The new Just Salad restaurant, 275 Post Road East, offers a wide selection of greens, accompanied by a selection of toppings and dressings, as well as wraps, warm bowls and smoothies. / Photos by Gary Webster

By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Its name might be “Just Salad.” But the restaurant that opened Wednesday in Playhouse Square offers much more than just salad.

A variety of wraps, such as Buffalo Chicken or Vegan Chipotle, are on the menu. Also offered are warm bowls, like Cilantro Lime Chicken or Edamame Crunch. Dressings for the salads are made on the premises, as are the smoothies and cookies.

“We prep everything in house,” said Renata Saavedra, the manager of the local Just Salad.

Just Salad’s menu features items such as, from left, Crispy Chicken Poblano salad, Buffalo Chicken wrap and a Hot Honey Harvest bowl. / Photos, justsalad.com

The Westport restaurant at 275 Post Road East is the chain’s second location in Connecticut. The first is in Fairfield, and the company plans to open one in Norwalk and another in West Hartford, according to Jose Zuniga, regional manager.

“We’re very excited to be in Westport,” he said. A survey last year showed that some loyal customers of the Fairfield restaurant were hoping for an outlet closer to home in Westport, he said.

The Just Salad menu also features seasonal offerings, such as a winter wrap and soup, according to Saavedra. Broccoli-and-cheddar soup is the seasonal soup choice now, but chicken noodle soup is always available, she said, providing welcome warmth in cold winter months.

Online orders can be picked up at the restaurant, which also takes catering orders and offers gift cards.

Renata Saavedra, the Westport Just Salad manager, welcomes customers to the shop, which opened Wednesday.

Just Salad also has several ways for customers to take advantage of special deals. First responders and health-care workers get 10 percent off, the manager said.

And the “Good to Go” program offers lower prices at the end of the day because everything is made fresh daily and most of the food is replaced every day.

Those taking advantage of  lower prices at the end of the day can pick up their food between 8:15 and 8:45 p.m. each night before the restaurant closes at 9.

The “Reusable Bowl” program is another way to save at Just Salad. Reusing the bowls for menu items not only saves money, but helps save the environment, Saavedra said.

Reusable bowls decorated with Sesame Street characters cost $4.99 and “classic” plain bowls are $1.99. Customers who buy reusable bowls and bring them back for a refill, get a discount on every new order, she said.

Just Salad, 275 Post Road East, is open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Orders can be placed via the website or the Just Salad app. For more information, call 866-673-3757.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.