Doc Green’s Targets Healthy Consumers
Healthy gourmet salad concept enters Raving Brands’ portfolio of fast-casual brands.

Doc Green’s

“It was founder Martin Sprock’s brainchild,” says Darin Kraetsch, vice president of real estate for Raving Brands. “He’s the genius behind Raving Brands, especially from the concept/creation standpoint. He always seems to be a step or two ahead of the restaurant community.”

With a tagline that reads “As Healthy As You Want to Be,” Doc Green’s is not a soup and salad trough of the ‘90s, says Kraetsch. The restaurant offers made-to-order salads, soups and your choice of meat, chicken or fish with two vegetable sides. Panini sandwiches, casseroles and other bistro fare are also available with light, low-carb and low-cal dressings and toppings. The average sales ticket is $6 to $8.

The restaurant will feature vibrant and lavish colors in a cool, sexy décor with images and sounds of popular musical artists, a Raving Brands trademark. The design is skewed toward the feminine, but is nothing a man wouldn’t feel comfortable in, says Kraetsch.

“We wanted it to be high-energy and warm and comfortable at the same time, which is something Raving Brands has been very successful at in the past.”

There is no one designer for the restaurant — literally everyone in the company participates in the concept creation to some degree.

“It is truly one of the great dynamics of our culture,” adds Kraetsch. “We’re just regular guys and gals who like to create food we enjoy eating and what we think is cool.”

With commitments for at least 50 stores, Doc Green’s has franchisees all over the U.S., from California to Florida and many states in between, including Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. The first Atlanta location will be a freestanding 2,400-square-foot space, located on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The second location will most likely open in Southern California. The company also has a store targeted for the new Atlantic Station project in Atlanta in 2006.

“The response has been nothing short of overwhelming,” says Kraetsch, “from current franchisees as well as landlords. It’s going to be something completely different that the restaurant industry has never really seen, especially on the scale that Raving Brands is going to roll out.”

The concept will, in many ways, be modeled after Moe’s Southwest Grill in that it will require a relatively lower cost of entry for the franchisee and will be simple to run.

“It will definitely rival, and potentially exceed, Moe’s as far as how fast it will grow,” notes Kraetsch.

In terms of real estate, Raving Brands looks for the same great space that everybody’s looking for, notes Kraetsch — the 2,500 square-foot endcap with a patio, high visibility and high traffic — all the stuff that makes for A-plus real estate. The company believes it will have a much easier time going into some existing centers because there is nobody doing what Doc Green’s is doing with such emphasis on gourmet salads.

“As we continue to build these additional brands, it really gives our franchise community a great runway to expand and dominate great real estate,” says Kraetsch. “Because as we continue to build these additional brands, we add another weapon in our arsenal for real estate.”

Doc Green’s recently completed a deal for just over 8,000 square feet in the new Westgate project in Glendale, Arizona, which will deliver in 2006.

“When you start talking about that kind of square footage, you’re a junior anchor at that point,” Kraetsch notes. “That’s part of our master plan. If you continue to deliver high quality brands that have a great entry point as far as their upfront commitment and have a great return on investment, then you’ve created a situation where your franchisees have no reason to leave the family.”

Raving Brands’ restaurant portfolio currently includes Moe’s Southwest Grill (150 units), Mama Fu’s Asian House (15 units), New Orleans-based PJs Coffee (40 units), Planet Smoothie (137 units) and Planet Smoothie Café, an expanded version of the company’s first concept that includes panini, pita sandwiches and breakfast items. Stay tuned for word about Raving Brands’ next fast-casual concept, a Seafood restaurant called Bonehead’s Seafood.

— Susan H. Fishman