Salads to replace burgers on Nassau

Trading Whoppers for watercress, students will soon be able to feast on healthy salads and sandwiches rather than cheap, quick burgers on Nassau Street.

Burger King, which closed earlier this year, will be replaced by Saladworks, a higher-priced chain that specializes in salads and sandwiches. Rich Hopkins, owner of the Nassau Street Saladworks franchise, hopes to open the new restaurant in early April.

Some students, citing health concerns, welcome the change.

"It's good to have more options which aren't fast food up on Nassau," Cody Sonntag '07 said.

Others disliked the switch for precisely the same reason.

"I think it's terrible," Lester Mackey '07 said. "You're replacing red meat and fast food with salad. It's excessively health conscious."

Ryan Crane '08, a former Burger King patron, said he also regrets that the restaurant has closed.

"I can get salad anywhere on campus. Where else am I going to get Burger King?" he said.

Support nonprofit student journalism. Donate to the ‘Prince’. Donate now »

Hopkins has long wanted to own a restaurant on Nassau Street.

"When I first became affiliated with Saladworks in early 2002, Princeton was the first location we wanted," said Hopkins, who already owns two Saladworks franchises. The number of business employees in the area made the town a desirable location, he said.

To better suit its location, Hopkins said the restaurant will put up pictures of old Princeton instead of the usual Saladworks decorations.

"We're trying to fit in with the Borough," he said.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Hopkins plans to attract clients who would otherwise eat at Panera Bread. The price of a typical meal at Saladworks is seven to eight dollars, he said, which is comparable to prices at Panera.

Despite the price, Hopkins claims that his clients come from all parts of society. "You'd be amazed by the number of construction workers coming into my stores," he said.

The building Saladworks will occupy is owned by the family business Town Management.

John Roberto, the owner of Town Management, remembers Burger King as "a model client" that left of its own accord. "I think Saladworks offers a little more variety, a little more of a healthier choice for the people in town," Roberto said.

While Hopkins does not know the reasons for Burger King's decision to leave, he speculated that declining popularity might have played a role.

"Burger King wasn't being used a lot," he said. "If they wanted to get out, then people weren't going there."

The Nassau Street Burger King was a watershed restaurant in Princeton. As one of the first such fast food restaurants in the town, it encountered some opposition from residents.

The Borough "had to make sure everything was done correctly because it was the first fast food chain that was going on Nassau Street," Roberto said.