different events and fundraisers.
“We want to be able to just create an abundance of opportunities to be able to give back to our community,” Soloranzo said. “I’m already fully booking out December and January with different fundraiser nights.”
They are planning to open their doors in mid-November and are hoping this is the first of many grand openings they’ll have in Tucson.
“In the past four years, we’ve received nothing but love,” Soloranzo said. “This is definitely going to be a steppingstone into opening up more locations and being able to provide our concept to different communities.”
